Photo via Facebook/ รู้ทันจีน

 

Three universities in northern Thailand have denied allegations of illegally issuing student visas to Chinese nationals purportedly working at construction sites across the country. The accusations, circulated via the Facebook news page รู้ทันจีน (Roo Than Jeen, or “Know China”), have stirred significant discussion and concern among Thai citizens.

 

The claims named Phayap University in Chiang Mai, North-Chiang Mai University, and Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University’s Lamphun campus as complicit in providing non-student Chinese nationals with visas, thus enabling them to reside and work illegally in Thailand. The alleged scheme supposedly required Chinese applicants to pay a fee of 10,000 baht per visa, as advertised on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohoshu.

 

These visas allowed holders to work at construction sites nationwide without attending classes, according to the allegations. The news quickly spread, sparking calls for clarity and accountability from the implicated institutions, with some critics accusing university officials of jeopardising Thailand’s integrity and undermining international trust.

 

 

 

In response, the universities robustly denied the allegations through official statements. They asserted that any international students wishing to enrol in their short-term courses undergo comprehensive background checks before visa approvals. Moreover, the universities emphasized their rigorous monitoring of class attendance, with policies to revoke the visas of students who do not comply with attendance requirements.

 

Further clarifying their positions, Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University stressed that it does not offer transportation to the Immigration Bureau nor does it impose additional fees for student visas. The university’s Vice President, Phra Thep Watcharasan Bandit, affirmed their earnest approach to such issues, noting prior actions which led to the deportation of 28 foreign students for visa misuse.

 

The arrests of Chinese nationals at Thai construction sites have been documented in the past; however, the specific types of visas held by those apprehended have not been clarified by authorities. As this issue evolves, the universities' assertions of vigilance in handling visa-related matters aim to reassure the public and maintain institutional integrity in the face of these serious allegations.

 

Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger

 

-- 2025-04-22

 

 

They don't want the visa they want to study.

 

From what I have seen Chinese students spend 80 percent of their time in the classroom or crammed into a shared dorm and the rest sightseeing around the local area.

 

Most of them want to go home. 

A Thai denying a wrong doing. Well I never....

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The claims named Phayap University in Chiang Mai, North-Chiang Mai University, and Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University’s Lamphun campus as complicit in providing non-student Chinese nationals with visas, thus enabling them to reside and work illegally in Thailand. The alleged scheme supposedly required Chinese applicants to pay a fee of 10,000 baht per visa, as advertised on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohoshu

So it's true then...

12 hours ago, Chris Daley said:

Most of them want to go home. 

 

Why don't they?

36 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

So it's true then...

 

Apparently?

Chinese have a deep hatred towards the rest of the world.  They don't want your visa.  Their parents just forced them to go to Thailand.