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A man was convicted and fined $5,000 at the Fanling Magistratesˇ¦ Court today (August 30) for managing a guesthouse in Sheung Shui without a valid certificate of exemption or a valid licence.
The court heard that officers of the Home Affairs Departmentˇ¦s Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Sheung Shui in March this year. The investigation team saw signboards of the guesthouse outside the premises and found some guests inside.
The man, who was the management personnel of the guesthouse, said there were 11 rooms in the premises for rent and the guesthouse had been operated for two months.
According to OLAˇ¦s record, the guesthouse did not possess a valid certificate or a licence under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance on the day of inspection. The man was charged with contravening Section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that unlicensed guesthouses would not be tolerated and enforcement action would continue to be taken against illegal guesthouse operation to ensure the safety of lodgers. He appealed to the public to report unlicensed guesthouses to the OLA at 2881 7498.
Ends/Thursday, August 30, 2007
Issued at HKT 16:00
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