Sweden's consul general to Hong Kong has fallen under fire in after "hurling insults" at staff in the territory's Foreign Correspondents' Club.
Jorgen Halldin, a 19-year veteran in foreign affairs, threw a tantrum in the club's main bar area after he turned up with a party of 12 and could not immediately get a table. After "verbally assaulting" staff, Halldin then cut up his membership card and stormed out. Tables at the club bar are capped at a maximum of eight guests.
In an internal memo sent to FCC members this week before the story broke, club president Jitendra Joshi wrote that an unnamed member had "insulted staff during a loud tirade, and cut up his membership card in disgust. To which all we can say is: good riddance."
Joshi explained in the memo that antics that were acceptable "three of four decades ago" would no longer be tolerated, and vowed to "stamp out behavior that crosses the line."
Halldin has since admitted to the incident and has issued a statement in which he apologizes for getting "upset" and expresses his "regret" over the "highly unfortunate incident."
When asked by the South China Morning Post if Halldin was still an FCC member, Joshi said: "If you cut up your card, you're declaring you don't want to be part of the club so I don't know how much clearer you can make that." The club is currently drafting new policies that will allow it to temporarily ban members for bad behavior.
[Image via The Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Hong Kong]
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