Hong Kong bookstore owner pleads not guilty to using shop as unregistered school

byVerified News Online

AdvertisementHong Kong courtsHong KongLaw and CrimeHong Kong bookstore owner pleads not guilty to using shop as unregistered school

Pong Yat-ming to be tried for violating Education Ordinance by hosting a Spanish class at his bookstore, Book Punch, in April last year

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Book Punch owner Pong Yat-ming outside Kowloon City Court on Thursday. Photo: Fiona Chow

Fiona Chow

A Hong Kong independent bookstore owner will stand trial after he pleaded not guilty to managing an unregistered school by holding a Spanish class in his shop.

Pong Yat-ming was accused of violating the Education Ordinance by allowing a Spanish class to be held on April 23 last year at Book Punch, a bookstore he founded in 2020.

The bookshop located in Sham Shui Po occasionally hosts workshops and talks on various subjects, including social issues, travel and mental health.

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Pong had mentioned in previous media interviews that he wished to create a local community space.

In Thursday’s hearing at Kowloon City Court, Pong denied a total of five summary offences levelled against him and his company, Active Experiential Learning Company Limited.

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He was accused of breaching education rules by permitting Antonio Baro Montane, who was not a registered teacher, to teach in a school that was also not provisionally registered.

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