Government unveils plans for three new community isolation facilities
The Government announced today (May 31) that the community isolation facilities (CIFs) sites at Hung Shui Kiu, the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities Island of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) and Ma Sik Road in Fanling will be released for their original planned uses:
1. The site at Hung Shui Kiu will be developed into multi-storey buildings for modern industries (MSBs) in accordance with the development of sites for industries in the Northern Metropolis. The MSBs will provide floor space for relocation of some brownfield operators affected by development projects. The site is included in the 2024-25 Land Sale Programme as an industrial site. The Government will announce the specific disposal timeline for this site in due course;
2. The site at the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities Island of the HZMB will be released to the Airport Authority Hong Kong to serve as back-up sites to support the operation of Hong Kong International Airport and AsiaWorld-Expo; and
3. The site at Ma Sik Road in Fanling will be returned to the land owner for private housing development to align with the development schedule of the Fanling North New Development Area.
Drawing on the successful experience of transferring and reusing the CIFs in the southern end of the Loop early this year, the Government will transfer the CIFs at the aforementioned sites to other suitable locations for reconfiguration and reuse in an orderly manner in order to implement the principle of making good use of CIFs. They will mainly serve as site offices, rest rooms for site staff, material storage rooms and more in government works projects. The Development Bureau will arrange for the constructors to begin transferring the facilities soon, aiming to complete the process within the third quarter of this year.
Up till now, the Government has announced the use of a number of community isolation and treatment facilities, and implemented the arrangements. They include:
It is the Government's goal to maintain the city's capacity to respond to changes in an epidemic situation, while taking into account Hong Kong's economic, livelihood and social needs. The Government will continue to make subsequent arrangements for other community isolation and treatment facilities, releasing the sites in phases or utilising the facilities for other purposes. Announcements will be made and the implementation of related work will be carried out in a timely and orderly manner.
Source: AI-generated images
16 persons arrested during anti-illegal worker operations
The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted a series of territory-wide anti-illegal worker operations codenamed "Greenlane", "Lightshadow", and "Twilight", and joint operations with the Hong Kong Police Force codenamed "Champion" and "Windsand", for four consecutive days from May 12 to yesterday (May 15). A total of 10 suspected illegal workers, four suspected employers and two overstayers were arrested.
During the anti-illegal worker operations, ImmD Task Force officers raided 70 target locations including an exhibition hall, residential buildings and restaurants. Ten suspected illegal workers and four suspected employers were arrested. The arrested suspected illegal workers comprised six men and four women, aged 27 to 57. Among them, two women were holders of recognisance forms, which prohibit them from taking any employment. In addition, one man and one woman were also suspected of using and being in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card; one woman was suspected of using and being in possession of a Hong Kong identity card related to another person. One man and three women, aged 35 to 61, were suspected of employing the illegal workers and were also arrested.
During operation "Champion", enforcement officers raided 72 target locations in Central, Eastern and Mong Kok districts. Two overstayers were arrested. The arrested overstayers comprised two women, aged 31 and 53.
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 Hong Kong identity card or a Hong Kong 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 reiterated 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) victims. When any TIP 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 elements, such as threats and coercion in the recruitment phase and the nature of exploitation. Identified TIP 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 victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately.
16 persons arrested during anti-illegal worker operations Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
