The tourism industry has been directly impacted by the large number of foreigners exploiting student visas to work illegally in Thailand, mostly targeting universities in second-tier provinces.
The issue was exposed recently by CSI LA, the Thai investigative news Facebook page, which has 1.3 million followers. It described how foreigners who applied for short courses at universities, but were absent from classes.
The report was heavily discussed on social media until one university decided to investigate and expel some foreign students, including those from China, Myanmar, India and Malaysia.
The People’s Party has also raised the issue and asked the higher educatiion ministry to investigate.
Paisarn Suethanuwong, a committee member of the Professional Tourist Guides Association of Thailand, said many foreigners exploit student visas to work here, including as tour guides and business owners.
He said they are not afraid of the laws in Thailand because they perceive law enforcement as weak.
With Thailand’s declining birth rate, many universities and institutes are seeking ways to survive financially. These include trying to attract more students from abroad, including from China, which has a massive population.
Mr Paisarn said it is unusual for Chinese to want to enrol at Thai universities because China has more universities with higher global rankings.
He said many of the foreigners flouting student visa rules target universities in the provinces that have low tuition fees and may not be well-known, avoiding private universities with high tuition fees in the city.
Mr Paisarn said this persistent misconduct by foreigners highlights the ineffectiveness of the authorities, including both educational institutions and immigration officials, who are unwilling to enforce the law despite comprehensive immigration regulations.
“Thailand needs foreign tourists to lift the economy. However, it is more important to ensure they abide by the law,” he said.
Adith Chairattananon, honorary secretary-general of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, said it is a concern that Chinese misusing student visas may intensify negative perceptions towards Chinese tourists, reducing travel sentiment among Chinese tourists.
Mr Adith said the more illicit behaviour of Chinese are debated on Thai social media, the more Chinese tourists who want to visit here will be reluctant to come, worsening arrival figures.
He said the authorities should be more stringent in enforcing the law to prevent foreigners from conducting illegal activities.
Reducing the visa-free duration for Chinese tourists to only 15 days is more than enough for them to travel around Thailand, said Mr Adith.