October 20, 2023
BANGKOK – Pol General Torsak Sukvimol, the Royal Thai Police’s new commissioner-general who took office on October 1, welcomed Pol Maj-General Wen Yongkang, the counsellor and police attache from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Thailand, at the Royal Thai Police headquarters, police spokesman Pol Lt-General Achayon Kraithong said.
Wen congratulated Torsak on his recent appointment as Thailand’s new police chief and they discussed measures to deal with transnational crimes and provide safety to Chinese visitors, the spokesman said.
More than 2.2 million Chinese tourists have visited Thailand this year. The Thai government recently decided to offer visa-free entry to visitors from China, in an attempt to boost the number of arrivals to 5 million by the year-end.
However, many prospective Chinese tourists have reportedly been discouraged by a recent shooting spree at a luxury Bangkok mall. A Chinese tourist was killed and another one was injured when a 14-year-old boy opened fire at the Siam Paragon mall on October 3. The shooting spree left three people dead and four others injured.
Among the issues discussed by Torsak and the Chinese police attache were online and phone scams, narcotics, and other transnational crimes, the Thai police spokesman said.
Both sides also discussed how to improve safety measures for Chinese tourists here in order to restore confidence among travellers from China, according to the spokesman.
Also taking part in the discussions were assistant police chief Pol Lt-General Samran Nuanma, Special Branch commander Pol Lt-General Apichart Petprasit, and the Royal Thai Police spokesman.
The discussion on closer cooperation between the two countries was in line with Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s policy of suppressing transnational crimes and boosting safety for Chinese tourists, the spokesman said.