Chinese child urinates in public, triggers spat between Hong Kong, China
A street scuffle broke out, after which the parents were taken to the police station
Beijing: A child of a Chinese tourist couple urinating at a busy street in Hong Kong has sparked off a major media spat among netizens in China and its autonomous territory, reflecting on growing tensions between the two even after 17 years of integration.
State-run Xinhua news agency said a video clip circulating on the Internet showed several Hong Kongers trying to stop the mainland couple from leaving after they let their child urinate in public though the girl's mother had used a dipper.
The clip showed a chaotic scene in which the toddler was crying while the mother tried to explain to passersby, saying that child had to urinate due to long lines at public toilets. They were soon surrounded by passersby who took pictures of them and blocked their path. The child's father allegedly grabbed an onlooker's camera and took out the memory card.
The mother got into an argument with onlookers and is reported to have slapped one of them across the face and rammed another with their baby stroller. The passersby and the child's parents were taken to police station. The father was released but the mother was arrested and then released on bail.
She is required to report to police in mid-May. "The mainland couple's behaviour was not all appropriate, although a child might be excused when nature calls, but so too was the behaviour of the local man in taking improper photos, although this was regrettably ignored by the police and commentators in Hong Kong, including some big media names," state-run China Daily said in its report.
Terming the reaction of Hong Kongers rude, another Chinese official daily Global Times said, "Both sides are to blame. Mainlanders and Hongkongers will have unpleasant sentiments".
"Mainlanders should admit that the young couple were wrong to let their child urinate on the street and the Hong Kong public should acknowledge that the behaviour of young passers-by was improper. Hong Kong society should discourage such an attitude toward mainland tourists".