In what is thought to be the largest bust of its kind, the Chinese detainees are believed to have been running online gambling operations out of a former American air base, which is now a call center.

It remains unclear what the Chinese nationals are being charged with, but 900 of them were brought to the immigration detention centre in Manila.

Foreign Ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, said Beijing requested that Manila “make appropriate arrangements” for those who had been detained and quickly release individuals who had “legal identification.”

Diplomatic relations between China and the Philippines have warmed recently with banana exports once again opening up and visa-free access to Chinese tourists being considered.

In response to Geng’s statement, Global Times wrote in an op-ed: “We believe that the timely intervention does not put a strain on bilateral ties, but instead contributes to the prevention of further escalation of the events.”

Earlier this month, China formally arrested three Australian nationals employees of a Macau casino on “suspicion of gambling” charges after being detained for a month.

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The two men, aged 41 and 66, attempted to leave when police approached them. Following an altercation, the men were taken into police custody.

The 41 year-old man was issued a criminal infringement notice (CIN) for offensive behavior, which typically accompanies a fine of $200 Australian dollars.

The 66 year-old man was charged with offensive behavior and resisting arrest, and has been summoned to Downing Center Local Court on December 12.

This latest incident of tourist misbehavior follows last month’s story of a Chinese tourist who was forced to return a stolen toilet seat to a Japanese hotel, which ended up costing the tourist his job. With a travel blacklist already in place, the topic of misbehaving tourists has long been familiar to Chinese people, many of whom took the opportunity to denounce the two men.

One person wrote online, “I recommend from today forward that these two not be allowed to exit the country; have their passports blacklisted, and forbid them from leaving their homes,” while another said, “At this point, education is too late of an option for them; they can only be disciplined.”

Citing a commonly used excuse, one netizen jokingly said, “But they are still just children!” Another wrote, “66 years old and he still doesn’t know how to act like a proper person, it’s obvious this is a Red Guard who has gotten older.”

Australia has become a top destination for China’s rich, while the popularity of a remote salt lake on Chinese social media has single-handedly saved a small Australian town through Chinese tourism. In turn, Australian authorities have attempted to help facilitate the rush of Chinese tourists by publishing a handbook for them.

And while it might not have received much airtime, a CCTV television commercial attempted to school Chinese tourists on proper behavior while visiting Australia through a strange commercial where Chinese are depicted as over-sized panda mascots.

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Video captured by Hong Kong news station TVBS showed Chinese tourists visiting Cinque Terre National Park urgently grabbing up the sea urchins, with some even leaping into the water. One dama is seen using a rock to crack open the sea urchin at the spot.

A local fisherman is seen telling the tour guide that the sea urchin are too small, and can’t be removed. However, attempts to stop the Chinese tourists from taking the sea urchin end in failure.

Cinque Terre National Park is a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site, much like the Great Wall of China. Cinque Terre features five cliffside towns that demonstrate the necessary balance between man and the environment by preserving the natural landscape while promoting sustainable tourism.

Here’s a video of the incident:

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The Ningbo tourism bureau confirmed that tourists staying at a hotel in Nagoya, Japan had stolen a toilet seat cover that was kept underneath a bed.

After initially denying the accusations, the unidentified tourists admitted to taking the toilet seat. It was mailed back to the Japanese hotel, and the offending tourist has written a letter of apology. The Ningbo tourism bureau won’t identify the tourists in question, but deny they are from Ningbo, explaining that they left Ningbo airport on a chartered plane.

News of the incident went viral on Chinese social circles after it was revealed on an online platform for tour guides in China.

Chinese people reacted with shame to the story. One person said, “What an embarrassment for Chinese people. When in China, they lose their own face, but when outside China, they lose face for all Chinese.” Another wrote: “The foreign media is going to have a field day with this. I can see the headline now: ‘Chinese mainland tourist steals toilet seat from Japanese hotel’.”

The Southwest Economic Report lashed out at the tourists in its report by directly addressing them in this passage:

Just what were you two thinking in stealing a toilet seat? Is it because you heard everyone say that buying a toilet seat supports the Japanese economy. Did you think you two could collapse the Japanese economy and serve your country by doing this? Or are you so cheap that you can’t afford to buy your own toilet seat?
You two have made our countrymen lose their face, haven’t you? And in front of the Japanese!

Last December, a 64 year-old Xi’an woman was fined HK$2,000 for stealing a life preserver from a Cathay Airlines flight. This past May, two mainland tourists were seen sleeping in an ATM vestibule in Hong Kong instead of staying at a hotel.

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Wang Xingchao said he was given the fine at the Lotus Daguan Garden area after his 13 year-old child picked a flower. Wang said he was immediately approached by security guards at the scene and made to pay the fine in cash.

A Lotus Daguan Garden employee, named Ma, confirmed that the tourist attraction had in fact instituted a rule for fining visitors for picking flowers, but couldn’t confirm Wang’s story as he didn’t receive a receipt for his fine.

Ma said there is no set fine for picking flowers, saying that it is up to each individual security guard to set an amount depending upon the circumstances. “There is no rule in our regulation that stipulates picking one flower will cost a 500 yuan fine, or that picking two flowers will cost 200 yuan,” said Ma.

Wang called the fine “unreasonable”, but admitted visitors were warned against picking flowers by signs and loudspeaker warnings.

But as Wang described it, picking flowers is an irresistible temptation for Chinese tourists like himself:

We were walking along the path where you could pick a flower just by extending your arm. (My child) lightly touched it, and the flower easily came off.

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A 50 year-old man identified as “Chen” was arrested Saturday afternoon in Seoguipo on the southern resort island of Jeju, located 40 kilometers away from the stabbing. He had entered the country on a transit-without-visa last Wednesday, and was scheduled to leave South Korea this coming Thursday.

Local police say Chen ran away after he stabbed a 61 year-old Korean woman praying alone inside a Jeju Island Roman Catholic church at 8:45 Saturday morning. Identified only as “Kim”, the woman is in critical condition with wounds to her chest and abdomen.

Police say they narrowed their search to a Chinese suspect after finding the suspect had left behind a pair of Chinese-brand shoes and pants. The suspect was also caught on video surveillance leaving the scene of the crime immediately after the attack. The Jeju Seobu Police said they are seeking a court-issued warrant to arrest Chen on attempted murder charges.

The Korea Herald reported that Chen confessed to the stabbing to police and briefly answered “sorry” when questioned by reporters as he was taken to the police station.

The paper said Chen harbors deep hatred for women after both his first and second wives ran away from home after having extra-marital affairs. “When I saw a woman praying alone at a church, the thoughts of the wives suddenly flashed through my mind and I attacked her out of anger,” Chen is to have said during police questioning.

Police are still trying to determine Chen’s motive as he is said to have visited the same church two to three times after purchasing the weapon in Jeju. Chen said he visited the church to repent for his sins because it was close to where he was staying.

“We’re looking into whether the attack was accidental or premeditated because he came to the church carrying a lethal weapon,” said Park Gi-nam, chief of the Jeju Seobu Police Station.

Eight Chinese tourists were arrested after attacking the owner and wait staff of a Jeju Island restaurant on September 9. Korean media lashed out at the perpetrators, noting that 69 percent of all 347 foreigners arrested on Jeju Island as of July this year were visiting Chinese tourists.

However, amid rising tensions between China and South Korea, Chinese media had attempted to downplay the incident. Chinese reports emphasized that the victimized restaurant owner is not a Korean national, but a “fellow compatriot” of the suspects.

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On the evening of September 9, a Jeju Island restaurant owner attempted to stop eight Chinese tourists visiting from Nanjing from bringing in alcohol purchased from outside the restaurant. The resulting argument escalated into a physical altercation in which 56 year-old restaurant owner, An, had a glass bottle smashed over her head, causing her to slump to the ground.

An was hospitalized after the assault. Four restaurant employees were also injured in the fracas.

On September 12, three of the eight detained Chinese tourists were released, described as “not under investigation” by the police. The others remain in custody and are expected to be charged with “group violent activity”, a crime with more serious ramifications in South Korea.

South Korean news media have denounced the attack and have called for strict punishments for these Chinese tourists.

The Citizen Report reported that Jeju Island residents are full of “righteous indignation” over the assault, and feel that Chinese visitors to the island have an “increasingly arrogant attitude”. Meanwhile, the Jeju Citizen Report said crimes committed by Chinese people while visiting Jeju Island is a growing problem:

Right now, Chinese visitors to Jeju Island are committing far more acts of violence, murder, robbery, theft, fleeing from traffic accidents, smuggling — all things that involve many Chinese people.

The Jeju Citizen Report said Chinese nationals made up 69 percent of all 347 foreigners arrested on the island as of July this year. “Violent crime” was listed as the second-most common crime committed by Chinese tourists.

However, Chinese news media are downplaying the nationalist rhetoric of their South Korean peers. Publications like the Global Times report that the “real truth” about the assault is that both sides are Chinese, explaining that the eight Chinese tourists had beat up a “compatriot”.

An is reported to be a Chinese national of Korean ethnicity who originates from China’s northeast. However, the four restaurant workers injured in the confrontation are not Chinese, but South Koreans.

You can watch a video of the assault here.

The post Chinese Tourists Violently Assault Restaurant Owner In South Korea appeared first on The Nanfang.

Lee Changqing stabbed Luo Jinli, 45, and her husband Dong, 47, over an argument about the seating arrangements at the game reserve’s Keekorok Lodge. Luo died from her chest wounds and Dong is being treated at the Nairobi Hospital.

“The tour guide who had brought three clients from his country for two nights differed with the couple … over the seating arrangement at dinner time,” said John Kiruti, manager of Keekorok Lodge. “After a brief exchange of words, he drew a knife and stabbed the two, fatally injuring the woman and injuring her husband.”

Kiruti said the couple’s two children, aged 9 and 12, witnessed the stabbing.

“The hotel staff rushed to restrain the guide. The kids are still in shock,” he said.

Abdi Galgalo, of the Narok County Police, reported that Lee had been arrested and was currently being held at the Narok Police Station. “It was a sad incident that is deeply regretted,” said Galgalo.

The victim and her family had come to see the migration of wildebeest at the Masaai Mara, an event that has become very popular among Chinese tourists.

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Newly introduced measures will restrict people on the blacklist from taking flights, joining travel groups or taking overseas trips, reported China Daily. As per the new rules, information on the blacklist can also be shared by provincial and national tourism authorities with the public, travel agencies and industry organizations.

Additionally, government agencies responsible for public security, customs, inspection and quarantine, border protection, transportation and finance can also be privy to the Chinese tourist blacklist.

“Punishments can be imposed by travel agencies or other related agencies or organizations based on the record,” says a draft of the proposed regulations.

The China National Tourism Administration (NTA) established the blacklist back in April 2015. Offenders’ names were to be recorded for two years by a two-tiered provincial and national system. At the time, the tourist blacklist gave tourism authorities the right to report such violations to public security, customs and transport authorities as well as the central bank’s individual credit department.

By establishing the blacklist, tourism authorities could “propose correction measures in order to mitigate the negative impact” against Chinese tourists who have “humiliated” their country.

In its 15 months of existence, there have been 19 names added to the China tourist blacklist. But even as the tourist blacklist changes from a record of names to enforceable preventative action, some experts are warning that it will remain ineffective. Liu Simin, vice-president of the tourism branch of the China Society for Futures Studies, said the blacklist may not work as effectively in practice as is in theory.

“It is not that difficult to introduce restrictive measures on flights,” Liu said. “However, if tourism authorities want to restrict blacklisted tourists from traveling overseas, they can only do this through travel agencies. If travelers plan their own trips and skip the agencies, they’re out of reach.”

Although a previous China Daily report described the blacklist as an attempt to “to rescue the image of its citizens as holidaymakers”, a recent report downplayed the impact of misbehaving Chinese tourists as “a few ugly incidents”.

Last month, a Chinese tourist was arrested for assaulting a clerk at a duty-free store at Los Angeles airport. In June, a Chinese tourist was fined by officials at Yellowstone National Park for walking on terrace formations and collecting spring water. This past April, Japanese news cameras captured Chinese tourists abusing trees during the annual cherry blossom season.

The post China’s Tourism Blacklist Gets Some Serious Teeth appeared first on The Nanfang.

The rule was imposed after Thailand saw a spike in road accidents and waste management problems involving Chinese drivers, who all appeared to be using camper vehicles for their road trips.

According to the Thai Director of the Chiang Rai Tourism Authority, Lertchai Wangtrakuldee, since the rule was introduced at the end of June, Chinese tourists entering Thailand through Chiang Rai in their own vehicles have all but disappeared. “After the Transport Ministry regulations came into effect, they felt that it was too costly and complicated to travel more than 1,000 kilometers.”

The decline in Chinese tourism is expected to cost northern Thailand an estimated 1 million baht a day in tourism income, but experts have pointed out that self-driving Chinese tourists don’t stay at hotels, which lessens their contribution to the local economy. Furthermore, most Chinese tourists travel to Bangkok and island resorts instead of the northern regions of the country, said Jiang Yiyi, Director of International Tourism Development at the Beijing-based China Tourism Academy.

Approximately 4.9 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand in the first six months of 2016, a 22 percent increase compared to the same time last year. Chinese tourists now account for almost a third of all tourists arriving in Thailand.

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