The suggestion of premier Srettha Thavisin that there could be joint patrols of Thai and Chinese police officers in Thai resort areas such as Pattaya has been given a huge thumbs-down on social media. Thailand’s potential lack of independence and erosion of sovereignty have been highlighted, whilst some netizens have categorized the idea as crazy or counter-productive. The concept is not actually new and was piloted in Italy and Croatia as a way of offering added protection to Chinese tourists before being suddenly withdrawn by Italian authorities last year. The fear was that the cooperation was a cover for secret Chinese police stations which apparently operate in 54 countries to keep watch on Chinese mafias but also, more controversially, to monitor regime dissidents.
Tourist Authority of Thailand…
