The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Wednesday, September 26, 2018 is 104.9 (up 0.1 against Monday's index).

     The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) today (September 26) urged the public to suspend the use of IKEA’s CALYPSO ceiling lamps (date stamps 1625 to 1744), to properly remove the glass shade immediately, and to contact the product supplier, IKEA Hong Kong, for product replacement or refund.

     According to the supplier, the glass shades of the ceiling lamps may pose a potential risk of falling. The supplier has therefore decided to arrange a recall with product replacement or full refund for these batches of products.

     For enquiries, please call the supplier's customer service hotline at 3125 0888 or visit its website (www.IKEA.com.hk).

    

     A man who went missing in Sham Shui Po has been located.

     Lau Lap-sun, aged 18, went missing after he left his residence in Pak Tin Estate on September 23 afternoon. His family made a report to Police on the same day.

     Police located the man on Aberdeen Praya Road yesterday (September 25) afternoon. He sustained no injuries and no suspicious circumstances were detected.

     The Support and Consultation Centre for SMEs (SUCCESS) of the Trade and Industry Department will hold a seminar entitled "Secrets on Enterprise Human Capital Management" on October 3 (Wednesday).
 
     Successful companies are good not just at financial management but also at human capital management. In recent years, the unemployment rate has remained at a low level with different industries all looking for talented individuals. Due to resource constraints, it is difficult for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to compete for talent using favorable terms. Instead, they have to master human capital management to avoid talent loss and undesirable impact on business development. This seminar has invited three business executives to share the secrets and practical experience of human capital management. Representative of the Employees Retraining Board will also introduce their free services for SMEs.
 
     The speakers will include the Manager (Industry Services) of Employees Retraining Board, Mr Herman Kung; the Head of Talent Management of JTH Group, Mr Tommy Lo; the Deputy Head of Learning & Development of Swire Resources Limited, Ms Leona Tse; and the Chairman of Success Base Group, Mr Ringo Ng.
 
     The seminar will be held at 2.30pm in the Lecture Theatre, G/F, Hong Kong Central Library, 66 Causeway Road, Causeway Bay (MTR Tin Hau Station, Exit B). The seminar will be conducted in Cantonese. Admission is free.
 
     Those interested are invited to register with SUCCESS by October 2 (Tuesday). Please visit the SUCCESS website (www.success.tid.gov.hk/tid/eng/activity/activity.jsp) for details of the seminar and online registration. The registration form can also be downloaded from the SUCCESS website. Please send the completed registration form to SUCCESS by fax (2391 7375). Due to limited seating capacity, seats will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
 
     For enquiries, please call 3403 6111.

     Three illegal workers comprising two Pakistanis and a Vietnamese were jailed by Shatin Magistrates' Courts on September 24.
      
     During an anti-illegal worker operation mounted on July 27, Immigration Department (ImmD) investigators raided a warehouse in Tseung Kwan O. Two male Pakistani illegal workers, aged 29 and 41, were arrested. When intercepted, they were both unloading goods. Upon identity checking, they produced for inspection recognisance forms issued by the ImmD, which prohibit them from taking employment. Further investigation revealed that they were non-refoulement claimants.
 
     In addition, during operation "Twilight" on September 20, ImmD investigators raided a restaurant in Tai Wai. One female Vietnamese illegal worker, aged 44, was arrested. When intercepted, she was performing dish washing duty. Upon identity checking, she produced for inspection a recognisance form issued by the ImmD, which prohibits her from taking employment. Further investigation revealed that she was a non-refoulement claimant. She was also suspected of using and being in possession of a forged identity card. An employer suspected of employing the illegal worker was arrested and the investigation is ongoing.
        
     The three illegal workers were charged at Shatin Magistrates' Courts on September 24 with taking employment after landing in Hong Kong unlawfully and remaining in Hong Kong without the authority of the Director of Immigration or while being a person in respect of whom a removal order or deportation order was in force. They pleaded guilty to the charges and they were sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment. In addition, one of them was also charged with one count of using a forged Hong Kong identity card. She was sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment of which part of the sentence is to run consecutively, making a total of 18 months' imprisonment.
      
     The ImmD spokesman warned that, as stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, illegal immigrants or people who are the subject of a removal order or a deportation order are prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years' imprisonment. The Court of Appeal has issued a guideline ruling that a sentence of 15 months' imprisonment should be applied in such cases.
      
     The spokesman also warned that it is an offence to use or possess a forged Hong Kong identity card or an identity card relating to another person. Offenders are liable to prosecution and a maximum penalty of a $100,000 fine and up to 10 years' imprisonment.
     
     The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. The maximum penalty is imprisonment for three years and a fine of $350,000. 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. The maximum penalty for failing to inspect such a document is imprisonment for one year and a fine of $150,000.
 
     Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct 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 officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threat 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 interference, medical services, counselling, shelter, temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments.