The Macao tourism bureau will report the dispute between mainland tourists and Macao tour guides and police to the National Tourism Administration, China News Service reported today.

 

The delegation led by vice director of Macao's tourism bureau will submit the investigation report during a meeting with central officials on December 15 in Beijing.

 

On Tuesday, 126 mainland tourists from Tangshan City, Hebei Province, had a dispute with local guides as they were asked to pay for unscheduled activities or face being abandoned on a beach without food or accommodation, the report said.

 

A fist-fight started when the tourists found the tour guides and drivers in a coffee shop. The fracas escalated and eventually involved about 10 police, some of whom, the Macao police authority said, were attacked by the tourists.

 

Two police vans and about 30 riot police, armed with shields and batons, were brought in to calm the dispute, which lasted eight hours, the report said.

 

All mainland tourists involved have left Macao, said the report.

 

Chui Sai-On, secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao Special Administration Region, said in the report that the dispute has influenced Macao's tourism, without providing details. He added the bureau has looked into the case.

 

The truth of the case will be revealed to the public after a thorough investigation, Chui said, according to China News Service's report.

 

(Shanghai Daily December 7, 2007)