8-12-2023 (BANGKOK) Thai police have warned of potential legal action against a Chinese social media influencer who claimed that a famous nightlife district in Bangkok is unsafe. While the police have located the woman, they have not yet determined how they will proceed with the case.
Deputy Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, Pol Maj-General Phanthana Nutchanart, confirmed that they have identified the Chinese tourist who posted a negative video about Soi Nana on Sukhumvit Road. However, he acknowledged her right to express criticism of Thailand and stated that the legal aspects of taking action against her are yet to be considered.
Phanthana mentioned that the police plan to summon the tourist for interrogation to understand her motives behind the video.
The controversy began when the Facebook page “Lui Chin (Fighting Chinese)” shared a post alleging that a popular Chinese TikTok user, who is also a star on the Chinese social network Douyin, discredited Thailand by claiming it was unsafe for women to travel alone on Soi Nana. The post further mentioned that the Chinese tourist referred to 99% of the people on Soi Nana as “not good.”
Following the incident, the Lumpini Police Station filed a report with the Metropolitan Police Bureau. The report identified the Chinese woman as Ziyu Wang, 28, who entered Thailand through the Suvarnabhumi checkpoint on November 2. Her visa is valid until October of next year.
According to the police report, in the video clip, the tourist visited Soi Nana at 11:30 PM and waited for strangers to approach her. After a foreign tourist greeted her, she walked away and expressed concern that she could have been forcefully taken away by the individual. She warned women that if approached in a similar manner, they would not be able to escape. The video concluded with her stating that 99% of the people on the street were “definitely not good.”
Tourism operators in Thailand view this incident as another instance of negative publicity that undermines the country’s soft power. They have criticized the flood of false news and negative information about Thailand on Chinese social networks, claiming that it has affected the government’s efforts to attract Chinese tourists, despite the introduction of free visas.
