XN000022-1994-05-16 — Page 9

MONDAY, MAY 16, 1994

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT PROSTITUTES FACE PROSECUTION

* *

THE

GOVERNMENT WILL STEP UP ACTION AGAINST FEMALE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FOUND IN VICE ESTABLISHMENTS AFTER AN INCREASING NUMBER OF THEM HAVE BEEN ARRESTED BY POLICE DURING THE PAST YEAR, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID TODAY (MONDAY).

HE SAID POLICE LAST YEAR ARRESTED A TOTAL OF 177 FEMALE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS SUSPECTED TO BE WORKING AS PROSTITUTES, HOSTESSES OR KARAOKE PUBLIC RELATIONS GIRLS, OF WHOM 75 WERE FOUND IN VICE THIS COMPARES WITH ONLY 16 IN THIS CATEGORY ARRESTED

ESTABLISHMENTS.

IN 1992.

NOTING THAT THE PROBLEM HAD TO BE CONTAINED, AND ELIMINATED, IF POSSIBLE, HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT WOULD FROM JUNE 13 PROSECUTE FEMALE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FOUND IN VICE ESTABLISHMENTS OR OTHERWISE FOUND WORKING AS PROSTITUTES.

"LIKE OTHER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FOUND AT A PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT, THESE WOMEN WILL BE CHARGED WITH REMAINING IN HONG KONG WITHOUT THE AUTHORITY OF THE DIRECTOR OF IMMIGRATION, THE SPOKESMAN SAID,

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IF THEY COMMIT OTHER OFFENCES, THEY WOULD BE THESE OFFENCES IN THE NORMAL WAY, HE ADOBO.

PROSECUTED

FOR

MUCH A

THE SPOKESMAN STRESSED THAT THE INITIATIVE WAS NOT SO CHANGE IN PROSECUTION POLICY, BUT IT ADDRESSED A PROBLEM THAT WAS NOT APPARENT WHEN THE PRESENT POLICY ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION WAS INTRODUCED IN OCTOBER 1990.

HE ADDED THAT ACTION WOULD ALSO BE STEPPED UP AGAINST FOREIGNERS FOUND WORKING IN A VICE ESTABLISHMENT.

HE SAID LIKE FEMALE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, THERE HAD BEEN AN INCREASING NUMBER OF WOMEN FROM ELSEWHERE RECENTLY GETTING INTO HONG KONG AS TOURISTS BUT TAKING UP WORK AS PROSTITUTES,

MORE THAN 1,700 SUCH PEOPLE WERE SUSPECTED TO BE WORKING AS PROSTITUTES LAST YEAR, AS COMPARED WITH AROUND 1,000 IN 1992.

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ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORT SERVICES

FOR DISRUPTED MINIBUS ROUTES

AS A RESULT OF STRIKE BY DRIVERS, SERVICES OF NEW TERRITORIES GREEN MINIBUS (GMB) ROUTES 20K, 21K, 22K AND 23K HAVE BEEN DISRUPTED.

THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT HAS ARRANGED THE FOLLOWING EMERGENCY ALTERNATIVE PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES TO DEAL WITH THE INCIDENT:

/* ROUTE 20K