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Territory-wide enforcement operations codenamed "Twilight" and joint enforcement operations have been mounted by the Immigration Department, the Police Force and the Labour Department since Monday (June 17) to combat illegal employment activities. A total of 30 illegal workers and 10 suspected employers have been arrested.
During operation "Twilight", immigration officers raided 68 target locations including restaurants, food stalls, flats under renovation, recycling depots, an exchange shop, market stalls, village houses, a dish cleaning centre and garbage collection points. Eighteen illegal workers and nine employers were arrested, comprising 12 men and six women aged between 23 and 48. Among them, two men were suspected of using and being in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card. Five men and four women, aged between 34 and 62, were suspected of employing the illegal workers.
During the joint enforcement operations, officers raided 15 target locations including restaurants, food stalls, airfreight terminals and warehouses. Twelve illegal workers were arrested, comprising four men and eight women aged between 25 and 48. Among them, one woman was suspected of using a forged Hong Kong identity card and two men were holders of recognisance forms which prohibit employment. One woman, aged 52, was arrested due to being suspected of employing the illegal workers. The operations are still in process.
"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 warned that it is an offence to possess or use 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 warned that it is an offence for illegal immigrants or people who are the subject of a removal order or a deportation order to take any employment or to establish or join in any business. Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years' imprisonment. The Court of Appeal has issued a guideline ruling that a sentence of 15 months' imprisonment should be applied in such cases.
The spokesman also appealed to employers not to employ illegal workers, warning that it is 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 or 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 is a serious offence to employ someone who is not legally employable, and stating that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.
Ends/Thursday, June 20, 2013
Issued at HKT 20:07
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