THE MAN suspected of assaulting a young woman in a Home Inn hotel in Beijing on April 3 has finally been detained. However, the comments by the hotel manager in a TV interview have provoked further public ire at the hotel's response to the incident. China Daily's Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

"There was no murder, no rape, no arson, that's all speculation," the manager of the Home Inn involved said in a TV interview.

What silly remarks! That is not the point. It is both common sense and a legal duty for hotels to provide safe conditions for their customers. Home Inn has failed to do so, since video from the security cameras in the hotel concerned show a female guest being assaulted in one of its hotels. This is a major scandal and Home Inn should apologize, compensate the victim, and let the public feel its sincerity about doing its utmost to protect its guests.