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| A one-hour booking of a LCSD-run basketball court could be sold for as much as 13x more |
Sports aficionados in Hong Kong are all abuzz over news that a foreign domestic helper was sentenced to two months in jail, suspended for 24 months, at Shatin Magistracy yesterday, Mar. 13.
According to a government statement, the FDH whose nationality was not disclosed, was charged and convicted of a charge of breaching her condition of stay by selling bookings she made at basketball, tennis and other sports facilities, to end users.
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| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE! |
She was arrested after the Immigration Department was alerted over her illicit activities. Acting on the reports, immigration investigators enquired and retrieved relevant documents from the department concerned which were used as evidence against her.
Investigators found out that she had made numerous bookings of a basketball court, a tennis court and other sports facilities, in her name, between July and September 2021.
However, she only went to the venues to sign in for the actual user/s then left after collecting payments.
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| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
When arrested, the FDH said she had acted on her own, and that she had sold the bookings in exchange for money. She did this while knowing that she could only perform domestic duties at the contractual address of her employer.
She was arrested and charged with one count of violating her visa conditions.
Immigration warned FDHs that they should only do domestic work for their employers. They should not take up any other employment, whether paid or unpaid, including part-time work.
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In turn, employers should not require their helpers to work for any other person.
Anyone who contravenes his/her conditions of stay will be prosecuted and if convicted, face a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment of up to two years.
Meanwhile, news of the arrest shook sporting communities, including those composed mainly of migrant workers.
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| Pindutin para sa detalye! |
An insider said this is because the selling of sport bookings has become commonplace in recent months when getting an online booking, especially on a weekend, has become extremely difficult.
“You have to go online as soon as the booking for a venue becomes available, which means remaining awake in the odd hours,” he said. “Then, you must also have a good connection because many other people would be vying for the same slot at the same time.”
Basketball bookings are offered for up to $2,000 per hour, according to him, when hiring an indoor venue for the sport, with airconditioning, costs only $148.
For tennis, the going rate is $150 per hour when the Leisure and Cultural Services Department only charges $42 during the daytime, $57 if floodlighting is required.
He said certain groups or individuals who need multiple bookings for training sessions at the government facilities, are forced to pay up to ensure they get to use the venues as needed.
He suggested the government overhaul the booking system to ensure slots are reserved for genuine end users, while people who profit from the current scheme are kept away.
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| PADALA NA! |
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