A Vietnamese woman and a West African man were jailed by a Sha Tin Magistrates’ Court on Monday on charges of working illegally after being caught in raids in May and August respectively, according to a government statement.
The 60-year-old woman, a non-refoulement claimant, was arrested during a raid jointly held by the Immigration and Labor departments on May 31.
She was found washing dishes in a restaurant kitchen in Tuen Mun in the New Territories. The enforcement officers also arrested her employer on suspicion of employing an illegal worker.
The Vietnamese woman was sentenced to 16 months and three weeks.
In another joint operation on August 9, a 28-year-old Senegalese man, also a refugee claimant, was arrested as he was found setting up a stall in Mong Kok.
He was sentenced to 15 months, and the judge ordered two more days’ imprisonment as he had committed an offense during the period of his suspended sentence.
Under Section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, illegal immigrants are prohibited from taking any jobs, whether paid or unpaid. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of HK$50,000 (US$6,390) and up to three years’ imprisonment.
Read: Indonesian jailed 18 months for working illegally in Hong Kong