Protesting cruise ship passengers not bullies, says lawmaker Ann Chiang

Passengers involved in a sit-in on a cruise ship were not "bullies", a lawmaker who joined the protests said amid criticism that they caused unnecessary delays.

"They are not bullies. They refused to leave because they had limited bargaining power," said Ann Chiang Lai-wan, one of about 300 passengers who refused to leave the Costa Victoria on Thursday, unhappy at the level of compensation offered for missing a stop in Vietnam's Ha Long Bay.

Chiang said she was not seeking compensation as she had booked the cruise individually rather than joining a tour.

Her comments came after a fellow passenger said on a radio programme that she was "ashamed" of the protest.

"The cruise company offered its apologies and opened its restaurants ahead of schedule," the unnamed passenger said, adding that activities were organised to keep passengers entertained when the half-day trip to the Unesco World Heritage site was called off.

The protests, which broke up late on Thursday after about 17 hours, delayed the journey of 2,000 passengers booked on a trip to Malaysia.

The confrontation was sparked, in part, by a fiery meeting with a representative of travel agency Miramar on Wednesday, passenger Peter Cheung, 57, said.