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Tourists belt China's national anthem to protest flight delay

Dozens of Chinese tourists in Thailand broke into an obnoxiously loud rendition of China's national anthem to protest a nine-hour flight delay at a Bangkok airport on Friday, media reported.

Local police took some of the more vocal passengers into custody for creating the disturbance at Suvarnabhumi Airport over the delayed flight bound for Chongqing, media reported.

However, an airport employee told thepaper.com that no arrests were reported that day.

Tempers first flared when nearly 260 Chinese passengers were informed that their flight, originally scheduled for 5:50 pm, was delayed three hours due to heavy rains and maintenance.

After the flight was delayed once again to 3 am Saturday morning, the group of passengers began venting their frustration in song.

Uploaded video shows the group of angry passengers demanding compensation at the boarding gate while loudly singing "March of the Volunteers," China's national anthem since 1949.

"While some accepted the hotel accommodations arranged by the airline, some refused and demanded an additional 1,000-yuan ($157), a public apology from the airline and a Boeing 747 to send them home, posted Sina Weibo user "Traveler Jesse."

"Those who refused to board the plane would be blacklisted by travel agencies, which could affect their ability to travel abroad in the future," a tour guide was quoted by media as saying.

The boorish behavior of the passengers drew rebukes from many on social media. "They have seriously damaged the international image of China and Chinese," one netizen wrote.

Some defended their actions. "It's their right to demand compensation," wrote another social media user.

China's government proposed rules in December that would ban the singing of the national anthem during "non-political celebrations" or "in commercial arenas," Xinhua reported.

Sohu News