PATTAYA – A bold kidnapping of a 52-year-old Chinese tourist in Pattaya has shaken both travellers and Thailand’s tourism sector. He was grabbed outside a noodle shop on North Pattaya Road. CCTV footage showed four men in black hoodies forcing Lin into a white SUV.
The attackers falsely claimed to be police, accusing him of links to call centre scams. They tied Lin’s hands, took more than 230,000 baht in cash and two iPhones, then demanded he transfer another 150,000 baht through a Chinese banking app. After the ordeal, Lin was left at a shooting range nine kilometres away.
Lin, who has lived in Thailand for a year, reported what happened to Pattaya police. Officers are now reviewing security footage to find those responsible. Bystanders did not step in, thinking it was a real police operation after hearing shouts of “I am police, you are call centre!” This attack is not the only one of its kind. A series of scams and kidnappings against Chinese nationals has unsettled what is usually seen as a safe country for tourists.
Chinese Tourists Grow More Nervous
Lin Yifan’s kidnapping follows several high-profile incidents that have unsettled Chinese travellers, who make up the largest group of visitors to Thailand. In January 2025, Chinese actor Wang Xing was tricked into coming to Thailand for an audition and then trafficked to a scam centre in Myawaddy, Myanmar.
He was rescued after four days, but news of his abduction caused panic online. Posts about safety in Thailand flooded Weibo and Xiaohongshu, drawing millions of views. This wave of fear had fast results.
In the week after Wang’s kidnapping, nearly half a million Xiaohongshu posts asked how to cancel trips to Thailand. Flight cancellations from China spiked by 155% over the weekend of 11 January, and Hong Kong singer Eason Chan called off his Thailand concerts for February, citing safety worries.
Even before these events, the 2023 Chinese film No More Bets, which showed tourists being trafficked to scam operations, had already raised anxiety. Visitor numbers from China fell to 3.5 million that year.
These events have damaged Thailand’s image as a safe place, fuelling the idea that the country has become a hotspot for scams, many run by Chinese criminal groups. In August 2024, an armed Chinese gang in Bangkok forced a wealthy businessman to transfer $2 million in cryptocurrency.
Another pair stole a $28,000 diamond bracelet from a shop in the capital and left the country the same day. Just a month earlier, Lu Xinlei, a Chinese woman, lost $146,000 in a cyber-kidnapping, after scammers pretending to be Japanese officials convinced her to keep moving hotels and send them money.
Targeted by Their Own
A troubling pattern has emerged with Chinese nationals both behind and targeted by these crimes. Thai and Chinese police report that gangs, often based in lawless border areas such as Myawaddy, approach victims through WeChat, offering high-paying jobs with free travel and housing. On arrival in Bangkok, many are taken to the border and smuggled into Myanmar, where they are forced into large-scale online fraud schemes.
Jason Tower from the United States Institute of Peace told VOA that these criminal networks are getting smarter, now using tailored offers such as fake entertainment or construction jobs. He described it as “a very deliberate form of kidnapping” and said victims are often pressured to lure others, including friends and family, to win their freedom.
These cases complicate how people see the problem. On X, some users say Chinese gangs use Thailand’s open borders and loose enforcement to their advantage. One post blamed Chinese crime groups for making Thailand unsafe, while others wondered if quick breakthroughs in some cases suggested official involvement. Whether true or not, these comments reflect growing mistrust among Chinese travellers.
Tourism Industry Faces a Hard Hit
Tourism earns Thailand about $52.2 billion a year and makes up 10% of its GDP. Chinese visitors, who reached 6.73 million in 2024, play a huge role, though this is still below the 11 million seen before the pandemic.
The recent spike in crime, right before Lunar New Year, is a heavy blow. Kasikorn Bank predicts that Chinese arrivals for the 2025 holiday season could fall by 17.5% compared to last year, with Airports of Thailand reporting about 10,000 flight cancellations.
In Pattaya, the slowdown is clear. Bancha Kullavanit, boss at Ocean Sky Boat Tours, said the number of Chinese tourists dropped by 30% for the 2025 Lunar New Year, usually their busiest time. He explained that worries about crime have shattered trust.
At Bangkok’s Grand Palace, Mandarin-speaking tour guide Buri Chin described visitors as on edge, saying many now avoid strangers.
Thailand’s government has tried to limit the damage. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra released a video in Chinese, made with AI, to reassure tourists. The Tourism Authority of Thailand also sent out a Mandarin press release highlighting tough security.
A Tourist Police App launched in December 2024 now links visitors to an emergency hotline. Despite all this, cancellations continue, especially at high-end hotels in Pattaya, according to Morrakot Kuldilok from the Thai Hotels Association.
Urgent Calls for Improved Security
There is growing pressure for action. Industry leaders warn that if tourism collapses, the economy will suffer. Pattaraanong Na Chiangmai of the Tourism Authority of Thailand stressed the stakes: “Thailand has to wake up and do something. Without tourism,
Thailand will have a severe economic crisis.” Chinese embassies in Thailand and Myanmar have also advised citizens to avoid suspicious job offers. On 12 January 2025, police from both countries arrested 12 people linked to Wang Xing’s case, showing closer cooperation on cross-border crimes.
Chinese visitors such as Jia Xueqiong are now more careful, often travelling in groups and steering clear of border areas. Others, like 65-year-old Shanghai resident Li, feel confident that Thailand’s need for tourists keeps things safe. But with social media stoking panic and more cancellations, Thailand faces a tough road in restoring its reputation.
As Lin Yifan recovers, his experience highlights the dangers tourists can face and the urgent need for real change. Unless Thailand acts swiftly, it risks losing the trust of Chinese visitors, which could put its tourism-dependent economy in even greater trouble.
