Lanterns from all over the world to highlight Mid-Autumn Festival

This 8-meter tall lantern crafted by artists in Nanjing will welcome guests to the exhibit

Thousands of colorful lanterns from 20 countries and regions will be featured in a new exhibition to mark this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival celebration at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay.

The inaugural International Lantern Spectacular organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board can be viewed at the park from Sept 17 to 27.

The display with the theme “reunion” coincides with the Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival held by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department in Causeway Bay every year.

Expected to draw the biggest crowd is the World Lantern Boulevard, where visitors will be treated to silk lanterns from South Korea, multi-coloured patchwork lanterns from Brazil, and lanterns incorporating traditional folk paper-cutting techniques from Poland.

The HKTB has also invited a team of craftsmen from Nanjing to set up four giant Qinhuai lanterns that will be built using a traditional technique dating back 1,700 years, and is inscribed on the national list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Another pavilion will showcase hundreds of handmade lanterns taking the shape of rabbits, star fruits and goldfish, among other things.

The Fire Dragon Festival is recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage

As part of the 10-day celebration, revelers will be treated to the traditional Fire Dragon Dance in Tai Hang from Sept. 24 to 26.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, falls on the 15^th day of the eighth lunar month and is an occasion for families to gather in celebration.

In Hong Kong, that means sharing mooncakes with loved ones; going moongazing from the Peak, mountain tops and other high places; and enjoying a range of festive events from lantern carnivals to dragon dance performances.

Case of Filipino in 8-kilo cannabis haul moved to District Court

Customs' marijuana haul

A Filipino arrested at the airport after more than eight kilos of cannabis (marijuana) in herbal form was discovered in his checked-in luggage, was returned to jail today after he appeared at the West Kowloon Court, which elevated his case to the District Court.

Clay John Tianzon, 27 years old who works as a photographer, was booked for transfer to the District Court on September 17 by Principal Magistrate Don So.

Tianzon is facing two charges filed by the Customs and excise Department after he arrived from Bangkok on July 25 last year and officers examined his luggage at Customs Arrival Hall B, Passenger Terminal 1, Hong Kong International Airport, in Chek Lap Kok.

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Tianzon was charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug, contrary to section 4(1)(a) and (3) of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance.

He was accused of “unlawfully traffick(ing) in a dangerous drug, namely 8,004.3 grams of cannabis in herbal form and traces of cannabis in herbal form,” the Customs charge sheet said.

He was also charged with importing an alternative smoking product, contrary to section 13B of the Import and Export Ordinance.

The charge arose from an eléctronic cigarette device that officers found in his luggage.

Recruiters who keep passports may be liable for illegal recruitment, says DMW

 

A passport may only be kept by the person to whom it was issued

The advisory was straightforward. Recruiters, licensed or not, should not confiscate or keep passports of job applicants.

This was according to a post on the Facebook page of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW Anti-Illegal Recruitment and Trafficking in Persons Report).

A recruiter who keeps the job applicant’s passport may be considered as having violated the law against illegal recruitment under RA 8042, as amended by RA 10022.

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Section 6 (k) of the said law includes in the list of acts that may constitute as illegal recruitment the following: To withhold or deny travel documents from applicant workers before departure for monetary or financial considerations, or for any other reasons, other than those authorized under the Labor Code and its implementing rules and regulations.

The prescribed penalty for illegal recruitment is imprisonment for not less than 12 years but not more than 20 years, and a fine of not less than Php1million but not more than Php2 million.

The penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of not less than Php2 million and not more than Php5 million shall be imposed if the illegal recruitment is large-scale, or where there are at least three victims.

Keeping somebody else's passport is also prohibited under the Philippines' Passsport Law, which says all passports are properties of the national government, and may be kept only by person under whose name it was issued.

The advisory further stated that if the recruiter confiscates the passport, the job applicant must insist on taking it back, or report the case immediately to the Department of Migrant Workers.

DMW's passport advisory carries an image of ''Sol'' the cat

The reactions to the advisory, however, showed that agents routinely withholds passports before deployment, or in the Middle East especially, they take it back again upon arrival at the country of destination, and turned over to the employer.

One said: “Andami pong mga agency na kumukuha ng passport, can I mention them here base sa naranasan ko? Grabe may mga agency pa na kapag mag withdraw ka ng docs may bayad na 1000.” (There are so many agencies that keep passports, can I mention them here based on my experience? It’s terrible, some agencies even charge you 1,000 if you withdraw your documents).

Another said: “Local or international, sa oras ng pag aapply, hawak na nila ang passport. Mahahawakan lang (ng worker) pag nag flight na. At pagdating sa employer kukunin din. Kasi isip nila kailangan nila kunin ang passport para di tumakas si kadama. LNG pag nagfligth na. At pag dating sa employer kukunin din. Kasi isip nila kailangan nila kunin ang passport para di tumakas si kadama. At pag ibinalik ng amo si kadama sa agency, kukunin din ng agency ang passport.”

(Whether for local or international deployment once a job seeker applies with an agency they will take the passport away. The worker can only get it back upon boarding their flight to the job site. And once they get to the employer’s house the passport is again taken away. That’s because they do not want the kadama or worker to escape. But once the employer brings the worker back to the agency, it is the agency that takes it for safekeeping).

Still another worker asked, “Paano po kung kinukuha ng employer ng mga OFW, ano po ang dapat gawin ng OFW? Kung magsasabi po ba sa agency ay magkaka aksyon at babawiin ito sa amo? Kung hindi pinansin ng agency ano po gagawin ng DMW/OWWA/Embassy? Magbibigay po ba sila ng advice sa mga agency at amo?

(What if the OFW’s employer takes it, what should the OFW do? If the worker informs the agency, will action be taken, or will the agency get it back from the employer? If the agency does not do anything, what will the DMW/OWWA/Embassy do? Will they advise the agency and employer not to withhold the passport?)

To report on the illegal confiscation of passports, email info@dmw.gov.ph or call the emergency hotline 1348. You may also scan the QR code in the attached poster.

 

Pinay gets 23 months in jail for laundering $747K

 

Illustrative photo created with deevid.ai

A Filipina domestic helper has begun a 23-month jail sentence after being convicted after trial at Fanling Court for money laundering that amounted to $747,444.

Nora Tan, 54 years old, listened as Magistrate Kenneth Chan read his decision on Tuesday (August 25).

Tan had been charged with dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offence, contrary to sections 25(1) and 25(3) of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

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The charge arose after $747,444 of proceeds from crime passed through her Hang Seng Bank, in a series of deposits and withdrawals between September 25, 2019 and July 31, 2020.

She was charged with dealing with money derived from crime, “knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that” the property “in whole or in part directly or indirectly, represented any person's proceeds of an indictable offence,” according to the information filed by Tai Po police.

 

3 FDHs warned for using employers’ data to obtain loans

 

Chung says the FDHs were not prosecuted but have since been sacked

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data has disclosed issuing warning letters to three domestic helpers after they used their employers’ personal details without consent to secure loans from financing companies.

Privacy Commissioner Ada Chung said the three were not prosecuted, but told to comply strictly with the law in future. They have all been dismissed by their employers since.

Chung said the letters were sent out after the employers complained to the PCPD. A total of 21 inquiries and complaints were made with the privacy watchdog in the first half of the year by employers regarding the improper use of their personal data by their helpers.

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In one of these cases, a helper borrowed from four different financing companies, and after failing to pay off her loans, her employer received phone calls and text messages from all four money lenders within the same day, demanding repayment.

In two of the cases, the employers were called up four times in a day to remind their helpers to pay up.

In another case, the employer was warned that debt collectors would be sent to their home if the outstanding balance was not paid.

Chung said that using an employer’s personal information for loan applications has no connection to the employment relationship. As such, all three helpers had breached the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. 

Under the Ordinance, disclosing someone else’s personal information without consent could result in a maximum fine of up to HK$1 million and two years in prison.

The privacy watchdog reminded FDHs that they must secure explicit consent before using their employers’ personal data, and not use these arbitrarily.

Employers for their part are advised to carefully review any documents presented to them by their domestic helpers before signing.

With the stricter regulations for unsecured loans that took effect from this month, Chung said she hopes the number of cases involving breach of employers’ data for loan purposes would drop significantly.

 

 

 

 

Senior citizen reported missing at HK Airport already in Cebu

 

The septuagenarian went missing after flying in from Frankfurt

All’s well that ends well.

A 70-year-old woman reported missing at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday afternoon while traveling alone, was found after a few hours, and put on her connecting flight to Cebu this morning.

Emily Munch, a former Filipino citizen who already holds a German passport, was reported missing by relatives after she was last seen at HK airport at 3:30 pm yesterday, Monday.

According to Lean Genesis, who said she’s a niece of Munch, her aunt was supposed to take a connecting flight to the Philippines, but when they spoke with her after she landed in Hong Kong, she became confused and kept saying she was still in Frankfurt, where she had come from.

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She had by then missed her connecting flight, so her family rebooked her on another flight. But after this, her family could no longer reach her as her phone registered as being “out of service.”

 “The airport has also been paging her name, but so far there have been no signs of her,” said Lean in a Facebook post.

Frantic with worry, her family members turned to social media for help in tracking Munch down. The SUN was also contacted via messenger for assistance.

The news also reached the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong, but upon checking, Vice Consul Gino Soriano who heads the assistance to nationals section, found out that Munch was already a German citizen and did not retain her Philippine passport.

Still, the Consulate tried to help, but advised Munch’s relatives to also ask assistance “from the concerned German embassy or consulate in future cases.”

It was the first time Munch was stricken with memory loss, says her niece

In her appeal for help, Lean said of her aunt:  “She may be confused due to dementia/memory loss and may not know that she is in Hong Kong,” said Lean.

“Please do not leave her alone if you find her, and if possible, contact Hong Kong Police or airport staff and let them know that she is a vulnerable/confused traveller.”

“Our whole family is extremely worried and just wants to get her safely back home.”

When asked by some netizens why her elderly aunt was allowed to travel alone, Lean said Munch had “no signs of dementia at all,” and it happened only after she landed in Hong Kong.

Had they known that she had this condition, they would not have let her travel alone, said Lean.

Then at about 9am today, Lean posted in a Facebook group that her aunt had been found.

“All good na po! Nakasakay na po siya papuntang Cebu. Tumawag na yung Cathay Pacific. Maraming salamat sa mga tumulong. At sa lahat ng nag kuda.” (It’s all good. She is already on a flight to Cebu. Cathay Pacific has called us. Thank you to everyone who helped. And all those who vented their ire).

She no longer responded to questions on how her aunt was found, or what transpired during the nearly six hours that she could not be contacted.

 

MWO staff join anti-illegal work campaign

 

MWO's Danny Baldon reminds OFWs in Central that they cannot moonlight

Staff of the Migrant Workers Office in Hong Kong were seen Sunday going around Central, reminding Filipinos not to breach their conditions of stay by taking on odd jobs, particularly hawking or selling food, giving massage, manicure and pedicure services, and dressing up eyebrows.

The MWO staff were accompanied by police and officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department as they visited places where many Filipino migrant workers hang out on Sundays, and distributed flyers.

In videos posted online, Danny Baldon of the MWO’s assistance to nationals section could be heard saying, “Nakalagay dyan bawal ang magtinda, magmasahe, pedicure, manicure at saka yung paggawa ng kilay. Bawal po yan, pag-ingatan natin, marami ang nagkaka problema ngayon.” (It says there, that selling, giving massage, pedicure, manicure and doing eyebrows are prohibited. They are not allowed. A lot of people are now encountering problems because of those).

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The move comes amid an intensified crackdown on illegal work led by the Immigration Department. In their weekly raids, Immigration officers mainly target restaurants, premises under renovation, massage and beauty parlors, and packing warehouses.

But on Sundays, operatives have been spotted apprehending a cigarette peddler, food and clothes vendors, and a group of Filipino migrant domestic workers and tourists providing manicure and pedicure services on a staircase beside World-Wide Plaza in Central.

Filipinas giving mani-pedi services in Central were arrested last March

Often overlooked are those who openly trim and shape eyebrows of their fellow MDWs in various spots, mainly in Central. They offer their services for HK$20 a pop, which could easily earn each of them between HK$1,000 to HK$2,000 per day, given that it takes only a few minutes to complete the service which hardly costs them anything.

In an unusual but well-publicised operation last year, six Filipinas were arrested in a Sham Shui Po flat and charged with practising illegal dentistry. Two pleaded guilty to the charge, while four were acquitted last month for lack of evidence.

And last week, a well-known Filipino vlogger who uses ChefBoy Mangyan as his social media handle, was invited by Immigration officers for questioning after he joined a Facebook live meet-up at the office of a travel agency in Central which he has been promoting on his vlog.

Under Immigration laws, foreign domestic helpers are allowed to work only for their employer and family members, in the address stated in their standard employment contract. They are strictly prohibited from taking on any other work, paid or unpaid.

Those found to have breached their conditions of stay face a maximum of two years in prison and a fine of up to HK$50,000.

Overstayers, illegal immigrants and recognizance paper holders (or those seeking eventual asylum) who are caught working face a maximum jail time of three years, plus HK$50,000 fine.

 

 

 

HK Customs steps up operation against cigarette smugglers

 

The three-day Customs haul at the airport

Hong Kong Customs has issued a warning to passengers arriving through the airport and seaports, who habitually bring reams of cigarettes in their luggage: such smuggling can land you in jail.

The warning comes in the form of an operation enforcement operation codenamed "Tempest", the latest of which was held last August 19 to 21, in which a total of 1.4 million suspected illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $6.2 million and a duty potential of about $4.5 million were seized.

Fourteen persons, mostly from Southeast Asian countries, were arrested.

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“Passengers are reminded not to engage in illicit cigarette smuggling to avoid the risks of getting caught. Customs will also closely monitor illicit cigarette syndicates and continue the multipronged enforcement strategy to vigorously combat illicit cigarette activities,” it said in a statement.

The 14 arrested passengers, aged between 23 and 56, arrived in Hong Kong from the Southeast Asian region.

“An investigation revealed that the check-in baggage carried by the arrestees was fully packed with duty-not-paid cigarettes and contained no other personal belongings” it said.

All the 14 have been charged with dealing with, possessing, importing duty-not-paid cigarettes, or failing to declare to Customs officers, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance.

Nine of them were convicted at the Magistrates' Courts and sentenced to immediate imprisonment ranging from eight months to 20 months. One of the arrestees was sentenced to 20 months' imprisonment for smuggling over 180,000 illicit cigarettes into Hong Kong.

“The custodial sentences have imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflect the seriousness of the offences,” Customs said.

“The operation is ongoing. Customs will keep strengthening passenger clearance based on risk assessment to combat cross-boundary illicit cigarette activities,” it added.

Under the Ordinance, anyone involved in importing, dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

Man jailed 6 months for illegal import of alternative smoking products

Alternative smoking products seized at HK Airport (File)

While they may be legal in many countries like the Philippines, e-cigarettes, vapes, herbal cigarettes or any other alternative smoking products, may not be brought into, or possessed in public, in Hong Kong, where such acts are heavily penalized.

This was emphasized by the Department of Health when it welcomed the decision by the Kowloon Magistrates’ Court last Friday, Aug. 22, to sentence a man to six months in prison for bringing in 33,800 alternative smoking products (ASP).

According to a government press release, the Customs and Excise Department found the illicit items in the luggage of the man who arrived from Japan on August 20. After being notified of the case, The Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office of the Department of Health immediately arrested and prosecuted the defendant.

The case was immediately resolved after the accused was taken to court, where he pleaded guilty to a charge of illegally importing alternative smoking products. 

Possessing vape, e-cigarettes in public is also unalawful (File)

Since the amendment of the Tobacco Control Legislation (Amendment) Ordinance 2025, which conferred arrest powers on TACO inspectors, took effect on Sept. 19, 2025, a total of 29 cases involving large importation of ASP have been prosecuted. Thirty-one persons have been convicted and sentenced to prison terms ranging from four weeks to eight months.

Under the Import and Export Ordinance (Cap. 60), a person convicted of importing ASPs, including electronic smoking products, heated tobacco products and herbal cigarettes, could be fined up to $500,000 and imprisoned for two years.

PINDUTIN ITO PARA SA DETALYE

If convicted on indictment, the accused faces a maximum penalty of HK$2 million in fine and imprisonment for seven years.

Separately, the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Cap. 371), prohibits the promotion, manufacture, sale or possession for commercial purposes (or in public) of alternative smoking products. An offender is liable to a fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months.

The DH also cautions the public that ASPs are addictive and are not effective in helping a person quit smoking. Studies also show that e-cigarettes may increase the risk of cancer, respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases.

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Smokers are urged to quit smoking as early as possible for their own health and people around them. If they need help in kicking the habit, they may call the DH's Integrated Smoking Cessation Hotline on 1833 183, or visit www.livetobaccofree.hk for information on quitting.

The government statement said TACO will continue to closely monitor and enforce the law to combat related offences.

 

 

Trial set for Pinay, Indon charged with illegal work

 

Shek O Store (Photo by Alex SL Lee, Google Maps photo)

A trial at Shatin Court is all set for two domestic helpers -- a Filipina and an Indonesian -- charged with violating their conditon of stay after they were arrested while allegedly working in a store in Shek O Village.

Bambi Gabriel, 44 years old, and Wakinah, aged 44, had earlier pleaded not guilty to identical charges of breach of condition of stay contrary to section 41 of the Immigration Ordinance, and by virtue of Regulation 2 of the Immigration Regulations.

In the pretrial review held on August 19 (Wednesday) both the prosecution and defense presented the key points of their cases, with the defense lining up three Immigration officers as witnesses for having arrested the two, and 19 videos allegedly showing them performing illegal work.

PINDUTIN ITO PARA SA DETALYE

Magistrate Pang Leung-ting had earlier scheduled the trial for August 28 and 31.

He freed them on cash bail of $1,000 each. with conditions such as not leaving Hong Kong before the case is resolved and reporting regularly to a police station.

Gabriel was charged wth contravening a condition of stay between May 4, 2023 and August 25, 2023, in that she cannot take up any employment other than as a domestc helper, imposed by an Immigration Assistant on December 28, 2022.

She was accused of performing odd jobs at Yeung Kee Store in Shek O Village, without the approval of the Director of Immigration.

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Wakinah was accused of the same offense, with the two only having the conditions imposed on them on different dates.

The condition was imposed by an Immigration assistant on Gabriel on Dec. 28, 2022 and on Wakinah on March 26, 2023 when they were permitted to remain in Hong Kong for employment as domestic helpers for Tang, Pui Chun.

HK OFWs get 92% pass rate in TESDA massage therapy assessment

 

TESDA assessors in action at the OWWA training center (PCG photo)

A total of 73 out of 79 overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong who took the recent massage therapy assessment administered by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) passed the test.

The candidates were trained by the United Migrant Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Association (Umela)  and the Filipino Massage Therapy Organization.

PINDUTIN ITO PARA SA DETALYE

The assessments were done over two days, on Aug 15 to 16, at the Filipino Workers Development and Social Centre (FWDSC) at United Centre Building in Admiralty, in line with a recent agreement between TESDA and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to continue the upskilling of OFWs.

An initial assessment of massage therapy candidates conducted by TESDA on June 6 to 7 this year yielded a 86% passing rate.

Baquirin (in white) along with her successful trainees

Overjoyed by the outcome of the latest TESDA assessment was UMELA founder and lead trainor Ofelia Baquirin who revealed that of the 56 of examinees from her group, only one did not make the grade.

“Sa draping part kasi nagkaroon ng miscommunication. Naunang bumangon ang kanyang client bago pa niya maalalayan,” Baquirin shared. (There was miscommunication in the draping part. Her client already rose before she could be assisted).

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She said she’s sure that in the next assessment this minor slip-up will not happen again.

Baquirin also explained that the assessment was a dream come true for many of her students, as they had been petitioning for TESDA to return to Hong Kong to give the qualifying exam.

“First passers sila since 2019, when Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre was still in Hong Kong, and he helped us convince TESDA to come,” she said.

UMELA provides rigorous training to OFWs who aspire to receive the TESDA certificate

The assessment forms part of OWWA’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the skills development of OFWs and provide them nationally recognized qualifications that enhance their professional competencies and expand employment opportunities.

In line with this commitment, OWWA signed a memorandum of agreement last June with TESDA, which includes the provision of National Certificates and regular conduct of assessment programs for various upskilling courses for OFWs

2 women on flight from Manila arrested for cannabis trafficking

 

One of the arrested women involved in the case is escorted by Customs officers

Two mainland women have been arrested after disembarking from a plane that flew in from Manila after Hong Kong Customs found 27 kilos of suspected cannabis buds with an estimated market value of about $6.3 million in their check-in luggage.

The two women, aged 49 and 51, arrived in Hong Kong from Bangkok, Thailand, via Manila on Wednesday  (August 19),.

They have been jointly charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. The case will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts.

PINDUTIN ITO PARA SA DETALYE

“Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis,” it said in a press statement.

The department also reminded members of the public to stay alert and not to participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return.

“They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people,” it said.

Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offense. The maximum 

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penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Pinay gets suspended sentence for 3 Immigration convictions

 

Visa application interview (Immigration Department file photo)

A Filipina was sentenced today at Shatin Court to six months’ imprisonment suspended for 24 months after she pleaded guilty to three of four Immigration charges, where she was accused of lying to immigration officers.

Magistrate Pang Leung-ting handed six-month sentences to Ella Marte Carable, 38 years old, for each of the charges of making a false representation to an Immigration Assistant lawfully acting under or in the execution of Part II of the Immigration Ordinance contrary to section 42(1)(a) of the Immigration Ordinances.

He ordered that the three sentences run concurrently.

Basahin ang detalye!

Carable was cleared of the fourth similar charge, after the prosecution withdrew the case in which she was accused of lying on April 26, 2024 to an Immigration assistant acting under or in the execution of Part II [Immigration Arrival Examination) of the Immigration Ordinance where she represented that she was working for Lee Yung Mee as a domestic helper.

The withdrawn case was similar to the first charge, in which Carable was charged that she lied to an Immigration assistant on August 27, 2023 when she arrived in Hong Kong and she represented that she was working for Lee Yung Mee as a domestic helper.

In the second charge, she was accused lying to an Immigration officer processing her extension of stay on August 6, 2024 when she represented that her employment contract with Lee Yung Mee would be terminated on August 29, 2024.

In the third charge, Carable was accused of lying on August 28, 2024 to an Immigration officer lawfully acting under or in the execution of Part III [Extension of stay) of the Immigration Ordinance, when she represented that her employment contract with Lee Yung Mee would be terminated on August 29, 2024.

 

26 people arrested in latest anti-illegal work operations

 

Immigration conducts weekly anti-illegal work sweep (File)

As part of its continuing campaign to crack down on illegal work, the Immigration Department mounted a series of operations across the city over the past week, and arrested a total of 26 people.

Those detained comprised 18 suspected illegal workers, two overstayers and six employers.

The workers comprised 12 men and six women, aged 24 to 63. Six men were found to hold recognizance papers which allow them to remain in Hong Kong to pursue asylum applications, but prohibit them from taking any form of employment.

Basahin ang detalye!

The arrested overstayers were both women, aged 45.

Five men and one woman aged 32 to 49, were detained on suspicion of employing the illegal workers. An investigation into their activities is continuing, and the possibility of further arrests has not been ruled out.

The operations were carried out from August 14 to 20, with officers from other government departments taking part.

One was codenamed “Twilight” and was jointly carried out with officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. Another called “Flabbergast” was a joint operation with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.

The Hong Kong Police Force and the Labour Department were involved in  "Powerplayer", while a separate one held jointly with the HK Police was codenamed "Champion.”

Targeted were multiple locations including restaurants, industrial buildings and flats under renovation.

At the same time, Immigration officers used a promotional vehicle to distribute leaflets to the public in a newly inhabited housing estate in Fanling, urging the public not to employ illegal workers.

Illegal work in Hong Kong carries the maximum penalty of up to two years in prison and fine of no more than HK$50,000.

If the illegal worker is an overstayer or an illegal immigrant, the maximum jail term is three years in prison and a maximum fine of HK$50,000.

Employers of illegal workers can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined a maximum of HK$500,000. Customers who knowingly engage the services of such workers may also be subject to criminal liability.

Those who wish to report illegal work activities may call the dedicated hotline 185 185, fax at 2824 1166, email anti_crime@immd.gov.hk, or submit the "Online Reporting of Immigration Offences" form at www.immd.gov.hk.