Thailand, grappling with a three-month political stalemate that has weighed on its economy, has seen its new Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, prioritize the revival of the tourism sector as a key driver of economic growth.
In an effort to attract more tourists, the Thai government relaxed visa restrictions for several countries and implemented a five-month visa exemption for Chinese tourists starting September 25. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese tourists accounted for a quarter of all tourists entering Thailand.
However, the expected large-scale return of Chinese tourists has not materialized, partly due to safety concerns. The recent shooting incident in a Bangkok shopping mall during China's National Day holiday, which resulted in the death and injury of Chinese citizens, has cast a shadow over Thailand's tourism industry.
Amid unresolved safety concerns for tourists, the recent appearance of multiple disfigured Chinese beggars on the streets of Bangkok, suspected to be linked to human trafficking organizations, has prompted an investigation by Thai police. Thai officials have emphasized that the beggar issue is unrelated to the newly introduced visa exemption policy.
Six Chinese Beggars Arrested According to the Bangkok Post, Pol Maj Gen Amnat Traipote, deputy chief of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police Bureau, announced at a press conference on November 22 that six Chinese beggars, all with varying degrees of disfigurement, were arrested in Bangkok between November 10 and 20.
Thai law prohibits begging, with penalties including up to a month in jail and fines up to 10,000 Thai baht (about 2,027 yuan). Organizers profiting from begging face up to three years in jail and fines of 30,000 baht.
The Bangkok police reported that the six arrested Chinese beggars were fined between 100 and 500 baht. One of them has been deported to China, while the remaining five are detained by the Immigration Bureau awaiting further questioning. The Immigration Bureau has blacklisted all six, banning them from entering Thailand for ten years.
The six individuals had facial scars and limb disabilities. During interrogation, they all claimed to have been injured in China and refused to disclose more information.
Last Sunday, two Chinese female beggars were found near a mall in Bangkok by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security and the police. Both women, wearing Thai school uniforms with facial burn scars and hand disabilities, were discovered. One of them had tried to evade police by hiding in a restroom.
Police found about 10,000 baht in cash and coins from begging in one woman's bag, but no passport. She claimed she entered Thailand in November to beg for money to support her children in China, unaware that begging is illegal in Thailand.
The woman said she had no fixed address in Thailand, and her facial and hand injuries were old wounds from an explosion of flammable materials in a car in China. However, police found keys and a room card in her bag, and her bank account showed monthly transactions of up to 2 million baht.
After these two women were arrested, another Chinese woman, claiming to be a translator, attempted to bribe the police at the station to "exchange money for people," but was refused. Similar situations were reported with other beggars arrested last week, most wearing Thai school uniforms and knowing the translator involved.
Two of the six arrested beggars lived in the same hotel in Bangkok's Wang Thonglang district, while the other four stayed in different hotels. One entered Thailand on a tourist visa in June and extended their stay with a student visa after it expired.
Preliminary investigations suggest that each beggar could earn up to 10,000 baht per day. Thai police suspect the involvement of international human trafficking, possibly including Thai citizens, and are investigating.
In addition to the Chinese beggars, Thai police arrested four beggars from Laos and Cambodia, including two with a child, in Bangkok on Monday. The Thai government has urged locals to report beggars to a hotline.
Data from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security shows that since 2016, 7,151 beggars have been found in Thailand, 2,473 of whom were foreigners, mostly Cambodian citizens, with 68 being Chinese.
The Chinese Embassy in Thailand noted the reports and has sent consular officials to visit the individuals involved. China consistently urges its citizens in Thailand to abide by local laws and customs and is committed to protecting their legal rights. China trusts that the Thai authorities and police will quickly ascertain the truth and handle the matter according to law.
Thailand is ranked Tier 2 in the U.S. State Department's latest Trafficking in Persons Report released in June this year, alongside countries like Greece, Italy, and Japan. The report has three tiers, with Tier 1 being the best, including countries like the U.S., Australia, and Canada, and Tier 3 the worst, including Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Syria.
Thailand has been in Tier 2 for two consecutive years and is striving to reach Tier 1. The report's recommendation for Thailand is to intensify efforts to identify and protect victims trafficked to Thailand, ensuring they are not unduly penalized for unlawful activities they were forced to engage in due to being trafficked.
Tourism Concerns in Thailand The discovery of Chinese beggars on the streets of Bangkok has led some Thai media to criticize the government's visa exemption policy for causing chaos, noting that the beggars' earnings exceed Thailand's minimum wage.
In response, Varawut Silpa-archa, Minister of Social Development and Human Security, stated that the Chinese beggars recently found in Bangkok are likely victims of human trafficking and not related to Thailand's visa exemption policy.
Varawut pointed out that most of the arrested Chinese beggars had expired passports, making it unlikely they entered Thailand due to the new visa exemption policy.
To attract more Chinese tourists, Thailand implemented a five-month visa exemption for Chinese tourists from September 25, 2023, to February 29, 2024, allowing a stay of up to 30 days.
In 2019, before the pandemic, Thailand welcomed 40 million foreign tourists, 11 million of whom were Chinese. Thailand had high hopes for the return of Chinese tourists following China's relaxation of COVID-19 measures.
However, due to a lack of flights, economic slowdown, and concerns over travel safety in Southeast Asia, Chinese tourists have not returned in the numbers Thailand had hoped for.
Thailand aims to welcome 28 million foreign tourists this year, with Chinese tourists accounting for 4.4 million. However, data from the Tourism Authority of Thailand shows that as of November 12, only 2.9 million Chinese tourists have entered Thailand, significantly below the 4.4 million target.
Following the shooting incident in Bangkok in early October, the number of Chinese tourists entering Thailand fell for four consecutive weeks, only recovering in November. To boost Chinese tourists' confidence, the Thai government planned to follow Italy's example by having Chinese police join Thai police in patrolling popular tourist areas.
However, this plan faced opposition from the Thai public, who criticized the presence of foreign police as undermining Thailand's sovereignty. Last week, the Tourism Authority of Thailand officially abandoned the joint patrol plan.
As the year draws to a close with limited return of Chinese tourists, Thailand is intensifying efforts to attract tourists from other countries.
The Thai government plans to extend the visa exemption stay for tourists from certain European and Central Asian countries to 90 days, including the UK, Germany, Nordic countries, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan.
Thailand has also launched a winter tourism festival, hosting over 3,000 cultural and entertainment events from November to next year, including the Loy Krathong Festival, Chao Phraya River light show, international art biennale, and marathons.
So far, Thailand has welcomed 23 million overseas tourists, below this year's target of 28 million and also below 2019. In 2019, Thailand's tourism revenue was 1.91 trillion baht, with the Tourism Authority of Thailand aiming for 2 trillion this year and 3.5 trillion next year.
Achieving economic growth is Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's most important task. Affected by a decline in exports, Thailand's economy grew by only 1.5% in the third quarter of this year, below the market expectation of 2.4%. Prayut expressed concern over the third-quarter figures this week, expecting at least a 2% increase.
Prayut announced that the Thai government is developing more stimulus plans, including further boosting the tourism sector. Before the pandemic, tourism accounted for 18% of Thailand's GDP.
