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A joint enforcement operation codenamed "Powerplayer" was mounted by the Immigration Department and the Police Force yesterday (September 17) in the New Territories North Region to combat illegal employment activities. During the operation, 21 illegal workers and two people suspected of employing them were arrested.
During the operation, enforcement officers raided 16 targeted locations including a canteen, premises under renovation and recycling depots in Lok Ma Chau, Lau Fau Shan, Tuen Mun, Sheung Shui and Tai Po. After checking 38 people's identity documents, 21 illegal workers were arrested, comprising 16 men and five women aged 24 to 51. Among them, eight were holders of recognisance forms, which prohibit employment. One man and a woman, aged 35 and 60 respectively, 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 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 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/Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Issued at HKT 15:04
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