THE government is investigating an incident which left about 70 Chinese tourists stranded at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) early morning yesterday.

Their three tour guides reportedly ditched them at the airport when they were chased away by members of the Sabah Tourist Guides Association (STGA), who believed they were hired illegally.

The group then diverted their attention towards a Chinese national, who was the tour leader, and also accused her of working in Sabah illegally during the incident at 12.30am.

It all happened just before the tourists landed at the airport and they were left clueless at the arrival hall for about two hours.

The Tourism and Culture Ministry’s (Motac) Sabah office said the tourists later reached their respective hotels safely but STGA’s claims were unfounded.

Motac Sabah director Ag Ahmad Zaki Abu Bakar told The Malaysian Insight that the tour guides were all licensed locals and it is common for Chinese tours to have a Chinese tour leader.

“The company had hired three English-speaking local guides. All licensed. But the group chased them away so that’s when they started accusing the tour leader of working illegally in the state,” Zaki said.

He said the incident had tarnished the image of “friendly Sabahans”, scared tourists, and complaints had been lodged against STGA by both international and local tour companies.

Zaki said the companies cancelled some of their future tours in light of the incident, and a police report had also been lodged on the matter.

STGA president Grace Leong did not comment when contacted on the incident. – July 16, 2017.