The government is set to launch an intensified tourism campaign alongside enhanced security measures to restore waning Chinese confidence in Thailand. This initiative follows the kidnapping of a Chinese actor lured to a lawless region of Myanmar.
Government spokesman Jirayu Huangsub said yesterday that Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra ordered the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to launch campaigns on Monday to restore tourist confidence.
She also directed the police chief to ensure that there are enough tourist police on duty to ensure the safety of tourists. Mr Jirayu stated that police must patrol high-risk areas and disrupt influential gang operations.
“The prime minister said that although the Chinese actor who went missing in Myanmar had been found, this incident affected Chinese tourists’ confidence,” according to a spokesperson.
He said the prime minister also directed the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society to combat fake news and work closely with Chinese authorities to regain the trust of Chinese tourists.
Hong Kong Sends Task Force to Thailand
Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Security Bureau has dispatched a task force to Thailand to investigate cases in which residents were lured and trapped in Southeast Asian countries to engage in illegal work.
The recent capture of mainland Chinese actor Wang Xing in Myanmar after travelling to Thailand has alarmed Hong Kong residents.
The Security Bureau said on Sunday that law enforcement had received 28 requests for assistance from Hong Kong residents in Southeast Asian countries who claimed to be trapped and unable to leave since the second quarter of 2024.
So far, sixteen people have returned to the city.
In the remaining 12 cases, people reported restrictions on their freedom of movement while remaining safe and able to communicate with their families or the task force.
According to the South China Morning Post, the task force arrived in Thailand on Sunday night.
Wang, also known as Xingxing, went missing after arriving in Thailand on January 3 and was suspected of being duped by a bogus casting agent into taking a filming job.
Thai authorities eventually rescued him from a fraudulent online scam operation in Myawaddy, a Myanmese city near Mae Sot district in Tak province. They confirmed that he was a victim of human trafficking and returned him to mainland China last Friday.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan Yik-shun subsequently cancelled his concert in Bangkok on February 22. His management cited the decision as “in light of recent safety issues concerning Chinese citizens and fans travelling to Thailand.”
