Counting the hidden cost of cheap vacations

Visitors on 'negative-fee' tours of Hong Kong and Macao have been subjected to scams, 'forced shopping' and threats as agencies and storekeepers collude to boost profits, report Su Zhou in Beijing and Kahon Chan in Hong Kong.

Qiu Min had a sense of d��j�� vu when she read about a 53-year-old tourist from the mainland who was beaten to death on Oct 19 as he attempted to intervene in a dispute over "forced shopping" at a jewelry store in Hong Kong.

On Thursday, the store owner, a 59-year-old woman, was detained by customs officials on charges unrelated to the man's death after other customers complaint about coercion.