Police have arrested a group of Chinese and Thai nationals who set up a livestreaming operation in a shop at a Bangkok mall to sell unlicensed Thai products exclusively to Chinese people, generating at least 30 million baht per day.
The suspects included Chinese nationals who held tourist visas as well as Thais, according to the Immigration Bureau. Their names were not revealed.
They were detained inside a shop on the second floor of the mall on Ratchadaphisek Road.
The shop was a large transparent space, with many advertising posters for Thai products, such as herbal shampoo and soap, on the wall. There was also a sign reading “For VIP customers only. We apologise for any inconvenience.”
At the back, police found a makeshift studio that was used for livestreaming.
The arrest was prompted by complaints about a group that had been going live online, advertising and selling Thai products that were not up to standards, said Pol Lt Col Suriya Puangsombat, deputy superintendent for investigations at Immigration Bureau office 1.
The group used a Chinese IP address so that their programmes were accessible only to customers in China, Pol Lt Col Suriya said.
Chinese influencers were also hired to appear live to promote the products.
An investigation revealed that the livestreaming operation was popular in China, with daily turnover estimated at 30 million baht, police said.
Pol Lt Col Suriya said checks by the Ministry of Public Health found some of the products had no registration numbers and some had numbers that did not match official ones.
The case has been handed over to the Huai Khwang police station for further legal proceedings.