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Macau arrests 23 Hong Kong illegal workers, biggest roundups in years ( 2003-08-29 14:59) (Agencies)
Macau said Friday that officials have arrested 23 illegal workers from Hong Kong in the biggest roundups in years. Macau's police, customs and labor officials found the Hong Kong workers, aged 26 to 60, and five mainlanders at a casino construction site on Thursday, said government spokeswoman Elena Au. The former Portuguese colony, 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Hong Kong, was handed back to China in 1999. With a population of only 438,000 _ compared to Hong Kong's 6.8 million _ its gambling-driven economy is much smaller than its neighbor's and salaries are generally lower. But Thursday's roundup _ which Au said was the biggest in recent years _ highlighted Hong Kong's record unemployment, which stands at 8.7 percent. Hong Kong never fully recovered from Asia's 1997-98 financial crisis, and the government has been recording budget deficits for four years. An outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, which killed 299 people in
Hong Kong, further devastated business.
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