Bangkok –
A Chinese woman faces legal action after the Royal Thai Immigration found that she was selling online products without a work permit following a Livestream that outraged netizens in Soi Nana in Bangkok.
The Royal Thai Immigration revealed to a press conference on Friday (December 8th) that they had fully questioned a woman they identified only as Ms. Wang, a Chinese national. She had entered Thailand via a Thai Privilege Card and stayed at a luxury residence. She admitted to Immigration that she had live streamed a controversial clip at Soi Nana in Bangkok. However, she claimed she did not mean to damage Thailand. She just wanted to warn women where they should be aware of when travelling alone, according to her.
The controversial clip showed the Chinese woman standing in what some netizens said was a provocative outfit in the middle of Soi Nana, a popular adult nightlife entertainment district in Bangkok, and claiming that 99 percent of people visiting the area were bad people and lambasting and insulting foreign men who approached her or were seen on camera in the area, said Thai Immigration. She also claimed in the clip, without proof, that Soi Nana was dangerous for women. The clip went viral, angering many Thais, and leading to her being interviewed and detained, which is when police found she was also selling products through livestreaming.
Officers found that Ms. Wang was allegedly also doing live streaming in which she was selling products online and monetizing her content, which is actually illegal in Thailand without a proper work permit. As a result, she is facing charges of working without permission and faces blacklisting and deportation.
The Royal Thailand Immigration has warned foreigners who are doing online content in Thailand that they might face legal action if they do content that is not real and could hurt the positive Thailand tourism image. They also reminded foreign nationals that although producing content or filming Livestreams, etc., Was not illegal in public places by itself, monetizing the product or selling things online without a work permit was illegal for a foreign national.