XN000022-1995-12-13 — Page 9

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First JLG Expert Group meeting on handover ceremonies

The Sino-British Joint Liaison Group will hold its first round of Experts Talks to discuss handover ceremonies on December 14 (Thursday) in Hong Kong.

The British team will be led by Mr Hugh Davies, British Senior Representative on the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group. The Chinese team will be led by Mr Zhao Jihua, Chinese Senior Representative on the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group.

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Operation targets unlicensed guesthouses for local residents

The Government is determined to put guesthouses which cater mainly for local residents under licensing control in order to ensure the safety of patrons by taking enforcement action against unlicensed premises, the acting Deputy Director of Home Affairs, Mr Tim Stephenson, said today (Wednesday).

Speaking at a press briefing at the conclusion of a two-day operation conducted by the Home Affairs Department against unlicensed guesthouses, Mr Stephenson said the operation marked the start of a full-scale drive aimed at unlicensed local person guesthouses with more than 10 rooms.

"Because of the amount of furnishings, the internal layout and lack of windows. these guesthouses are known to be hazardous. They have been given one full year to carry out safety improvements as advised by the Home Affairs Department and were required to be licensed by December 1, 1995.

"In the two-day operation conducted in Kowloon Tong, a total of 29 premises were inspected and 11 were found to be operating illegally. The seven persons managing the premises will be issued summonses charging them with operating a guesthouse without a licence under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance. Operators or controllers of the premises may also be summonsed," Mr Stephenson said.

He explained the three-fold purpose of the operation.