– Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said he was aware of a Chinese embassy advisory urging Chinese visitors to take extra care over safety in Thailand.
– The advisory, issued around the 16th of October, warned of cases in which Chinese nationals went missing, were held against their will or were deceived into travelling toward the Thai-Myanmar border after accepting high-paying job, business or entertainment offers.
– Surasak said genuine tourists coming purely for holidays would not face such risks, while people lured by job offers made in their home country could be targeted. He acknowledged the advisory could affect Thailand’s tourism image.
– He said checkpoints exist on routes toward neighbouring countries and that Thailand would not allow itself to be used as a transit point for transnational crime. He plans talks with Chinese authorities on further measures.
Bangkok: Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul has responded to a Chinese embassy safety advisory for visitors to Thailand, saying ordinary tourists should not face the kidnapping or trafficking risks described while the government continues to prioritise tourist safety.
Speaking at Government House on the 20th of October before a Cabinet meeting, Surasak said he had seen the advisory and understood China’s concerns for its citizens’ safety and the risk of them being deceived by mostly fellow nationals. The Chinese Embassy in Thailand issued the notice on or around the 16th of October, citing reports of Chinese citizens who entered Thailand, went missing, were illegally detained, or were lured toward the Myanmar border.
Criminal groups were said to use offers of high-paying jobs, business trips, investment opportunities and entertainment or filming projects as lures. The embassy advised travellers to verify offers, use licensed transport, avoid free rides from strangers or sudden changes to plans, and exercise caution near border areas.
Surasak distinguished between genuine holidaymakers and those who arrive after being contacted with job promises in China. “Those genuinely coming as tourists would probably not be put in a headlock or taken to the border,” he said. He acknowledged that abduction cases had occurred but said victims had been rescued because perpetrators were stopped at checkpoints.
“Ordinary tourists in Thailand could not be forced into a vehicle, have their hands and feet tied and be taken to the border,” he insisted. He added that tourists from other countries had not faced the same pattern and that the problem involved visitors from a particular country who were contacted in their homeland.
The minister said the advisory had already affected Thailand’s tourism image and Chinese visitors’ confidence, noting that China can influence its own citizens even without a formal warning. He stressed that tourist safety is a priority under the prime minister’s policy and that Thailand would not allow itself to be used as a transit route for transnational crime. All relevant agencies, including the Royal Thai Police, tourist police, immigration and security forces, would remain strict. He said he would hold talks with Chinese authorities so further measures could be taken to address their concerns.
Similar patterns of job-related deception and detention have appeared in earlier cases in the eastern provinces. One example is the September raid on a villa near Pattaya in which three Chinese women were rescued after they said they had been lured with entertainment-work offers and then held.
Photos: Popular tourism destination Jomtien Beach.