Chinese man in Thai police uniform sparks drama about VIP service

A video of a Chinese man wearing a Thai police uniform sparked debate about VIP service on social media. The police officer in the video insisted that no special service was provided, adding that he is just a service-minded person.

The Facebook page Lui Jeen (ลุยจีน) shared the video from Weibo along with its translation yesterday, December 5. The footage featured a Chinese man wearing a Thai police shirt with a Thai officer standing behind him. Additionally, the Chinese man recorded a video inside the car with the Thai officer. Watch the video here.

From the translation of the video provided by the page, the Chinese man said…

“Hey everyone! Who came to Thailand and has the chance to wear a police shirt like me? I should do some business in Bangkok. Do Thai police wear a Richard Mille watch like this? We are on a mission today.” The Chinese man then shows a cap with the Royal Thai Police (RTP) logo.

The Lui Jeen Facebook page questioned why Thai police allowed this Chinese man to wear and play with their uniform, and how much the foreigner paid for the police’s VIP car service. The page also pointed out that the Chinese man’s messages and tone of voice showed that he looked down on Thai police and was proud of the power of his money.

Some netizens added that Thai citizens would be charged and fined for wearing police uniforms for fun, but this would never happen to rich Chinese tourists. Others joked that the VIP service provided by Thai police was the real soft power of Thailand in the eyes of Chinese tourists.

No VIP treatment

The name tag on his uniform identifies the Thai police officer in the video as Police Captain Jamroon Chaisi. Jamroon is the deputy inspector of the Training Control Department of the Central Police Tactical Training Centre.

In an interview with Channel 3, Jamroon admitted that the police officer in the video was himself but that it was a misunderstanding. He was not offering any special service or privilege to the Chinese tourists. He said he was offering help and assistance as a service-minded authority.

Jamroon explained that the video was recorded at the Narcotics Suppression Bureau in Bangkok’s Lak Si district at around 5pm on December 3. Two Chinese men visited the bureau’s shooting range and stayed there until it closed.

The two were unable to find transport out of the range and would have to walk more than a kilometre to the front of the bureau office to get a taxi, so Jamroon volunteered to drive them to the front. The car in the video was also his car, not an RTP vehicle.

Jamroon said the two Chinese asked to wear his uniform and took a video to take home and a reminder of their special trip to Bangkok. He did not know what the Chinese said in the video and did not know how the drama started. He insisted that he had not taken any money from the foreigners.

RTP spokesman Archayon Kraithong said no punishment had yet been meted out to Jamroon. Further investigations would be conducted to confirm whether or not the action violated any laws.