20 suspected illegal workers and 6 employers arrested

 

A suspected illegal worker is taken away along with his bicycle

A total of 26 people have been arrested in a week-long operation to flush out illegal workers carried out jointly by operatives of the Immigration Department, along with the HK Police, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. 

Those arrested comprised 20 suspected illegal workers and six employers, who were rounded up in a series of raids carried out from November 7 to 13.

DETAILS HERE

Targeted during the operation were restaurants, flats being renovated, warehouses and massage parlours among others.

The suspected illegal workers comprised 12 men and eight women, aged 29 to 62. Among them, a man and a woman were found in possession of Hong Kong identity cards which they are suspected to have used to gain employment.

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Four men and two women, aged 38 to 57, were suspected of employing the illegal workers and were also arrested.

Immigration said in a statement that an investigation into the suspected employers is continuing, and have not ruled out further arrests.

8 women were among those arrested in the latest raids

Anyone found to have worked without permission from Immigration such as tourists, domestic helpers and imported workers are liable to prosecution and imprisonment. They will be charged with violating their visa conditions and could be jailed for up to two years and fined a maximum of $50,000.

The maximum jail term rises to three years if the offender is an overstayer, an illegal immigrant, or subject to a removal or deportation order.

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Employers of illegal workers could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined a maximum of $500,000.

To report illegal employment activities, please call the dedicated hotline 3861 5000, by fax at 2824 1166, email to anti_crime@immd.gov.hk, or submit the "Online Reporting of Immigration Offences" form at www.immd.gov.hk.

Biggest 'Lamma Fun Day' set for Saturday

 

Nearly 50 bands will play at four different locations

Hong Kong’s longest-running, free music festival, Lamma Fun Day returns for its 22^nd year this coming Saturday, Nov. 15.

The day-long festival includes a charity bazaar, fun run, live music across four locations and tasty food from top Yung Shue Wan restaurant.

DETAILS HERE

Through these various activities, Lamma Fun Day aims to raise money for notable charities. In 2024, the festival raised $250,000 for CWS projects in Nepal, including anti-human trafficking initiatives such as prevention and rehabilitation targeting children and young women.

Organizers say this year’s even is their biggest ever, with almost 50 musical acts from all over Hong Kong keeping partygoers entertained from four different states.

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The famous Lamma Fun Day charity auction is back this year, with a wide selection of items including dining vouchers, festival passes, holidays and hotel stays and original artworks from Lamma’s resident artists Harry Harrison and Liz Fry Design. Visit the charity auction page for full details on all the lots and how and when to bid for them.

The bazaar is a good place for Christmas gift-hunting 

Those who are looking for some unique items to give away this Christmas season should check out the market stalls at the famous Lamma Fun Day bazaar. Shopping has always been an essential part of making the event a success.

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Also on this day, the Lamma8 charity run is making a comeback, with two races, one for 8km and another for 14 km. Those who are interested to join may sign up through this link.

The charity run is alwasy something to look forward to 

For more details, visit: https://pangyao.org/lamma-fun-day/

 

 

2 Pinay DHs get contrasting sentences for theft

 

Theft took place in this Lei King Wan building (Google Maps photo)

A Filipina domestic helper was jailed for eight months after pleading guilty to stealing $102,000 worth of jewelry, while another avoided getting jailed after she was meted three weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months for the theft of $500 in cash.

DETAILS HERE

Rosa Mund Leones, 35 years old. was jailed by David Cheung Chi-wai, Principal Magistrate at Eastern Court, who shortened her sentence by one third from a starting point of 12 months to credit her admission to violating section 9 of the Theft Ordinance.

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Leones, who is unemployed after being terminated due to the theft, was accused of taking three rings, one bracelet, three gold pellets and one pendant, valued at a total of $102,000 from June to September 2025, at her employer’s flat in On Ping Mansion, Lei King Wan, on Lei King Road in Sai Wan Ho.

In the other theft case at West Kowloon Court, Gilda Jimenez, 45 years old. also pleaded guilty to stealing $500 in cash from her employer’s flat in a building on 21 Shanghai Street, Mong Kok, last Oct. 15.

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Magistrate Winnie Lau spared Jimenez from serving her term in jail by suspending the sentence for 18 months.

She will not see the inside of  jail cell if she does not reoffend for 24 months.

 

OFWs take to stage for Talent Showcase

 

After attending lectures by seasoned theater artists from Bootstrap Theatre Hong Kong and taking part in a workshop that lasted five weeks, the first batch of overseas Filipino workers who trained with "Teatro Bayanihan Tayo" is ready to take to the stage to show off their talent.

DETAILS HERE

The free showcase will happen this coming Sunday, November 16, at the Grand Assembly Hall on the 4^th floor of the YMCA on Salisbury Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. Audience registration will start at 1:30 pm while the show itself will start at 2pm. 

Bootstrap founder and playwright-director William Elvin Manzano said the OFWs will do more than just act in the show.

William Elvin lectures on acting to the OFW-talents

“We focused on rehearsing their original monologues, some of which were written by the workshoppers themselves. They memorized their chosen monologues and rehearsed them for five weeks after our acting lectures,” said Manzano

The result is something that makes Bootstrap happy and proud of the workshoppers, he added.

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“Happy to have shared the art of theatre and storytelling to them, and excited with what more we can do moving forward.”

Future plans include featuring the OFW talents in the video segments that will be shown alongside the live performance of Bootstrap’s next production, “JOB: Fateful Fever Dream” which will be staged in July next year.

A film project that will feature the new OFW performers along with veteran actors is also in the offing.

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“We aim to further hone their craft by letting them work with professional actors,” said Manzano.

Those who want to watch the free show should send a message to Teatro Bayanihan Tayo at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578706853112 or by downloading the app of

to Prime Gems by Prime Credit and ConnecTies at (https://pgems.info/app).

 The free workshop and talent show is sponsored by Prime Gems by Prime Credit and ConnecTies.

 

Pinay denies possession of someone else’s HKID

 

Kowloon City Court

A Filipina who holds a recognizance form to serve as her identity document, denied on Wednesday a charge at Kowloon City Court that she unlawfully had in her possession a Hong Kong identity card that was in someone elses’ name.

With Irealle Gay Salazar, 38 years old, pleading not guilty, Magistrate Tsang Chung-yiu, scheduled a trial for Christmas eve -- on Dec. 24. He also placed her in jail custody while the case is pending.

DETAILS HERE

Police had said Salazar was arrested on July 28, 2025, outside 59 Woosung Street, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, for possession “without lawful authority or reasonable excuse” of a HKID in the name of Thapa Magar. Kamal.

The police complaint accused Salazar, who has a pending non-refoulement claim seeking to prevent Hong Kong from forcibly sending her back to the Philippines,  of violating section 7A(1A) of the Registration of Persons Ordinance, which states:

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 “Any person who without lawful authority or reasonable excuse uses or has in his custody or possession an identity card or other document issued under this Ordinance which relates to another person commits an offence and is liable—

“(a) on conviction on indictment to a fine at level 6 ($100,000) and to imprisonment for 10 years; and

“(b) on summary conviction to a fine at level 5 ($50,000) and to imprisonment for 2 years. (Added 56 of 1989 s. 4).”

Filipino DH held for alleged $520k theft

 

The alleged theft happened at this luxurious residential complex

A 39-year-old Filipino domestic helper has been arrested on suspicion of stealing around $520,000 in cash from her employer at a luxury flat in Happy Valley.

Police said on Wednesday that the employer, a 59-year-old Mainland woman living at The Leighton Hill on Broadwood Road, called up at around 9:30am that day to report the loss of $500,000 and RMB17,000 cash, and suspected her helper had stolen it.

DETAILS HERE

No other details of the alleged theft, including when the money was stolen, was immediately available. But it was reported that the Filipina had worked for the employer since June.

According to reports, the Filipina used to clean the employer's room evert morning, and was suspected to have taken the cash during one of those times.

Officers who went to investigate the report subsequently arrested the Filipina helper on suspicion of theft.

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She is still being held for further questioning by Wan Chai district investigation team.

 

Tulfo proposes special claims court for OFWs

 

Senator Raffy Tulfo says OFWs will be served better by a separate court for their labor cases (File)

Senator Raffy Tulfo who heads the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers has proposed the establishment of a Migrant Workers Relations Commission (MWRC) that will handle all labour disputes involving overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Tulfo recently filed Senate Bill No 1489 or the proposed Migrant Workers Relations Commission Act, which seeks to address the protracted process of resolving labor disputes by the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC), including those involving OFWs.

Under the resolution, the MWRC will be a separate quasi-judicial body under the Department of Migrant Workers that will assume all labor claims and other disputes involving OFWs from the NLRC, including illegal termination, unpaid wages and various contract disputes.

DETAILS HERE

Tulfo said the NLRC processes more than 30,000 cases each year, which makes OFW cases especially susceptible to delays and backlogs.

“Although the NLRC is a well-established and vital organization, its responsibility extends to both local and overseas workers, resulting in a substantial increase in caseloads. Reports indicate that this large volume of cases has caused considerable delays, adversely affecting OFWs in their pursuit of justice,” he added.

Under the proposed bill, the MWRC will have jurisdiction over all cases involving Filipino migrant workers—both land-based and sea-based—to the exclusion of all other courts, tribunals, or quasi-judicial bodies.

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It will function under the DMW to promote a more coherent and consistent government policy on overseas employment.

Tulfo said the creation of the MWRC strengthens the government’s commitment to protect and promote the welfare of Filipino migrant workers.

“Panahon na para magkaroon ng sariling korte ang ating mga OFW para sa mabilis, abot-kaya, at makataong hustisya!,” he said

(“It is time a separate court is set up for our OFWs to ensure a fast, reliable and humane justice system).

Anti-illegal work drive targeting DHs nets 21

 

Immigration officers escort DHs they arrested

Immigration Department operations targeting foreign domestic helpers who breach their conditions of stay, netted 14 persons while performing dish washing, cleaning and other odd jobs in territory-wide raids conducted from November 4 to 11.

Also arrested for employing them were seven persons -- two men and five women aged 30 to 74 -- who were managing the establishments where the illegal workers were found.

Of those arested for illegal work, five persons were current helpers, four were overstaying ex-helpers, two were holders of recognizance forms which prohibit them from taking any employment in Hong Kong, one was an imported worker, one was a visitor and one was an illegal immigrant.

DETAILS HERE

Immigration said the operations, codenamed "Swordfish", involved raids on 47 target locations including restaurants, retail shops, barbecue site, activity venues, employment agencies, and commercial building units.

"A helper should only perform domestic duties for the employer as listed in the "Schedule of Accommodation and Domestic Duties" attached to the Contract. The helper should not take up any other employment, including part-time domestic duties, with any other person. The employer should not require or allow the helper to carry out any work for any other person," an ImmD spokesman said.

The spokesman also said, "Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him/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."

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The spokesman warned that, "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.

The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offense 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 (such as 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 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 offenses.

“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,” the spokesman said.

 

DMW set to look for bigger, more ‘caring’ shelter for distressed OFWs in Hong Kong

 

Secretary Cacdac (left) led Philippine officials in welcoming HK Labor Secretary Chris Sun
(in blue suit) to the OFW Global Centre in Admiralty

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac has disclosed plans to set up a new and bigger shelter for Filipino migrant workers in distress  in Hong Kong early next year, saying the current halfway-home in Kennedy Town has outlived its usefulness.

Secretary Cacdac bared the plan during a meeting with Filipino community leaders at Shangri-la Hotel on Sunday, and again during a one-on-one interview with The SUN on Monday.

“We want to move out from the existing one and provide one that can be a vibrant and dynamic place for our OFW shelter-stayers,” said Cacdac.

DETAILS HERE

The current shelter which used to be run by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (precursor of the current Migrant Workers Office) is a 652 sq.-foot, three-bedroom shelter with 10 beds located in a building on Belcher’s Street in Kennedy Town.

Before this, the Hong Kong government allowed POLO to operate as a shelter, a rent-free, a disused post office facility in Cheung Sha Wan which was four times the size of the Kennedy Town flat.

Cacdac said the DMW intends to raise the standard of accommodation at the new shelter – “not ostentatious, but something that is clean, up to standard, spacious, and can house a whole array of activities and events” for the OFWs who are staying there.

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He said he found out that tenants at the shelter are made to go the OFW Global Centre in Admiralty if they needed to undergo training. This will no longer be necessary if a bigger place is found for them, he added.

Asked if he had a time frame in mind for setting up the new shelter, Cacdac said it should be done by the first quarter of next year.

He also said funding could be easily made available for this purpose, since the DMW is earning enough from contract verifications. This means that the department will not have to depend on an additional budget allocation from the national government or Congress to get this done.

Secretary Sun wrote in his blog how impressed he was with the OFW Global Centre

Cacdac also expressed satisfaction with the way things are being run at the OFW Global Centre in Admiralty which he said impressed even Hong Kong Labor Secretary Chris Sun when he paid a visit to the place last Sunday.

Despite the high cost of renting the unit which occupies the entire 18^th floor of United Centre building, Cacdac said it was money well spent, and assured that the DMW will be able to sustain the cost of maintaining it for many years.

Prominent lawyer charged with sexual assault, intimidation of Indonesian DH

 

Lam is expected to enter a plea after the case was elevated to the District Court

A prominent human rights lawyer in Hong Kong appeared in Kowloon City court earlier today, Monday, charged with sexual assault and intimidation of an Indonesian domestic worker.

Kenneth Lam, 57, was not asked to enter a plea and was released on bail of $5,000 until the next hearing of the case, which has been elevated to the District Court.

Lam faces three counts of indecent assault and one count of criminal intimidation. The alleged offences took place at a flat in Tak Shing Terrace, Jordan, between July 2 and 9 this year.

Lam is an outspoken personal injury lawyer who became prominent for urging the Law Society to take a more proactive stance on issues seen to affect Hong Kong’s rule of law, including Beijing’s passing of the national security law in 2020.

 

Pinay gets 3 months in jail for 6-year overstay

Eastern Court

 A Filipina who overstayed for six years after arriving in Hong Kong as a tourist in 2018, was jailed today for three months after pleading guilty at Eastern Court.

Marlyn Dagondon, 41 years old, was convicted by Magistrate Ko Wai-hung after admitting that she remained in Hong Kong without a valid visa from Nov. 8, 2018 until her arrest on August 13, 2024, in violation of section 41 of the Immigration Ordinance.

Visitors are allowed to remain in Hong Kong for 14 days, after which they are liable for breach of condition of stay unless they secure an extension of their visa. 

DETAILS HERE

According to the complaint filed by police on Sept. 11, 2024, Dagondon was found to have overstayed her visa while being investigated at the Western Police Station on Des Voeux Road west on Aug 13,

Meanwhile, in another case at Eastern Court, Filipina domestic helper Aileen Apigo, 46 years old, was left to answer three charges of selling unsafe consumer products while her Pakistani co-defendant was cleared of four charges as part of a bind-over agreement.

Apio and Shah Syed Saheer Mehmood, 46 years old, were arrested after they were found to be selling  at Shah’s store 96 pieces of Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene, Avocado & Aloevera; 157 pieces of Goree Day and Night Beauty Cream Oil Free and 99 pieces of Goree Gold 24K Beauty Cream.

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Shah agreed to be bound over for 24 months and was charged $500 for court costs. In turn, the Customs and Excise Department agreed to withdraw charges against him of supplying unsafe consumer goods, supplying goods that did not comply with the requirement that they have bilingual warning, possessing for sale unsafe consumer goods, and possessing for sale consumer goods that did not comply with bilingual warning and caution requirement.

Apigo pleaded not guilty to two charges of selling the unsafe products, and an additional charge of breach of condition of stay for allegedly working as a sales lady in Shah’s store, which is prohibited for one who holds a domestic worker’s visa.

Magistrate Ko released her on bail of $5,000 until the next hearing on Dec. 12, but reserved a trial date of Jan. 14-15 next year.

Super Typhoon Uwan slams into Aurora

 

A massive storm surge in flood-stricken Catanduanes ahead of Uwan's landfall

Super Typhoon Fung-wong (Uwan in the Philippines) slammed into the town of Dinalungan in the northeastern Philippine province of Aurora Sunday night, after unleashing torrential rain in many parts of the country.

At least two people have died in the initial onslaught of Uwan, which picked up sustained winds of up to 185 kilometers per hour (115 mph) after it entered the country Saturday night. More than a million people had to evacuated form flood- and landslide-prone areas.

DETAILS HERE

Officials said a villager drowned in flash floods in the eastern province of Catanduanes while another was killed by debris in the neighboring Samar province.

Over in Hong Kong, a group of Philippine government officials including Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac and House Representatives Bryan Revilla and Johanne Bautista, have been left stranded because of cancelled flights into Manila.

Reps Revilla and Bautista flank Secretary Cacdac at a Filcom meeting in HK on Sunday

All said they have rebooked their flights to early Tuesday, when Uwan’s fierce onslaught is expected to have subsided.

The biggest typhoon to threaten the Philippines in years is estimated to cover two-thirds of the country as it came with a 1,118-mile-wide rain and wind band. Early reports showed provinces in the north like Bulacan and in far south like Lanao del Sur have been hit by flooding from heavy rains brought by Uwan.

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The super typhoon entered the country just days after Typhoon Kalmaegi (Tino in the Philippines) left at least 224 people dead in central provinces, particularly in Cebu, before heading out to Vietnam where at least five were  killed.

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has declared a state of emergency throughout the country due to the devastation wrought by Tino and the expected calamity from Uwan.

Uwan brings heavy rain again to flood-prone Bulacan (MDRRMO photo)

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) has warned the public to be on alert for possible floods, landslides and storm surges.

But despite repeated warnings, local officials say residents in flood-prone areas refused to evacuate on Saturday. Reports came in of 14 people being trapped on the roof of a submerged house in Catanduanes, and a family of five being rescued from a house whose roof had been ripped off by strong winds.

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The Office of Civil Defense has warned that more than 30 million people across the country could be exposed to dangers posed by the super typhoon.

Typhoon signals have been raised across many parts of the country including the National Capital Region, which resulted in many schools and most government offices being shut on Monday and Tuesday, when Uwan is expected to linger.

Floods also hit Tanaka in Lanao del Sur

Authorities warned that storm surges of more than 3 meters or about 10 feet, could occur along the coasts of more than 20 provinces and regions, including Metro Manila.

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At least 325 domestic and 61 international flights, both inbound and outbound, have been cancelled over the weekend and Monday.