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Two men and one woman were fined a total of $40,000 at Kowloon City Magistrates' Court today (April 28) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
The court heard that in October last year and February this year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected three suspected unlicensed guesthouses in Sham Shui Po, Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui. OLA officers posed as lodgers and rented guestrooms on the premises.
According to the OLA's records, all three guesthouses did not possess a valid certificate of exemption or a licence under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance on the day of inspection. The manager and operators of the unlicensed guesthouses were charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Hotel & Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that it was a criminal offence to operate or manage an unlicensed guesthouse and enforcement action would continue to be taken against illegal guesthouse operations to ensure the safety of lodgers.
He appealed to the public to dial the OLA hotline (2881 7498), send email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk) or download a report form from the website www.hadla.gov.hk to report any suspected unlicensed guesthouses to the OLA.
Ends/Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Issued at HKT 16:31
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