Thailand's quashed plan for Chinese police posts at tourist hotspots was never needed
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.
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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.
There has been a rebound in numbers this year, but eight months into 2023, arrivals from China were only about half of pre-pandemic levels, according to Thai Airways CEO Korakot Chatasingha.
As early as 2013, a report by travel industry website Skift noted that Chinese travellers have become younger, wealthier, more educated and increasingly sophisticated. In August, professional services firm Dezan Shira & Associates wrote in its newsletter that the post-pandemic Chinese traveller exhibits traits such as heightened digital savvy and an appetite for novel experiences.
Such savvy - which includes using online trip planners, payment and translation platforms - means they are better able to independently plan and navigate their journeys, and solve any problems that might arise while they travel. If they require the help of police, they will approach local officers or turn to Chinese consular help.
Even a recent Chinese blockbuster film, which depicts real-life scams in Thailand, is unlikely to discourage the hunger for new experiences of this streetwise bunch, nor is last month's shooting at a Bangkok shopping centre which led to the death of a female Chinese tourist.
Pent-up demand to travel abroad after the pandemic will mean more Chinese going abroad this year and beyond, according to Chinese online travel agency Tuniu.
Thailand's Tourism Authority governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said having Chinese police would "show how Thailand has ramped up safety measures". But surely, that can be done without the physical presence of foreign police, and these measures can be easily explained, in tourism pamphlets and publicity campaigns.
She also pointed to a similar programme that was "successfully" implemented in Italy.
But the joint Chinese-Italian patrols were not only suspended in the wake of Covid, but scrapped entirely last year, after Spain-based right groups Safeguard Defenders found at least 102 such police centres in 53 foreign countries, including several in Italy.
The stations were said to have monitored, harassed, and in some cases, repatriated Chinese citizens living in exile, claims which Beijing denied, saying the stations were used to provide services such as driving licence renewal.
With such questions hanging over such operations, especially in Europe, it is unnecessary, even controversial, for Thailand to have them.
It is understandable that the kingdom wants to - according to Srettha - cooperate with Chinese police on information exchange about criminal networks that may be active in Thailand.
Then these should be carried out during normal police operations and collaboration, and be distinct from ensuring the well-being of Chinese tourists.
Attracting Chinese tourists to the Land of Smiles does not require extreme measures. The five-month temporary visa‑waiver programme from September to February for Chinese tourists has already generated almost full flights and is expected to bring in 2.88 million visitors, according to government estimates. The figures speak to the tourists' lack of worry about safety concerns. Why sour ties between them and the Thais?
Maria Siow is a senior correspondent at the Post's Asia desk.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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