Macao's Public Prosecution (PP) has sentenced eight employers to prison terms for hiring illegal laborers, the PP office announced on Tuesday.

A statement issued by the office said the sentences were related to eight cases detected by the authorities earlier in May, involving the hiring of 14 illegal laborers from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.

The laborers failed to get work permits, some of whom are holding bogus identification documents, said the statement.

The convicted employers are to serve jail terms ranging between three to 12 months, it added.

The concerned authorities in Macao have recently intensified the crackdown on illegal laborers in a bid to protect the interests of the local workforce.

The police have nabbed 294 illegal laborers in the first four months, the government announced earlier in May.

Under Macao's present law, the employment of illegal workers is a crime that incurs hefty fines and imprisonment in case of repeat offenders. Illegal employed workers are customarily ordered to leave Macao.

Source: Xinhua