*********************************
The Immigration Department yesterday (July 14) arrested six illegal workers and seven people suspected to have employed them during a territory-wide anti-illegal worker operation codenamed "Twilight". Another two people were arrested in an inter-departmental operation.
Operation "Twilight" began at 7.15am and ended at 9.50pm yesterday. Immigration Task Force officers raided 18 target locations in various districts including a foreign exchange shop, industrial premises, a salon, premises under renovation or decoration, retail stalls and restaurants. In this operation, six illegal workers and seven employers were arrested. The illegal workers comprised three men and three women aged between 25 and 42. Among them, one woman was a holder of recognisance forms, which prohibit employment. Five men and two women, whose ages ranged from 38 to 73, were suspected of employing the illegal workers.
During a separate joint Immigration Department/Labour Department operation that began at 9.30am and ended at 5.30pm yesterday, enforcement officers raided six target locations in various districts including retailers, a laundry shop, vegetable stalls and a foot massage shop. In this operation, one female illegal worker aged 42 and one male employer aged 27 were arrested.
"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 court also revealed that from 2006 to 2009, illegal immigrants and many overstayers lodged torture claims only after they had been arrested for taking up employment, raising suspicion over the veracity of their claims. A deterrent sentence ensures that illegal immigration will become less attractive with the risk of a long jail term.
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/Friday, July 15, 2011
Issued at HKT 17:27
NNNN
