******************************************************
An anti-illegal worker operation yesterday (March 10) in the New Territories South Region resulted in the arrest of 13 people. The operation involved the Immigration Department, the Hong Kong Police and the Labour Department.
The operation, which began at 6am and ended at 9.30pm, resulted in the arrest of eight illegal workers and five employers. Law enforcement officers raided 33 workplaces, including restaurants, recycling depots, warehouses, industrial buildings and car park loading areas, and checked the proof of identity of 52 people.
The illegal workers comprised six men and two women. Among them, four men were holders of recognisance forms, which prohibit employment, while one man was suspected to have been in possession of a suspected forged Hong Kong identity card.
"The Immigration Department will continue to strengthen law enforcement to combat unlawful employment now that the Immigration (Amendment) Ordinance 2009 is in effect. It is an offence for illegal immigrants or people who are the subject of a removal order or a deportation order from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or from establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable to a fine of $50,000 and to imprisonment for three years," an Immigration spokesman said.
The spokesman also warned that it was an offence in law to use or possess a forged identity card. Offenders are liable to prosecution and a maximum penalty of a $100,000 fine and imprisonment for 10 years.
The spokesman also appealed to employers not to employ illegal workers, warning that it was an offence to employ people who were not lawfully employable. The maximum penalty is a fine of $350,000 and imprisonment for three years. To deter unlawful employment, the High Court laid down a sentencing guideline in 2004 reaffirming that it was a serious offence to employ someone who was not legally employable, and the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.
Ends/Thursday, March 11, 2010
Issued at HKT 14:35
NNNN
