Mainland tourist beaten to death in HK

A Chinese mainland tourist allegedly beaten unconscious by four men died at a Hong Kong's hospital on Tuesday, with police treating the case as manslaughter and violence in public, the Xinhua News Agency reported. The fighting allegedly took place outside a jewelry store in Man Lok Street, Hung Hom on Monday, where the victim, a 54-year-old tourist surnamed Miao from Heilongjiang Province, was attacked. Miao was trying to meditate a dispute between a fellow tourist surnamed Zhang and the tour guide surnamed Deng. The incident was allegedly sparked by Zhang's refusal to buy expensive jewelry, which later turned into a fist fight, news site thepaper.cn reported on Tuesday. Both Zhang and Miao were dragged out of the jewelry shop by four unidentified men, with Miao beaten unconscious and Zhang suffering multiple injuries. The suspects fled before police arrived. Miao, Deng and Zhang were later sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday. Police arrested four people, including Zhang and Deng, for fighting in a public place and wounding others, Xinhua reported on Tuesday. Analysts said they believe that the incident was triggered by "forced shopping," thepaper.cn said. However, the dispute may have been caused by their smoking in the jewelry store, according to local newspaper the Sing Tao Daily. The tour group had planned to leave Hong Kong on Monday, whose members were all from the Chinese mainland, thepaper.cn reported. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death, police were quoted by Xinhua as saying. The China National Tourism Administration urged on Tuesday Hong Kong tourism authorities to determine the cause as soon as possible and to take measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of mainland tourists, read a statement issued on its official website on Tuesday. Joseph Tung Yao-chung, head of Hong Kong's Travel Industry Council, said that similar incidents would severely tarnish Hong Kong's image as a tourist destination, thepaper.cn reported. Yiu Si-wing, a legislator from the tourism constituency, said "forced shopping" is unacceptable, warning that shops, travel agencies and tour guides should avoid similar incidents from happening again, thepaper.cn reported.