Democrat party deputy leader Chaichana Detdecho is urging the Royal Thai Police and the Land Transport Department to investigate a car rental service, allegedly operated by “grey” Chinese businessmen in Phuket.
He said today that he has received complaints from several Thai-operated car rental services in the province, claiming that Chinese businessmen have launched a similar rental service on the resort island, using fake license plates and Chinese drivers without driving licenses.
The Chinese operators are also offering heavy discounts to their customers, which could force the Thai operators out of business, he added.
Chaichana warned that, if no action is taken now by the authorities, tourism-related businesses operated by Thai nationals, such as car rentals, tour agencies and eateries, may fall into the hands of Chinese businessmen, citing Bangkok’s Huai Khwang district, where many Chinese-owned restaurants and stores are now operating.
He said that Chinese businessmen have already established a firm foothold in Huai Khwang and are now expanding into the Banthat Thong area.
At the beginning of this month, China’s major online retail platform, Temu, launched its service in Thailand, in direct competition with two existing E-commerce platforms, Shopee and Lazada.
Temu is offering “fire sale” discounts on many consumer’s goods, to attract Thai customers, taking advantage of the lax controls on E-commerce in Thailand.
