A Beijing-based travel agency has been ordered to pay
compensation to a South Korean father whose son was killed during his holiday in
Guilin, South China.
The Beijing No 1 Intermediate People's Court yesterday said China San
International Travel Service was liable for the death of the student, surnamed
Lee.
He died from head injuries sustained in a car accident in August 2002.
The court ordered the travel company to pay 358,000 yuan (US$43,000) to Lee's
father, who rented a helicopter to transfer his son to South Korea for medical
treatment.
However, Lee junior lost his fight for life soon after the mercy dash.
The court said the cause of the accident was the negligence of a driver,
surnamed Feng, employed by the Guilin-based Meijing Travel Agency which was
contracted by Beijing-based China San International to run its tours.
"The defendant, the China San International Travel Service, was obligated to
safeguard travelers' safety as the Meijing Travel Agency performed duties for
it," the judgment said.
"Since the San travel service failed to discharge its obligations and
resulted in casualty, the defendant had to pay the relevant compensation to
cover medical, communications and funeral expenses, as well as the emotional
damage of the victim's relatives," a court source said.
In another development, the four people charged after fire ravaged the
Beijing-based Jingmin Hotel last June were sued yesterday at the Beijing
Chaoyang District People's Court. The fire killed 12 and injured 35 guests, and
caused 819,000 yuan (US$99,000) worth of "economic damage," said prosecutor
sources.
The four accused, Zhang Dao-chun, Zhu Jialong, Chen Baodong and Tian Hepeng
were the senior management staff overseeing a renovation project at the hotel.
However, it was found they had forged construction certificates and employed
unregistered builders.
The Fire Division of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Public Security affirmed
the fire was caused by welding sparks which caused flammable paint to burst into
flames.
