Foreigners in China fleeced

Press, 29 June 1988, Page 8 (Supplement)

Foreigners in China fleeced

By

TIM DONOGHUE,

of N.Z.P.A.

Guilin, in China, is fast developing a reputation as the place for tourists and joint-venture businessmen to get ripped off — dead or alive.

As well as its world-fam-ous teetering limestone crags, Guilin is the home of an increasing army of shysters with one aim in mind — fleecing the tourist or the foreign businessman of as much money as possible.

The warning bells began to ring for this visitor at the airport when a taxi driver simply refused to use his meter. This trick is routinely followed up by a refusal to release luggage from car boots while arguing with customers until rip-off fares are paid. But the people of Guilin distinguished themselves recently when three American tourists, all members of tour groups, died suddenly in the city.

Money-grabbing tour operators set new standards of ghoulishness by demanding high surcharges for handling the corpses. Tour groups were held up while officials bickered over the cost of cremating the dead and altering the group visa. According to American diplomatic sources, two tour groups were temporarily held by the China International Travel Service (CITS) in Guilin. CITS insisted on a payment of 3000 yuan (about SNZI2OO) before passports were returned.

But after telephone intervention by United States consular officials from Guangzhou, the price was reduced to 2500 yuan (SNZIOOO approx). In the case of 71-year-old Mr James Maguire, the official mortuary receipt totalled about 700 yuan (SNZ2BO approx). In her grief the widow of Mr Frank Driscoll was in no mood for arguing with officials when her husband died in Guilin. She handed over the 4000 yuan in foreign exchange certificates demanded by CITS officials for cremation and visa alteration costs.

Chinese normally pay about 50 yuan (SNZ2O) for a cremation. A CITS spokesman in Guilin said the tour group delays had been brought about by a misunderstanding created by the police. He said the price for the cremations had been set by the mortuary.