Thai Immigration defends screening after Chinese complaints

Spokesman clarifies purpose of Suvarnabhumi waiting area, demands evidence about ‘brokers’

The Thai Immigration Bureau has defended its screening procedures after Chinese travellers denied entry reportedly complained of poor treatment at Suvarnabhumi airport, while alleging that a broker had demanded about 90,000 baht to help them enter Thailand.

Pol Maj Gen Choengron Rimphadee, deputy commissioner and spokesman for the Bureau, was responding on Saturday to complaints from Chinese passengers circulated on social media.

The Chinese travellers reportedly claimed that a broker had offered to rearrange their entry into the country in exchange for 18,000 yuan, or about 90,000 baht.

They also alleged that the waiting area, referred to in the complaint as the “detention area”, was overcrowded and smelled unpleasant.

The incident in question occurred on Thursday, when a total of 92 passengers of various nationalities were denied entry at the country’s main airport. Of these, 45 were Chinese nationals, Pol Maj Gen Choengron said.

He said the Chinese passengers faced refusals because they were considered high-risk travellers who had claimed to be visiting as tourists but were unable to provide verifiable travel plans.

Regarding complaints about overcrowding and unpleasant smells, Pol Maj Gen Choengron said the facility was a temporary waiting area for foreigners denied entry while awaiting return flights.

It was managed by airline groups and was not a detention cell for criminal suspects, he said. He pointed out that foreign passengers were allowed to use their phones, enabling them to record and share videos.

The number of passengers in the facility fluctuated depending on flight schedules and daily circumstances, with people moving in and out as airlines arranged their return journeys.

Foreign passengers with immediate return flights who did not need to stay overnight were provided with a separate waiting area with better facilities managed by Airports of Thailand (AoT), Pol Maj Gen Choengron said.

Pol Maj Gen Choengron Rimphadee, deputy commissioner and spokesman for the Immigration Bureau, discusses screening procedures at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Responding to allegations about “brokers”, he said authorities had observed that since Thailand tightened screening measures, pages were appearing on Chinese social media platforms advertising easy entry through contacts within Thai immigration authorities — in exchange for payments in advance.

The Immigration Bureau had previously warned people through social media not to fall victim to scams operated by their fellow nationals, he said.

Pol Maj Gen Choengron described the latest allegation as unsubstantiated and invited anyone with concrete evidence to provide information so authorities could take legal action against those involved.

He also denied allegations of discrimination against Chinese nationals, saying passengers of other nationalities were subject to the same screening criteria.

Since the beginning of 2026, he said, a total of 4,879,002 Chinese passengers had entered Thailand, with 12,880 denied entry, representing 0.26% of arrivals.

The spokesman reiterated a principle previously announced by the Bureau commissioner, Pol Lt Gen Nopasilp Poolsawat: “Good people can pass, but criminals will be arrested.”