GUANGDONG has tightened regulations governing men and women sharing hotel rooms when one is a foreigner - in the name of meeting the needs of developing a market economy.
According to the semi-official Hongkong China News Agency, a set of ''more precise and detailed'' supplementary regulations will become effective beginning tomorrow.
''The lack of clear rules had 'created conditions' for the rampant growth of unlawful activities such as prostitution in hotels,'' an official said, adding that this brought about inconvenience to ''lawful travellers''.
There were no standardised rules on the request of adult men and women from overseas and the mainland to stay together, he said.
The official, from the Guangdong Public Security Bureau, believed the situation could be improved following the introduction of the new regulations, which he said were formulated to ''meet the current needs of the development of a market economy.'' Mixed couples would be allowed to stay together in hotels under certain circumstances.
Such couples would be required to produce either marriage certificates, identity cards carrying the same residential address, proof of their marriage from mainland units, or be aged 45 or above.
