BANGKOK – Thailand is mulling over a plan to station Chinese police personnel at some of its popular tourist destinations to lift the confidence of travellers from the Asian neighbour, but the move has sparked a controversy, with some critics raising concerns over sovereignty.
The cooperation with Chinese police was discussed by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, senior police and tourism officials on Sunday as a way to draw more Chinese visitors, who used to make up the largest number of foreign arrivals to Thailand before the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We’re in talks with the Chinese embassy about a patrol programme to bring Chinese police to Thailand,” Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool told reporters on Sunday. “This will show how Thailand has ramped up safety measures, which will be a great boost to Chinese tourists’ confidence.”
Ms Thapanee said that a similar programme was “successfully” implemented in Italy in the past.
The European country is home to the largest number of so-called secret Chinese police stations, according to reports by Safeguard Defenders, a Spain-based human rights group, which has found at least 102 such police centres in 53 foreign countries.
American Buddhist Net 