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CHP investigates cluster of food poisoning after consumption of porcini mushrooms          
     The cluster involves a 59-year-old male and a 28-year-old female. Approximately two hours after cooking and consuming porcini mushrooms at home on December 21 last year, they presented with nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and fever. They sought medical attention at the Accident and Emergency Department of Prince of Wales Hospital on the same day and were subsequently discharged after treatment.

     Based on their clinical symptoms, the CHP believed that the patients’ food poisoning was caused by consuming porcini mushrooms. Samples of uncooked porcini mushroom from the same batch provided by a patient was confirmed to be a poisonous mushroom species containing certain gastrointestinal irritants that can remain even after being cooked. 
     The CHP has reported the case to the relevant authority of the Chinese Mainland, and will continue to follow up on the case and take appropriate action to safeguard public health.
     
     Mushroom poisoning is generally acute. Common presentations include gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain appearing shortly after ingestion. Depending on the mushroom species, patients may also have other symptoms such as profuse sweating, hallucinations, other neurological symptoms, as well as liver failure. The patient could go into a coma. Death may result in severe cases. If mushroom poisoning is suspected, the patient should seek immediate medical attention and bring along any available remnant for identification. Issued at HKT 19:30

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Immigration Department arrested 20 persons during operations targeting foreign domestic helpers who breached conditions of stay  
​     During the operations, ImmD investigators raided 42 target locations, including restaurants, retail shops, food factories, guesthouses, and commercial building and residential building units. The arrested suspected illegal workers or overstayers comprised three men and nine women, aged 24 to 60. Among them, one person was a current helper, two persons were overstaying ex-helpers, three persons were holders of recognizance forms, which prohibit them from taking any employment in Hong Kong, one person was visitor, and five persons were overstaying visitors. ImmD investigators found most of the suspected illegal workers in restaurants, a guesthouse and a food factory performing dishwashing, cleaning, kitchen duties, food production and processing duties, etc. Meanwhile, eight suspected employers or persons involved, comprising seven men and one woman aged 30 to 68, included persons who were in charge of the companies or restaurants involved and were suspected of employing the suspected illegal workers.
 
​     “A helper should only perform domestic duties for the employer as listed in the ‘Schedule of Accommodation and Domestic Duties’ attached to the Contract. The helper should not take up any other employment, including part-time domestic duties, with any other person. The employer should not require or allow the helper to carry out any work for any other person,” an ImmD spokesman said.
 
​     The spokesman also said, “Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him/her shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years’ imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties.”
 
​     The spokesman warned that, “As stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land is prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment. As stipulated in section 20(1)(a) of the Immigration Ordinance, the Chief Executive may make a deportation order against an immigrant, prohibiting the immigrant from being in Hong Kong at any time thereafter if the immigrant has been found guilty in Hong Kong of an offence punishable by imprisonment for not less than two years.”
 
​     The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years’ imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years’ imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences. The director, manager, secretary, partner, etc, of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability. 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. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and to imprisonment for one year. In that connection, the spokesman would like to remind all employers not to defy the law by employing illegal workers. The ImmD will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences.
 
​     Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct an 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) and/or forced labour victims. When any TIP and/or forced labour 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 and/or forced labour elements. Identified TIP and/or forced labour victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter, temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP and/or forced labour victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately.
 
​     For reporting illegal employment activities, please call the dedicated hotline 3861 5000, by fax at 2824 1166, email to anti_crime@immd.gov.hkIssued at HKT 19:15

Statistics on Code on Access to Information for second quarter of 2025 announced      
     The total number of requests received since the introduction of the Code in March 1995 and up to the end of June 2025 amounted to 262 689. This includes the applications for Notice of Application for Access to Information in relation to the Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (Non-Chinese Citizens) received by the Immigration Department. Of these, 14 333 requests were subsequently withdrawn by the requestors and 6 871 requests covered cases in which the bureaux/departments concerned did not hold the requested information or cannot confirm or deny the existence of information. As at June 30, 2025, 1 117 requests were still being processed by bureaux/departments.

     Among the 240 368 requests which covered information held by bureaux/departments and which the bureaux/departments had responded to, 236 894 requests (98.6 per cent) were met, either in full (233 684 requests) or in part (3 210 requests), and 3 474 requests (1.4 per cent) were refused.Issued at HKT 18:53

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FEHD releases sixth batch of gravidtrap indexes for Aedes albopictus in December