Girlfriend nabbed for aiding & abetting illegal immigration

A 69-year-old Hong Kong man was arrested on Thursday for overstaying in Macau for nearly 20 years while his girlfriend was arrested later that day for abetting his illegal stay, Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Kam Ka Kit said at a regular press conference yesterday.

The jobless Hong Kong suspect surnamed Ho and the 46-year-old local female suspect surnamed Ao Ieong told the police that she works as a casino dealer.

According to Kam, PSP officers intercepted a man during a regular inspection on Thursday at about 9 a.m. near Kampek Paradise Casino and found two Hong Kong ID cards on him, an old one and a new one.

The officers noticed that the new HKID card was of poor quality and suspected that it was fake. Under questioning, Ho told the police that he entered Macau in 2000, and his stay was valid until 2001. Kam said Ho claimed that he had no family and relatives in Hong Kong and had been staying in inns or hotels in Macau until he met Ao Ieong in 2011, when they developed a relationship. Soon afterwards, Ho moved into Ao Ieong’s flat in the city centre.

Fake HKID card bought in Zhuhai in 2017 

According to Kam, Ho told the police that in 2017 he required outpatient hospital treatment because he didn’t feel well. Ho said that as it was “inconvenient” for him to see a doctor because of the old version of his HKID card, he asked a friend in Zhuhai to buy a counterfeit new version of the HKID card for which he had paid 600 patacas, Kam said. Ho gave the officers his home address. The officers later that day went to the flat where they questioned Ao Ieong who claimed that she did not know that Ho is an overstayer.

The duo were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) on Friday, Ho faces a document forgery charge while Ao Ieong faces a charge of aiding and abetting illegal immigration, according to Kam.

According to Wikipedia, the Immigration Department of Hong Kong began issuing a new Smart Identity card in June 2003. The new cards contained an embedded microchip, which stored the bearer’s information electronically. All HKID cards were replaced between August 2003 and 2007.

In July 2018, the Hong Kong Immigration Department announced that the second generation of computerised ID cards would become invalid on November 30, 2008. For Hong Kong residents who cannot change their ID cards because they are not in Hong Kong, their old Hong Kong ID cards are still valid. However, the persons concerned must go to the Registration of Persons Offices of the Immigration Department to change their ID cards within 30 days after returning to Hong Kong.

In December 2018, the Hong Kong Immigration Department started the replacement procedure for all existing Smart ID Cards with a new design to prevent counterfeiting. The programme features 24 phases until 2022. 

Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Kam Ka Kit poses during yesterday’s regular press conference. Photo: Camy Tam