A local man, a mainland non-resident worker (NRW), and two Vietnamese NRWs were arrested last Wednesday for violating labour laws. The local man was arrested for illegal employment and harbouring an illegal immigrant and an overstayer, while the mainland worker was apprehended for taking an unauthorised side job and the two Vietnamese men were arrested for illegally entering and overstaying in Macau, respectively, Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Cheong Heon Fan said during a regular press conference yesterday.
Cheong identified the local man as Lei, the operator of a scrapyard in his thirties, and the mainland worker as He, a deliveryman also in his thirties. The Vietnamese workers were identified as Bui and Khuc, both in their forties.
According to Cheong, the Public Security Police (PSP) conducted a routine inspection of the scrapyard in Ka Ho (九澳) last Wednesday, discovering seven men working there. When the police approached them, Bui, Khuc and He attempted to flee, but the officers apprehended them and discovered that He was engaged in work which was inconsistent with his delivery job; Bui was found to have illegally entered Macau, while Khuc was overstaying in Macau.
Under questioning, Bui claimed that he swam from Zhuhai to Macau on May 17 because he couldn’t afford a plane ticket and visa. Although he insisted he was hired the same day he was arrested, other employees testified that he had been working at the scrapyard for two to three months. The police also discovered that Khuc had been an NRW until mid-2024 before his status was revoked. Instead of being repatriated, he had been hired by Lei since then, earning 400 patacas daily and living at the scrapyard.
Cheong noted that He’s legal occupation is as a deliveryman, but he began part-time work at the scrapyard a few months ago, earning 40 patacas per hour. He told the police that he worked at the scrapyard during the day and as a deliveryman at night. Cheong said that Lei was summoned to a police station, where he only admitted to being the scrapyard operator but refused to cooperate. The police have informed the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) for further action, according to Cheong.
The four suspects have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP). Lei is facing charges of illegal employment and harbouring an illegal immigrant and an overstayer, while He is facing a charge of unauthorised employment. Furthermore, Bui is facing an illegal entry charge, while Khuc is facing an overstaying charge.
This undated handout photo provided by the Public Security Police (PSP) yesterday shows a PSP officer escorting the person in charge of a local scrapyard, suspected of illegally hiring non-local workers, into a police station.
