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A Mainland visitor appearing at Sha Tin Magistrates' Court today (September 14) was sentenced to eight months' jail for employing Mainland visitors as workers at a recycling site.
The 23-year-old male defendant, Lin Huanran, pleaded guilty to one count of breach of condition of stay and eight counts of being the employer of a person not lawfully employable. He was sentenced to three months' jail on the first charge and eight months on the remaining charges. The sentences of the nine charges will run concurrently.
The Immigration Department took over the case, after an initial investigation by Police.
The defendant and some Mainland visitors were intercepted by Police at a pinball machine recycling site at Yuen Long in May, 2005. They were observed to have been performing various duties including, sorting and conveying scrap materials dismantled from pinball machines. The defendant admitted being in charge of the recycling site. He employed his workers on daily wages of $100.
In June 2005, the Mainland visitors employed by the defendant were each sentenced to two months' jail for breach of conditions of stay.
The Immigration Department warns 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.
Visitors are not permitted to take up employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, or to establish any business without the prior permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and two years' jail.
Ends/Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Issued at HKT 18:51
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