Suvarnabhumi Airport apologized for discriminatory gesture to 22 Chinese passengers on Thai Airways flight TG674 (July 29). Airline silent on compensation.
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More than 20 Chinese passengers were allegedly ordered off the boarding bridge without explanation, had their checked baggage removed from the aircraft, and were denied boarding on Thai Airways flight TG674 at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport - while the flight departed as scheduled, according to media reports.
The incident was further fueled by controversy over a security officer who was filmed making an alleged discriminatory "slant-eye" gesture toward the passengers.
In a statement issued on late Tuesday night, the Thai airport said at around 11 pm on July 29, a group of Chinese fans traveling on Thai Airways flight TG674 followed a Chinese celebrity on the same flight into the airport lounge without authorization and were asked to leave by staff. The group continued to follow the celebrity into the boarding area and refused to cooperate with ticket and document checks, attempting to board the aircraft together with the celebrity.
To prevent unauthorized individuals from entering the cabin, the airline temporarily closed the aircraft door, while security personnel escorted the group back to the departure lounge, said the statement.
Citing the group's failure to comply with security regulations and concerns that they might continue causing disruptions after boarding, making the situation difficult to control once the flight had departed, the airline decided to deny boarding to 22 passengers, resulting in a delay to the flight, it said.
According to Suvarnabhumi Airport, 12 of the passengers agreed to have their checked baggage offloaded, while the remaining 10 refused to cooperate and expressed dissatisfaction over the boarding denial. The airport said that the group also provoked staff during the process, leading to a confrontation between the two sides.
Some videos circulating on social media showed that during the confrontation, an airport security officer making an alleged discriminatory "slant-eye" gesture toward Chinese passengers.
The airport said the security staff had been handling a situation involving passengers who were causing disturbances and violating security regulations. The airport acknowledged that although the intervention was intended to ensure passenger safety and maintain flight operations, some security personnel displayed inappropriate behavior and expressions during their duties, which did not meet the airport's service standards and regulations.
The airport said it had ordered disciplinary action against the relevant security personnel and instructed all staff to follow operational standards, control their emotions and treat passengers appropriately in all situations.
This topic has been trending on Chinese X-like platform Weibo from Tuesday to Wednesday. "Security officer at Thai airport disciplined over alleged discriminatory gesture toward Chinese passengers" has gained more than 2.9 million of reads on Weibo.
Some netizens commented that this discriminatory gesture is aimed at Asian people, "Isn't making that gesture just making fun of themselves?"
Some netizens argued that although the Thai airport expressed regret over the inappropriate gesture, it has avoided core issues such as the legitimacy of the boarding denial and compensation for passengers' rights and interests.
The key questions surrounding the incident remain unresolved. As the party responsible for carrying the passengers and the decision-maker behind the refusal to board, Thai Airways has remained silent, failing to disclose the legal basis for the denied boarding decision, issue any compensation plan for passengers, or release an official investigation report, a commentator in financial sector Yangfan Ruiping who has over 410,000 followers said in a post on Tuesday.
In a statement sent to the Global Times on Wednesday, the Thai airport said that the issue regarding the denied boarding of the fan club group falls under the airline's authority. The airline decided to deny boarding to the passengers concerned due to non-compliance with the its security measures and regulations, it said.
However, some Chinese netizens also argued that following celebrities should not come at the expense of disrupting public order.
This incident followed a recent violent treatment by an employee of Thai entertainment company GMMTV toward a Chinese female during a book fair event in Bangkok, Thailand on July 25.
Video clips online show that several GMMTV staff members forcibly drove the woman from the fan-meeting event of two Thai entertainers. While the Chinese fan holding her phone to record, a female staff member in black grabbed the Chinese woman by the shoulder and neck while attempting to snatch her cellphone. When the Chinese fights back, the same staff member grabbed her by the neck and threw her to the ground with multiple staff surrounding them.
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