Thai premier says no plan to invite Chinese police to patrol local tourist destinations

Thailand

Thavisin says country only wants to cooperate with Chinese police on 'information exchange' about criminal networks.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has said there was no plan to invite Chinese police officers to patrol local tourist destinations, following a public outcry against a proposed plan by the country’s tourism authority, local media reported on Tuesday.

Srettha, who is currently in San Francisco to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, told reporters that the country only wants to cooperate with Chinese police on “information exchange” about criminal networks that may be active in Thailand, which would boost the confidence of Chinese tourists, local English daily Bangkok Post reported,.

The cooperation, he added, would not involve stationing Chinese police personnel in Thailand.

Srettha’s comments came after the head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Thapanee Kiatphaibool, told reporters on Sunday last that the country was in talks with China about a joint patrol program.

His remarks sparked a public outcry with many expressing concern about the country’s sovereignty.

The controversy arose due to a miscommunication, said Srettha.

Thailand has been trying to revive the tourism industry, a key source of its economy.

Chinese tourists used to make up the largest number of foreign visitors in Thailand before the coronavirus pandemic, though, they have been increasingly vocal in their concerns about safety and security.

A Chinese visitor along with two others was killed in a shooting spree at a luxury mall in Bangkok last month.

A total of 2.8 million Chinese tourists have visited Thailand so far this year, trailing the government’s full-year target of over 4 million, according to official data.