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Territory-wide enforcement operations codenamed "Twilight", "Windsand" and "Champion" were mounted by the Immigration Department, the Police Force and the Labour Department yesterday (April 29) to combat illegal employment activities. A total of 22 illegal workers and four suspected employers were arrested.
During operation "Twilight", immigration officers raided six target locations including restaurants, a garbage collection point, a warehouse and a wet market stall, arresting five illegal workers comprising three men and two women aged between 31 and 63. Among them, one woman was suspected of using and being in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card. One man and one woman, whose ages were 36 and 52, were suspected of employing the illegal workers.
During operation "Windsand", a joint operation between the Immigration Department and the Police Force, 10 male Mainland visitors aged between 30 and 53 were arrested for breaching their conditions of stay by being involved in suspected parallel goods trading at Ka Fu Close and Po Shek Wu Road in Sheung Shui. The goods involved milk powder, diapers, daily necessities and cosmetics.
During operation "Champion", a joint operation between the Immigration Department, the Police Force and the Labour Department, enforcement officers raided 18 target locations including restaurants and food stalls, arresting seven illegal workers comprising two men and five women aged between 27 and 51. Two women, whose ages were 25 and 44, were suspected of employing the illegal workers.
Since September 2012, a number of "Windsand" operations have been conducted, during which a total of 729 Mainlanders and 10 Hong Kong residents were arrested for suspected involvement in parallel goods trading. Of these, 101 Mainlanders were prosecuted for breach of condition of stay, while the remaining 628 were repatriated. Among those prosecuted, 93 out of 101 were sentenced to imprisonment for four weeks to two months. Charges were withdrawn for another eight people.
"Visitors are not allowed to take 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 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/Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Issued at HKT 17:59
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