When diplomats go bad: Swede at centre of FCC row joins Hong Kong's hall of shame

They are supposed to be upstanding representatives of their country. Yet members of the diplomatic corps in Hong Kong haven't always portrayed the best image of their homelands.

After a week that saw Sweden's top diplomat in the city apologise for insulting staff at one of its best-known private clubs, foreign officials in one of the world's biggest diplomatic hubs can surely be expected to be on their best behaviour.

Last week, Swedish consul general Jorgen Halldin was forced to publicly apologise after details emerged of his unruly behaviour at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Central.

About a month ago, Halldin went to the club and asked for a table for 12 people in a part of the club where tables seat a maximum of eight. When he was not given a table immediately, he hurled verbal abuse at staff and, in a fit of anger, cut up his membership card.

Halldin, who joined the Swedish Foreign Ministry in 1996, apologised after being approached by the Post and described the episode as "highly unfortunate". The incident was one of three recent cases of members behaving inappropriately at the FCC. Another involved a male member who was aggressive to a female member.

The incidents prompted the club to issue a reminder about improper behaviour as it drafted new rules to discipline disruptive members.

And Halldin's case is not the first time that an envoy has been caught in such a troubling position in the city.