11.
Unlicensed guesthouse operator fined
A guesthouse operator was fined $12,000 in the South Kowloon Magistracy today (Monday) after he pleaded guilty to a charge of running an unlicensed guesthouse at the Chungking Mansions in Tsim Sha Tsui.
The court heard that officers of the Home Affairs Department's Office of the Licensing Authority inspected a flat on the third floor of the building on December 13 last year and found that the premises was operating as a guesthouse, but without a licence.
The operator was subsequently charged under Section 5 of the Hotel and Guesthouse Accomodation Ordinance.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the department reiterated that anyone who operated a guesthouse without a licence or a valid certificate of exemption was liable on conviction to a fine and two years' imprisonment.
He stressed that enforcement action would continue to be taken against unlicensed guesthouses, adding that policing and prosecution would be a long-term exercise and would not be confined to a particular district.
He also invited the public to report on unlicensed guesthouses to the office by telephoning 2881 7034.
End/Monday, February 27, 1995
FS to present budget on Wednesday
Hong Kong's budget for the financial year 1995/96 will be presented to the Legislative Council on Wednesday (March 1)
The proceedings will start at 2.30 pm and the Financial Secretary, Sir Hamish Macleod, will move the first and second readings of the Appropriation Bill 1995, and outline the estimated revenue and expenditure for 1995/96.
The heads of expenditure were set out in the Appropriation Bit! 1995 which was gazetted last Friday.