BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhuanet) -- Beijing Mayor Wang Qishan, known for his candor and forthright approach, made another round of criticism of local residents' public behavior, such as spitting and making noises at public places, the Beijing News reported Thursday.

    "Some in the audience made phone calls during the 2005 World Snooker China Open, and some even made noise when the match was going on," Wang said, adding "the referee was so angry that he called them 'OUT' several times."

    Wang raised the perennial problem of local residents' unruliness, an indication for the level of civic virtue, when discussing the city's 11th five-year plan for economic and social development, acknowledging that in light of the upcoming Olympic Games in 2008 it is something Beijing cannot afford to ignore.

    As a snooker fan, Wang has paid great attention to the Snooker China Open held in Haidian Gymnasium recently. "Many audiences have confused various sports cultures with each other, for exampletreating snooker games like soccer matches, which was not appropriate," he complained.

    The mayor had repeatedly reminded local people to be more awareof their public behavior in the running up to the Olympic Games. "But I was booed by some soccer fans instead," he admitted.

    Renowned snooker player Jimmy White, who used to rank first in the world, made the same complaint with a local sports paper "Titan Weekly" on Wednesday. He said that some photographers and audience took pictures during his match and the photoflash lamps disturbed him a lot.

    He also suggested the audience turn off their mobile phones when watching the match, since quiet is vital for players.

    The Snooker China Open is the seventh round of the 2004-05 World Snooker Tournament. It is the first time for Beijing, or China, to host the world-class snooker event where all of the world's top 16 players took part. Enditem