Entering ChinaPrime Minister Petronian explicitly stated that the visa-free policy for Chinese tourists will not be cancelled.
Although the Tourism Association of Thailand had previously suggested shortening or cancelling the visa-free period for Chinese tourists, Prime Minister Petchaton today publicly responded, confirming that the “two-way permanent visa-free policy between China and Thailand” would continue to be maintained and that the cooperation in tourism between the two countries would be further strengthened.
Furthermore, the Thai government has also announced that it will further enhance tourism security. Military and police forces will launch concentrated crackdowns on illegal groups along the Thai-Myanmar and Thai- Cambodia borders, thoroughly rectify potential risks and ensure the safety and reliability of the tourism environment, making the prevention and control system rigorous and flawless.
At this point, the brand-new Taoyuan Travel Industry is about to come into being.
Prime Minister: We will cooperate with China to assist victims of telecom fraud!
At 11:55 a.m. on February 11th, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha gave an interview after presiding over the cabinet meeting. During the interview, he talked about the progress of cracking down on the telecommunications fraud gangs after taking measures such as power cut, oil cut and internet cut. It was pointed out that the obvious change was that the electricity consumption had decreased by 40-50%. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Economy and Society said that the data would stabilize within two weeks. However, due to the impact of power cut on the Myanmar side, there might be some difficulties in data collection. The Thai side needs to observe whether the number of fraud calls has decreased.
Meanwhile, when asked about how to deal with government officials and other personnel involved in the fraud gangs, Petthamphan said that those who made mistakes must be severely punished; when asked about the view that the visa-free policy provided convenience for the grey industries in China to enter Thailand, Petthamphan said that the matter cannot be generalized. The visa-free policy cannot impose restrictions on the entry of people, but it has a positive impact on tourism and stimulated the national economy.
Petthonan said that it is not appropriate to simply assume that once Chinese gray market goods enter Thailand, visa-free policies should no longer be implemented. Data shows that in 2024, Thailand received over 35 million foreign tourists cumulatively. It is necessary to recognize the changes in the country and its economy (GDP) brought about by tourists’ entry, as well as the benefits it brings to hotels and small and medium-sized enterprises.
Therefore, she believes that the issue of combating telecom fraud and visa-free travel cannot be conflated. Otherwise, it will inevitably lead to losses for the tourism industry, because currently, the tourism industry is gradually improving with the assistance of the visa-free policy.
Furthermore, when asked about the progress of international cooperation to assist victims in the regions of Myanmar and Cambodia, Petthatnan said that the Cabinet meeting discussed the cooperation issue between the Chinese and Thai working groups. The Chinese side showed great friendliness towards Thailand and suggested that this matter should be treated seriously and teamwork should be carried out to speed up the work.
However, those who have been defrauded have difficulty in distinguishing their nationalities. Therefore, they hope to carry out international cooperation through the working group. This matter will be handled by the Foreign Minister for communication.
The Vice Premier confirmed that no network signals were transmitted to neighboring countries! A thorough search will be conducted on a weekly basis!
On the morning of February 11th, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Economy and Society of Thailand, Bassar, disclosed that the telecommunications fraud incident was located in a certain area and the network signal there was cut off. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, the National Radio, Television and Communications Management Commission, the police department, various mobile phone networks and relevant departments held a meeting to promote the relevant matters.
He stated that the work is mainly divided into three parts, which are as follows:
Regarding wireless signals, the height of the signal towers has been lowered. The signals will only be transmitted within the country and will not be sent to neighboring regions;
The signal cables leading to neighboring countries will be cut off;
Once signal cables leading to suspicious buildings are detected, they will be cut immediately.
Meanwhile, it can be confirmed that currently, no Thai Internet signals are being transmitted to the areas that previously experienced power outages. All major network operators have cooperated well and all the network cables whose ownership is unclear have been cut off.
Last week, the National Radio, Television and Communications Administration Committee, along with network operators and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, conducted on-site investigations and completed the disconnection work at multiple locations. Such search operations will be carried out continuously every week for the next three months.
As for whether there are still cases of using network signals, geostationary satellites or Starlink at present, Bath said that illegal transactions still exist at present. This is an illegal act in Thailand. They will consider seeking cooperation with ASEAN countries in the future.
Furthermore, Bathier also disclosed the details of his visit to China, stating that during this visit, he has the opportunity to meet and communicate with several Chinese leaders. The Chinese side has praised Thailand’s contributions in preventing and combating telecom fraud, as this issue is a regional one and requires cooperative solutions.
