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A woman was fined $3,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Court for managing a guesthouse in Tsim Sha Tsui without a certificate of exemption or a licence today (June 22).
The court heard that officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department (HAD), conducted inspections of a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, after receiving a complaint last year. The OLA issued two warning letters to the guesthouse operator and responsible person respectively for immediate cessation of its operation.
Last November, the investigation team inspected the guesthouse again and located six rooms as well as two daily rental guests.
The woman, who was the responsible person of the guesthouse, admitted that the premises was an unlicensed guesthouse. She was subsequently charged with contravening Section 5 of the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
A department spokesman said that it was a criminal offence to operate or manage an unlicensed guesthouse and enforcement action would continue to be taken against them to ensure the safety of lodgers. He also appealed to people to report unlicensed guesthouses to the OLA on 2881 7498.
Ends/Friday, June 22, 2007
Issued at HKT 14:41
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