As China's embassy in Vietnam urges the Vietnamese government to investigate the alleged beating of a Chinese citizen by Vietnamese border guards after he refused to "tip" them, authorities at Mong Cai border post have refused to allow Chinese police to investigate the claims, media reported.
Xie Feng (pseudonym), 28, was allegedly beaten by Vietnamese customs officers when he was leaving the country through Mong Cai on February 7 after a two-week trip with his fiancée, surnamed Ren, and his mother, surnamed Chen, Beijing Youth Daily reported Sunday.
Police on the Chinese side at Dongxing, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, have tried to discuss the case, but the Vietnamese side denied there was any beating, stating that Xie was injured after he fell down because he was running. They have also rejected a China-proposed joint investigation, China News Service reported Sunday.
Xie sustained three fractured ribs and bruising, and will have to stay in hospital in Dongxing for further treatment.
Ren alleged that the border inspectors asked them for tips, but Xie said he would first call a friend to ask if they should hand over any cash.
Before Xie could make the call, he was suddenly pinned to the ground, and beaten and kicked by "seven or eight Vietnamese border inspection employees in military uniforms," his fiancé said. Then Xie was handcuffed and taken away.
When entering Mong Cai on January 25 from Dongxing, Vietnamese border guards also asked Xie's party for tips of 30 to 50 yuan ($4.3-7.2), Chinese media reported.
The Chinese Embassy in Vietnam has urged local authorities to take measures to investigate these reports, punish any employees that have broken the law, apologize and compensate the victims, Beijing Youth Daily reported.
In May 2016, a tourist from Southwest China's Sichuan Province was attacked by border inspection staff at Nha Trang Airport, Vietnam after refusing to give them tips. The involved customs employee was suspended afterwards, the West China City Daily reported.
The Chinese Embassy in Hanoi has warned Chinese citizens to always refuse to give tips, and try to collect proof if they have been harassed and report to China's diplomatic missions, thepaper.cn reported Sunday.
Mong Cai is the main border crossing between Vietnam and China. In 2013, 4.4 million Chinese citizens entered Vietnam through Mong Cai, China Radio International reported.
