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The Immigration Department has apprehended 33 suspected immigration offenders in a territory-wide anti-illegal workers operation, codenamed "Breakthrough".
During the two-days operation, immigration officers arrested 29 suspected illegal workers and four local employers as well as one Hong Kong resident who was suspected of having provided assistance to people remaining in Hong Kong illegally. A suspected counterfeit Hong Kong identity card was also found on one of the illegal workers working in a laundry factory. The counterfeit identity card did not have the security features found in a genuine identity card and was not difficult to detect upon careful examination.
Operation Breakthrough began at 6am yesterday (August 6) and ended at 6pm today (August 7). Immigration officers raided 46 target locations which included laundry factory, warehouses, decoration units in factory buildings and restaurants.
The arrested 20 illegal workers included 12 males and eight females aged from 19 to 57 and suspected to have breached their condition of stay. Among them, two came from South Korea, one from Indonesia and 17 from the Mainland. In addition, nine male illegal immigrants, aged between 25 and 59, were arrested. They comprised four Indian Sub-continent nationals and five Mainlanders.
In addition, three female Hong Kong residents, aged between 34 and 58, were arrested for employing illegal workers. Another male Hong Kong resident of Indian Sub-continent origin was arrested for being suspected of aiding and abetting persons to illegally remaining in Hong Kong.
"Visitors are not allowed to take up employment, whether paid or unpaid, 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 imprisonment for two years. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalty," the department spokesman said.
"It is also an offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. The maximum penalty is a fine of $350,000 and imprisonment for three years," the spokesman added.
Ends/Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Issued at HKT 19:38
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