The source is sketchy at best but if true the underlying story is about Chinese overtourism in Thailand which has been a problem for a long time.
Thailand was on its knees begging for Chinese tourists to return after Covid. They’d be wise to do something about the goddamned Russians that are ruining the place - or any of the other endless-repeating-visa-run drug and sex offender contingents - before anyone starts worrying about the Chinese.
I’m not sure about Thailand, but here in the UK if a restaurant tried to force me to pay in a foreign currency they’d be told to fuck off.
How ridiculous
- baht: official currency of Thailand
- renminbi: official currency of PRC
This is weird. And considering how the PRC exerts influence abroad, slightly suspicious. But the article is based on a TikTok video recorded after the fact. The headline also does not represent the facts exactly:
he had finished a meal and tried to pay, only to be told that the restaurant did not have Thai QR payment facilities or a Thai bank account. The shop allegedly asked whether he had another form of payment, forcing him to use renminbi.
He also claimed the bill increased by 50 baht (S$2), from 325 baht to 375 baht, after he was required to settle the payment in renminbi.
Yeah, so basically he didn’t have cash, wanted to pay by ThaiQR, and they said “sorry, we don’t take that, we do take WeChat Pay”.
Which could just as easily have happened in any 7-11.
“Wow, that’s crazy…” I say, having no idea what any of that means.
You know, in other countries, they have different kinds of money, not American dollars. Incredible, I know.
This is world news?
Is the USA the only place allowed here?
Just seems non news worthy. The restaurant only accepts Chinese currency. That’s barely local news worthy.
Who said anything about the USA?
Did you actually read the article?
All news is world news.
Just because it’s not about America, one of Americas allies, one of Americas enemies, a country that America is bombing it doesn’t mean it’s not of interest to the rest of the world.
One restaurant owner doing something shady is decidedly not newsworthy at the international level. The local police is going to go enforce legal tender laws, and that will be the end of the story. The only context in which this is news is within some kind of “China is encroaching into Thai sovereignty” narrative, but for that you’d need …more than the sketchiness of one restaurant.
Thailand is still part of the world, for now anyways.
Isn’t it possible that this is a cash-only business and would’ve accepted baht in cash? What if the owner was on wechat and that was the only other way to accept payment?
It’s not very common but I’ve been to a few businesses in Toronto where the only form of payment accepted was cash.
Doesn’t make any sense.
If a restaurant wanted to do this, they’d make you pay before you ate, obviously.
It’s a bold strategy, Cotton.
