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A man was sentenced to three months' jail, suspended for 15 months, and fined $5,000 at Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (June 8) for managing an unlicensed guesthouse in Tsim Sha Tsui. The female manager of the unlicensed guesthouse was fined $10,000.
Another woman was sentenced to three month's jail at the Tsuen Wan Magistrates' Courts for managing an unlicensed guesthouse in Tsuen Wan.
The court heard that in March this year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Granville Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented a room inside the guesthouse on a daily basis.
In another inspection conducted in May this year on a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Wun Tung Street, Tsuen Wan, OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented a room inside the guesthouse on a daily basis.
According to the OLA's records, the 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 male and female managers of the two guesthouses were charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that it is 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 e-mail (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, June 8, 2011
Issued at HKT 17:32
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