Immigration Department Arrests 20 Persons in Anti-Illegal Worker Operation

20 persons arrested during anti-illegal worker operation

The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted an anti-illegal worker operation codenamed “Contribute” from June 10 to yesterday (June 16).During the operation, ImmD officers raided multiple target renovation units, including a newly inhabited housing estate, industrial buildings, retail shops and village houses.Fifteen suspected illegal workers and five suspected employers were arrested. Thearrested suspected illegal workers were 15 men, aged 30 to 56. They were found engaging in cementing, cleaning, demolition, electrical wiring, furniture installation and painting. Among them, a man was suspected of using and being in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card. Five men, aged 36 to 60, were suspected of employing the illegal workers and were also arrested. The investigation into the suspected employers is ongoing, and the possibility of further arrests is not ruled out.

Apart from the enforcement operation, a promotional vehicle and ImmD officers have been deployed to distribute leaflets to the public in the housing estate and convey the message “Don’t Employ Illegal Workers”.

An ImmD spokesman said, “Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him or her shall be guilty of an offence. Also, 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. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties.”

The spokesman warned, “As stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land is prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment. As stipulated in section 20(1)(a) of the Immigration Ordinance, the Chief Executive may make a deportation order against an immigrant, prohibiting the immigrant from being in Hong Kong at any time thereafter if the immigrant has been found guilty in Hong Kong of an offence punishable by imprisonment for not less than two years. Under the prevailing laws, it is an offence to use or possess a forged identity card or an identity card related to another person. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $100,000 and up to 10 years’ imprisonment.”

The spokesman stressed that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years’ imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years’ imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences. The director, manager, secretary, partner, etc, of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.

According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee’s identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker’s valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and to imprisonment for one year. In that connection, the spokesman would like to remind all employers not to defy the law by employing illegal workers. The ImmD will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences.

Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct an initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) and/or forced labour victims. When any TIP and/or forced labour indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the ImmD officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP and/or forced labour elements. Identified TIP and/or forced labour victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter or temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP and/or forced labour victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately.

For reporting illegal employment activities, please call the dedicated hotline 185 185, by fax at 2824 1166, email toanti_crime@immd.gov.hk, or submit “Online Reporting of Immigration Offences” form atwww.immd.gov.hk.

Outreach Music Interest Courses open for applications

The Music Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) is now accepting applications for its Outreach Music Interest Courses (OMICs). Members of the public are welcome to apply for an array of courses, ranging from Chinese and Western musical instrument foundation classes to music workshops. The courses will be held from September to February next year.

Introductory courses available include ocarina, kalimba, little harp, keyboard and musicianship. Instrumental enrichment courses include erhu, liuqin, pipa, zheng, yangqin, dizi, violin, viola, cello, flute, clarinet and saxophone. There are also ensemble trainings for Chinese and Western music, music theory (Grades 1 and 2) and aural training. The course fees range from $330 to $1,370.

Other Chinese and Western musical instrument foundation classes will cover erhu, liuqin, pipa, zhongruan, zheng, yangqin, dizi, xiao, violin, viola, cello, flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet and percussion (glockenspiel and practice pad). The course fee is $1,460 each.

A new course, “Parent Workshop on ‘Music and Children’s Emotional Wellbeing'”, will introduce ways of enriching the musical experiences of children aged 2 to 8 to promote their emotional health and overall development. The fee for this course is $220.

The Music Office will offer “Workshop on iPad Music Making” for adults to learn about creating music by using the free music app GarageBand. In addition, the “Keyboard Playing (Numbered Musical Notation)” course for adults will cover numbered musical notation reading, melody-playing techniques and simple chord applications. The course fee is $660.

All OMICs are conducted in Cantonese. The courses will be held at different venues across the territory, namely Sheung Wan Civic Centre, Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, East Kowloon Cultural Centre, Ko Shan Theatre, Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre, Sha Tin Town Hall, Tsuen Wan Town Hall, Yuen Long Theatre, Tuen Mun Town Hall, North District Town Hall, Tai Po Civic Centre, Hong Kong Central Library and the Music Office’s music centres in Wan Chai, Mong Kok, Kwun Tong, Sha Tin and Tsuen Wan. Participants of the online course “ABCs of Musicianship” are required to prepare their own electronic device equipped with a wireless or broadband data connection, a webcam and the software Zoom in advance.

Online applications are now available on the Music Office website (www.lcsd.gov.hk/musicoffice). Course prospectuses and application forms are also available at various performance venues of the LCSD and all music centres of the Music Office. The deadline for applications is July 16. Oversubscribed courses will be processed by ballot. For courses not fully taken up after the first round of application, places will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis from August 12 onwards.

For enquiries, please call 3842 7773, 2598 0801 or 2598 8335 or email tooutreachmusic@lcsd.gov.hk.