Collector’s itemPorsche automobiles being displayed at the Gold Coast Motor Festival in Hong Kong. The motor festival is returning to the Chinese territory for the first time since 2017, with around two dozen of the world’s rarest classics, demonstrating the city’s most exclusive collectors’ taste for vintage and fast cars. — Bloomberg
THE kingdom is considering a plan to station Chinese police personnel at some of its popular tourist destinations to lift the confidence of travellers from the Asian neighbour, but the move has sparked a controversy with some critics raising concerns over sovereignty.
The cooperation with Chinese police was discussed by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, senior police and tourism officials on Sunday as a way to draw more Chinese visitors, who used to make up the largest number of foreign arrivals before the pandemic.
“We’re in talks with the Chinese embassy about a patrol programme to bring Chinese police to Thailand,” Thapanee Kiatphaibool, governor of Tourism Authority of Thailand told reporters.
“This will show how Thailand has ramped up safety measures, which will be a great boost to Chinese tourists’ confidence.”
Thapanee said a similar programme was “successfully” implemented in Italy in the past.
The European country is home to the largest number of so-called secret Chinese police stations, according to reports by Safeguard Defenders, a Spain-based human rights group, which has found at least 102 such police centres in 53 foreign countries.
Thai Internet users slammed the move, with most saying they are worried that Thailand would become another location for covert operations targeting Chinese dissidents overseas.
Addressing the controversy, Thai government spokesman Chai Wacharonke said the plan was aimed at busting Chinese mafia groups operating in Thailand and had nothing to do with Thailand’s independence or sovereignty.
“The Chinese mafia groups are afraid of their own police, and Chinese tourists will feel especially safe with Chinese police there to take care of them,” Chai said.
The plan for police deployment is the latest attempt by Thailand to lure visitors as concerns over tourist safety deter some Chinese travellers, considered crucial for the recovery of the local tourism industry.
In September, Srettha’s administration waived visa requirements for Chinese travellers for a five-month period, an exemption that was extended to Indians and Taiwanese travellers this month through May next year.
Chinese arrivals have totalled 2.8 million so far this year, trailing the government’s full-year target of four million to 4.4 million, official data show.
Meanwhile, Srettha has defended a controversial plan to borrow billions of dollars to fund a cash handout programme, saying the economy is in a crisis and needed a stimulus to end a cycle of low single-digit growth.
Srettha’s administration last week unveiled plans to distribute a one-off 10,000 baht (RM1,330) each to about 50 million Thais to stimulate consumption and spur business activities.
The so-called digital wallet programme that will cost 500 billion baht (RM66.5bil) will be funded through state borrowing and a special Bill will be passed by parliament early next year to facilitate the fund-raising, according to Srettha.
The move to resort to borrowing as opposed to carving out the fund from state budget as was previously indicated by Srettha, drew criticism from opposition parties and economists on concern it will saddle the nation with public debt and stoke inflation.
Bank of Thailand Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput, who had disapproved the handout plan from the outset, voiced his dissent again at a meeting with Srettha on Friday before it was unveiled, The Nation reported.
Yesterday, Srettha said the additional borrowing is estimated to increase the government’s public debt to just 64% of gross domestic product from 61% now, which will still be below the legal ceiling of 70%.
The level of public debt will not swell much if the handout helps expand economic growth, he said in a statement.
Srettha, a former property tycoon-turned-premier, has said the cash handout “will act as a trigger to revitalise the economy”, that has expanded at less than 2% average in the past decade, well below its neighbours such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.The payment was also the flagship pre-election promise of Pheu Thai Party that leads the current coalition government.
“The government believes we are in a crisis and the economy needs stimulus,” Srettha said. “If there’s no economic growth, one day no one may want to invest in Thailand.”
Srettha also downplayed differences with the central bank governor, saying Sethaput had himself suggested that borrowing was better to finance the plan given the headroom in debt ceiling.
The main opposition Move Forward Party had the slammed borrowing plan for the handout, saying it will violate several existing laws and imperil the nation’s fiscal discipline and saddle it with interest and debt burden for years to come. — Bloomberg
