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The Immigration Department arrested 13 illegal workers and eight people suspected of employing them during a series of anti-illegal worker operations on January 5 and 6.
Immigration Task Force Officers raided 29 target locations in various districts including restaurants, retail shops, and residential units under renovation. The illegal workers comprised eight men and five women aged 25 to 49. Moreover, four women and one man were suspected of using and being in possession of a suspected forged Hong Kong Identity card.
Additionally, five men and three women, whose ages ranged from 30 to 65, were suspected of employing the illegal workers.
"Visitors are not allowed to take up employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and, upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years' imprisonment," an Immigration Department 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 up to 10 years' imprisonment.
The spokesman also appealed to employers not to employ illegal workers, warning that it was an offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. The maximum penalty is a fine of $350,000 and imprisonment for three years. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker's identity card or, if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card, his/her valid travel document. The maximum penalty for failing to do so is a fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for one year. To deter unlawful employment, the High Court laid down sentencing guidelines in 2004 reaffirming that it was a serious offence to employ someone who was not legally employable, and stating that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.
Ends/Friday, January 7, 2011
Issued at HKT 15:08
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