An anti-mainlander protest was launched on Sunday in Hong Kong, with Chinese mainland tourists at shops targeted with insults and provocations. Many Hong Kong government officials and public figures made scathing criticisms of this demonstration, but these appalling protesters should be brought to account and given severe punishments.

Those publicly insulting mainland tourists are believed to account for only a handful of Hong Kongers, and they are far from representative of Hong Kong's mainstream attitude toward mainlanders. That is why Chinese mainlanders can sustain their restraint over these provocations. However, it is high time that Hong Kong society should take a clear-cut stance against such evildoing, and exhibit the civilization and rule of law long-boasted by the city.

Now the problem is why such remarks and actions could be tolerated in Hong Kong in recent years, and which political forces are backing them to confront the much stronger mainland.

These unwelcome remarks and actions have tainted the image of Hong Kong, leaving the mainlanders with the impression that this seaport, besides its high levels of civilization and development, hides another face of insolence and arrogance.

These very few people in Hong Kong see nothing valuable from a positive mainland-Hong Kong relationship. With the ambition to gain benefits from the conflict between Hong Kong and mainland, they assume the mainland fears Hong Kong and will compromise in the face of confrontation.

Their wishful thinking is wrong. Hong Kong's stability lies in the responsibility of the mainland as a much larger community. The mainland has made full preparations in case there are any transgressions over the basic "one country, two systems" policy. There is a bottom line which warns those extreme activists that deviant actions will only induce fitting punishments.

Hong Kong has a legitimate basis to implement some restrictive measures if too many mainland tourists swarm into the city, but it is ridiculous to assert that mainlanders are taking advantage of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is never the only choice that mainland tourists have.

It should be a no-brainer that mainland tourists can have fun and Hong Kong tourism will benefit. There should be no place in Hong Kong for the ones who insult mainland tourists as "locusts."

The basic "one country, two systems" policy requires the integration of the mainland and Hong Kong not only in the political regard, but also socially.

The responsibility must be assumed by both sides, and Hong Kong cannot indulge the unscrupulousness of these saboteurs.