My Take | Thailand’s quashed plan for Chinese police posts at tourist hotspots was never needed

Last weekend, Thai officials proposed to establish Chinese police posts, saying they would ‘boost Chinese tourists’ confidence’ and attract more visitors

That plan was quickly withdrawn after uproar among Thai citizens – but was never necessary given the resourcefulness of well-travelled Chinese tourists

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Chinese tourists visit the Pung Tao Gong Chinese Temple in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Photo: AP

Published: 10:00am, 17 Nov 2023

A plan to station Chinese police personnel at some of Thailand’s popular tourist destinations to protect their fellow citizens was quickly quashed last week to the relief of many Thais who had lashed out at the proposal by their government.

The controversial plan was unnecessary to begin with given the increasing savvy of Chinese tourists and the discontinuation of such a practice elsewhere.

Over the weekend, Thailand’s tourism authorities said that placing Chinese police at tourist hotspots would “boost Chinese tourists’ confidence” and attract more of them to its shores. This led to an uproar among Thais who said that apart from having the country’s sovereignty compromised, Thailand would also become a location for covert operations targeting Chinese dissidents overseas.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin sought to quell public anger midweek, saying Thailand would not invite Chinese officers to patrol local tourist destinations, stressing that his government only wished to cooperate with China’s police.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, China was the largest source of tourists to Thailand, accounting for 11 million, or 27.6 per cent, of total foreign arrivals in 2019. Last year, the figure plunged to 274,000.