A MAINLAND couple scuffled with locals in downtown Hong Kong after the two parents allowed their toddler to urinate in public, the Dongguan Times reported Monday.

    In a video shot by passers-by, which subsequently went viral on the Internet, the parents are locked in a fierce quarrel with two Hong Kong young men in Mong Kok, as one of whom took photos of the scene, while the then upset little girl was in tears.

    During the scuffle the couple tried to snatch the memory card from a young man’s camera and leave the scene. The young men stopped them from leaving and called the police.

    The woman explained to the crowd that they had found a public toilet but saw there was a long queue, so had no other choice but to let their child to relieve herself on the street instead. The two men held onto the pram to stop the couple from leaving, prompting the woman to hit one of the men on his arm.

    Police arrested the mother over alleged assault, but did not charge or detain the father. The mother was later released on bail, but was ordered to report to the police in mid-May.

    Many netizens on the mainland stood by the parents’ side, saying the mother set a paper diaper below while the girl urinated.

    Dai Bin, director of the China Tourism Academy, says it is a Chinese cultural trait that people do not necessarily consider infants urinating in public to be impolite.

    However, parents allowing children under 12 to defecate in public could be fined HK$5,000-10,000 (US$645-1,290) fine, according to Hong Kong laws.(Li Jing)

    Dai said that when considering mainlanders’ behavior when they travel, it was important to note that domestic and especially overseas tourism was a relatively new experience for most of them.

    “There is a lot for Chinese to learn when they travel,” he said.

    (Li Jing)