he mainland-based Cross-Straits Tourism Exchange Association (CTEA) said Monday it would consult closely with its Taiwan counterpart to avoid mainland tourists being sent back over travel permit problems.

The statement came after 37 tourists from Shenyang, Liaoning Province, were sent back Saturday because they did not have adequate entry permits, according to Taiwan media reports.

The group arrived at Songshan Airport in Taipei just before 3 p.m. without proper entry permits or an official registration number, according to the Taipei Times.

The group had to leave at 4:40 p.m. on the same Xiamen Airlines aircraft.

The carrier was later fined by the Taiwan-based "National Immigration Agency" for carrying passengers without entry permits.

Initial inquiries showed that a travel agency in Shenyang had applied for entry permits on behalf of the tourists and their guide, according to the Taipei Times.

The applications did not arrive in Taiwan until Thursday and the tour group was scheduled to go to the island Saturday, it quoted Roget Hsu, an official with the Travel Agent Association, a private association assisting the Taiwan authorities in reviewing applications for Chinese tourists, as saying.

CTEA said the initial investigation showed that the incident was caused by technical problems and pledged to work with its Taiwan counterpart, the Taiwan Strait Tourism Association, to avoid similar cases.

(Xinhua News Agency April 21, 2009)