The beginning of the Year of the Rabbit is a candle of hope for the tourist sector's revival. Thailand, however, does not appear to be off to a good start. The disgraceful saga of Thai police started at the end of last month when a Chinese tourist shared a video clip of four police officers offering her an unauthorised VVIP service on social media. She claimed to have been given the option of a speedy immigration check at the airport and a police escort to her hotel in Pattaya.
It didn't rain, but poured the same week as later Taiwanese actress Charlene An wrote on social media about her experience spending New Year in Bangkok. She claimed that when travelling with pals, the police stopped them and informed them that her visa on arrival was not acceptable and that it needed to have official stamps added to her passport. She had several lengthy discussions before opting to pay 27,000 baht for her freedom. In Taiwan and Thailand, this gained a lot of traction on social media.
