Thai PM denies Chinese police patrol plan after public outcry

Srettha’s comment came after the governor of Tourism Authority of Thailand told reporters on Sunday that Thailand was in talks with China about a joint patrol programme, which sparked an outcry among Thais who expressed concern about sovereignty. - AFP

BANGKOK (Bloomberg): Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said there was no plan to invite Chinese police officers to patrol local tourist destinations, seeking to clear the air after comments by the country’s tourism authority about such a programme created a furor.

The South-East Asian country only wants to co-operate with Chinese police on information exchange about criminal networks that may be active in Thailand, which would boost the confidence of Chinese tourists, Srettha told reporters during a trip to San Francisco on Monday. The co-operation would not involve stationing Chinese police personnel in Thailand, he said.