Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chano-o-cha has spoken out against police officers who provide fast-tracked immigration and escort services to Chinese tourists.
Speaking on Wednesday at the country’s first Police Commission meeting of the year, the PM said that any police officer hired to offer illegal VIP services to tourists will be punished according to the law.
Bangkok Post reports that PM Prayut made the comments after a social media post exposed Thai police providing the service to a Chinese tourist. Immigration officers fast-tracked the woman’s entry into the country, while police provided a motorcade escort from the airport to her hotel.
The service, found to be for sale on a Chinese e-commerce platform, is said to have been available to visitors in the know for at least ten years.
But according to a 2001 Thai cabinet directive, police escort services are only available to groups and require traffic police commander approval.
Thaiand’s chief of police, Police General Damrongsak Kittiprapas, said he has ordered an investigation into the illegal VIP escort and immigration service sold online, promising disciplinary action against any officers responsible.
“I have ordered an accelerated investigation into this alleged sideline business run by police officers,” Pol Gen Damrongsak said.
According to a video posted online by a woman who used the service, she paid THB 7,000 for the illegal VIP service.
This latest investigation comes as the Royal Thai Police and related government agencies have been caught up in an ongoing corruption scandal involving the Chinese Mafia and “grey capital,” which involves thousands of Chinese nationals who have entered Thailand illegally.
