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A guest house manager was fined $6,000 at Kowloon City Magistrates' Court today (October 15) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
The court heard that the officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Shanghai Street, Mong Kok, in April. Apart from finding guesthouse signboards on an external fa?ade and near the entrance to the premises, OLA officers also found 12 rooms with accommodation facilities and two guests on the premises. The two guests admitted that rooms in the premises were rented on a daily basis. The man met on spot was the manager of the guesthouse.
According to OLA¡¦s record, the premises did not have a valid certificate of exemption or a license on the inspection day which contravened Section 5(1) of the ordinance.
A department spokesman said it was a criminal offence to operate unlicensed guesthouses and that enforcement action would continue to be taken against them to ensure the safety of lodgers. He also appealed to the public to report unlicensed guesthouses to the OLA on 2881 7498.
Ends/Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Issued at HKT 15:38
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