**********************************************************
The Government will strengthen enforcement action and step up publicity and provide more handy information to encourage visitors to choose licensed guesthouses, in a two-pronged approach to combatting illegal guesthouses.
The Home Affairs Department (HAD), Police, Fire Services Department, Buildings Department and Electrical and Mechanical Services Department conducted a six-week inter-departmental joint operation which began on July 15 to crack down on illegal guesthouse operations. The operation focused on inspecting premises which had been the subject of complaints of illegal guesthouse operations in the past 12 months.
The departments involved have inspected 262 premises located in 120 buildings. HAD will institute prosecutions against 21 suspected illegal guesthouses and will seek legal advice for taking appropriate action including issuing 24 warning letters. The other departments involved have issued a total of 38 Statutory Orders and four Fire Hazard Abatement Notices, as well as 67 advisory letters/improvement notices on minor matters relating to building and electrical safety.
A government spokesman said, "Illegal guesthouses will not be tolerated and enhanced enforcement action including inter-departmental joint operations will be taken against them to ensure the safety of patrons of these establishments."
Apart from taking enforcement action, the Government will also step up publicity to encourage visitors to choose licensed guesthouses. HAD will launch a Licensed Guesthouse Logo Scheme to help visitors identify licensed guesthouses. All licensed guesthouses will be required to display the newly designed logo at the main entrance and on the doors of all guestrooms to help visitors identify if the premises have been licensed under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance. Visitors may also obtain a list of licensed guesthouses from the website (www.hadla.gov.hk) of the HAD's Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA).
To help the guesthouse industry understand the scheme, OLA will hold briefing sessions on September 23, 24 and 25. OLA will also take this opportunity to remind the industry not to operate illegal guesthouses.
The spokesman said that anyone who operated illegal guesthouses was liable to a fine of $200,000 and imprisonment for two years and to a fine of $20,000 for each day the offence continued.
If people come across any illegal guesthouse operation, they should report it to the hotline of OLA (tel. no. 2881 7498), by e-mail (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk) or by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from OLA's website (www.hadla.gov.hk).
Ends/Thursday, September 10, 2009
Issued at HKT 15:32
NNNN