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Three women were fined $2,500 to $3,000 each at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (November 7) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
The courts heard that officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected three suspected unlicensed guesthouses on Kimberly Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, and Shantung Street and Nathan Road, Mong Kok, in January and April this year respectively. OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented rooms in the three guesthouses on a daily basis.
According to the OLA's records, the three guesthouses did not possess valid certificates of exemption or licences under the Ordinance on the days of inspection. The two female managers of the premises on Kimberly Street and Shantung Street, and the female operator of the premises on Nathan Road, were charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that it is a criminal offence to operate or manage an unlicensed guesthouse. Any person who is convicted of operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is liable to imprisonment. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a $200,000 fine and imprisonment for two years.
He appealed to the public to report suspected illegal guesthouses to the OLA through the OLA hotline (2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk) or by fax (fax number: 2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the website (www.hadla.gov.hk).
Ends/Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Issued at HKT 17:20
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