ASEAN Watch｜Can Thailand win back Chinese tourists after striking hard against telecom fraud?

On February 8, China and Thailand issued a joint statement, in which both sides emphasized the need to adopt a zero-tolerance and resolute attitude to strengthen the crackdown on cross-border crimes such as human trafficking, telecommunications and internet fraud, drug smuggling, illegal online gambling, and money laundering under bilateral and subregional cooperation mechanisms, including the Lancang-Mekong cooperation.

The statement also highlighted the importance of conducting joint patrol and law enforcement operations on the Mekong River. The joint statement noted that both sides would further discuss the early establishment of appropriate coordination and cooperation mechanisms to effectively combat online gambling and telecom fraud.

Telecom fraud has long plagued Southeast Asia, with Thailand facing mounting scrutiny due to the high-profile cases of Chinese nationals being trafficked to scam compounds in Myanmar. The sheer scale of this issue has caused significant concern, causing Thailand to lose its top destination in Spring Festival for Chinese outbound tourists.

On the first working day after the 8-day Chinese New Year holiday, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra visited China and pledged to crackdown on telecom fraud and restore tourism confidence in a pivotal meeting between the Chinese and Thai leaders.

Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of China-Thailand diplomatic relations, Paetongtarn said Thailand was willing to strengthen law enforcement cooperation with China and other neighboring countries, and took resolute and effective measures to combat cross-border crimes such as online gambling and telecom fraud.

On February 5, the Thai government officially announced the cutoff of power, internet, and fuel supplies to Myanmar's areas along the Thai-Myanmar border, including the infamous Myawaddy. China is actively engaging in bilateral and multilateral cooperation with neighboring countries such as Thailand and Myanmar, implementing comprehensive measures to address both the symptoms and root causes of the problem. They will jointly eliminate the scourge of online gambling and telecom fraud, safeguarding the safety of people's lives and property as well as the order of exchanges and cooperation among regional countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Friday. 

Tourism is a key pillar of Thailand's economy, yet it has suffered severely from telecom fraud. This year is the first Spring Festival after the extension of the visa-free policy between China and Thailand, but the Thai side did not see the expected surge in Chinese tourists.

Thailand has adopted various marketing strategies to attract tourists. Thai PM Paetongtarn recorded a Chinese-language video using AI to invite Chinese tourists while assuring them that their safety is given top priority. Chinese lion dance performances are also arranged to attract Chinese tourists through Chinese culture.

Reporter: Sharon Hu
Editor: Li Yanxia Stephanie Li
Video Editor: Xiao Hang