Three Reasons Why the Chinese Embassy Is Facing Backlash Over the Case of the Chinese Woman in the Orange Shirt
1. The Chinese Embassy's statement late yesterday never acknowledge that the Chinese woman in the orange shirt jumped the queue and kicked a Thai female security guard first. Nor did it include any apology or expression of regret over the woman's behaviour.
2. The embassy reached a swift conclusion on this case, in stark contrast to its stalling over issues such as the toxic pollution in the Kok River, the "fake Thai children" controversy, and the many "grey Chinese" cases that have become almost daily news. Instead, the Chinese ambassador previously urged Thais to stop using the term "grey Chinese.”
3. Many Thais are already concerned that China is attempting to turn Thailand into a de facto tributary state, where Beijing can directly interfere in matters it cares about. Recent examples include alleged attempts to pressure Thai media into censoring masks depicting President Xi Jinping worn by Thai protesters over the Kok River contamination, and efforts to pressure Thai organisers of a Taiwan film festival to remove the name of Taiwan's Ministry of Culture from promotional materials without going through Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
These concerns have been reinforced by what many perceive as the Thai government's unusually deferential approach to China. The Thai prime minister once even volunteered to drive China's foreign minister to dinner, despite diplomatic protocol suggesting that such a role should normally be performed by Thailand's own foreign minister, as an official of equivalent rank. Also, no similar gesture has been made for the foreign ministers of other countries.
Most recently, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow promptly ordered an investigation into the orange-shirt Chinese woman incident following the Chinese Embassy's request. Yet when it came to the far more serious issue of toxic pollution in the Kok River, affecting hundreds of thousands of people in Thailand, Prime Minister Anutin did not even raise the matter with President Xi Jinping during his official visit to China earlier this month.
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