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A joint enforcement operation codenamed "Powerplayer" was mounted by the Immigration department, Police and Labour Department yesterday (July 15) in New Territories West to combat illegal employment activities. The operation, which began at 7.15am and ended at 6pm yesterday, resulted in the arrest of 14 illegal workers and two employers.
During the operation, law enforcement officers raided 12 workplaces including electronic refuse depots, computer recycling depots, vehicle dismantling depots, warehouses, logistics companies, disused wooden huts and a construction site, and checked the proof of identity of 42 people. The illegal workers comprised 13 men and one woman, aged between 20 and 45. Among them, eight men were holders of recognisance forms, which prohibit employment.
The two men suspected to have employed illegal workers were aged 27 and 40.
"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. It is also 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 fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for three years," an Immigration Department spokesman warned.
The spokesman also appealed to employers not to employ illegal workers, warning that it was an offence to employ people who were not lawfully employable. The maximum penalty is a fine of $350,000 and imprisonment for three years. To deter unlawful employment, the High Court laid down a sentencing guideline in 2004 reaffirming that it was a serious offence to employ someone who was not lawfully employable, and the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.
The spokesman also warned that it was an offence for employers to fail to inspect the job seeker's valid travel document if the latter is not holding a Hong Kong permanent identity card. The maximum penalty is a fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for one year. Persons permitted to remain on visitor or student, employment conditions or persons whose travel documents are endorsed with a condition of stay stating "employment is not permitted" are not lawfully employable without prior approval from the Director of Immigration.
Ends/Friday, July 16, 2010
Issued at HKT 12:50
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