Illiterate Chinese air passenger 'did not know smoking was banned'
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 10 January, 2015, 3:08am
UPDATED : Saturday, 10 January, 2015, 3:08am
Chris Lau [email protected]
Xu Miaoqing, 61, made headlines after being caught smoking in the toilet on a Cathay Pacific flight from Bangkok on Christmas Day.
A mainland farmer who saw his "free trip" turn into an expensive nightmare after lighting up a cigarette in-flight was illiterate and had no idea smoking on planes was illegal, a court heard.
Xu Miaoqing, 61, made headlines after being caught smoking in the toilet on a Cathay Pacific flight from Bangkok on Christmas Day. Yesterday, he was hit with a HK$2,000 fine after pleading guilty in Tsuen Wan Court to a charge of smoking in an aircraft.
In mitigation, Xu's lawyer told the court his client was illiterate and did not know he was not allowed to smoke on the plane.
Besides the fine, the court heard that the case had cost Xu dear. He had to give up his travel documents during the investigation. And the period he had spent in Hong Kong had cost the Shanghai man a quarter of his income for the year. His holiday was meant to be free - a gift from his niece.
The court heard that a steward on flight CX708 went to the toilet cubicle after an alarm sounded. Xu was inside and there was a strong smell of smoke. A cigarette butt was found in the bowl.
On arrival, he admitted to police that he had been smoking.
Xu's case is the latest in a series of incidents involving misbehaviour by mainland air passengers.
Last month, a Nanjing-bound flight turned back to Bangkok after four passengers made a scene, scalding a flight attendant with hot water from instant noodles and threatening to bomb the plane in a row over seating. They were later banned from travelling by provincial authorities.
Days later, a passenger on a Xiamen Air flight from Hangzhou to Chengdu yanked open a door shortly before take-off to "get some fresh air". There was another brawl on a Hong Kong-bound flight from Chongqing over a crying baby.
The cases, often highlighted through smartphone images and social media, have sparked aviation safety concerns and further tarnished the reputation of mainlanders on their travels - a matter that has sparked calls for better behaviour from Beijing officials.
