Chinese police may patrol Thailand

The Thai government has put forward a proposal to deploy Chinese police officers in popular tourist destinations in the country. The initiative is aimed at increasing the confidence of travelers from China and increasing tourist traffic from this country. However, the authorities' plans have caused widespread criticism in Thai society.

How the idea of joint patrols came about

The idea came about after a meeting between Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha and the head of the National Tourism Authority Thapanee Kiatphaibul. According to the latter, the head of the government wants in this way to increase the confidence of Chinese tourists in their own safety in Thailand. Chinese police officers are expected to patrol tourist areas together with their Thai counterparts.

Thapane Kiathphaibul said a similar experience of joint patrolling has already been successfully implemented in Italy. She said the presence of Chinese police officers would demonstrate the strengthening of security measures in Thailand and thus increase the country's attractiveness to tourists from China.

Reaction from the public and authorities

The authorities' proposal drew sharply negative reactions from Thai social media users. Most expressed fear that Thailand would effectively lose some of its sovereignty and become a place for covert operations by Chinese intelligence agencies.

In response, cabinet spokesman Chai Wacharakhonka said the initiative was solely aimed at combating Chinese criminal groups in Thailand. He said Chinese police have valuable information on gangs operating in the Kingdom. This will enable Thai law enforcers to crack down more effectively on their illegal activities.

Chai Wacharakhonka emphasized that the implementation of the plan will not affect the sovereignty of Thailand in any way.

Prospects for Thailand's tourism industry

The initiative of the authorities is another attempt to stimulate the recovery of Thailand's tourism industry after the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier, the visa regime was canceled for citizens of China and a number of other countries.

It is expected that the presence of compatriots in police patrols will increase the confidence of potential Chinese tourists in their own safety and encourage them to travel to Thailand. In this way, the authorities expect to reach the target of 4-4.4 million tourists from China for 2023.