Thirty-seven immigration offenders arrested in HK

Hong Kong's Immigration Department and the Hong Kong Police Force have mounted joint operations from Aug. 11 to 13 to combat illegal employment activities. A total of 32 illegal workers, one overstayer and four suspected employers were arrested.

During the three-day operations, officers of the Immigration Task Force raided a number of target locations including restaurants, a packaging factory, a laundry factory and units under renovation, arresting 32 illegal workers, one overstayer and four suspected employers.

Also in the operations, three Chinese mainland visitors comprising two men and one woman were arrested for breaching their conditions of stay after being involved in suspected parallel goods trading at Ka Fu Close in Sheung Shui. The goods involved milk powder, food, shampoo, medicine, sterilizing products and health-care products.

Since September 2012, a number of operations have been conducted, during which a total of 1,331 Chinese mainlanders and 14 Hong Kong residents were arrested for suspected involvement in parallel goods trading. Of these, 201 mainlanders were prosecuted for breach of conditions of stay, while the remaining 1,130 people were repatriated. Among those prosecuted, 192 out of 201 were sentenced to imprisonment for four weeks to three months and charges were withdrawn for another nine people.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 HK dollars and up to two years' imprisonment," an Immigration Department spokesman said Thursday.

The spokesman also warned that it is an offence to use or possess a forged identity card. Offenders are liable to prosecution and a maximum penalty of a 100,000-HK-dollar 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 HK dollars and imprisonment for three years.

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.