Chinese Fan Removed for Queue Jumping at Thai Event, Sparking China-Thailand Fan War

A clash between Chinese and Thai fans has sparked a heated online debate and even prompted a statement from the Chinese Embassy in Thailand. On July 25, during a JuniorMark fan event hosted by Thai entertainment giant GMMTV at the '2026 International Novel Festival,' a Chinese fan was reported by local attendees for allegedly violating queue rules. After nearly 30 minutes of failed communication with security personnel, the woman was forcibly removed. Footage on X shows cheers and screams from the crowd as she was escorted away. The situation escalated when the woman kicked a security officer during removal, leading to her being restrained. Videos of the incident quickly went viral, igniting a cross-border online feud. Thai netizens claimed the woman attempted to queue twice by following a friend, violating the one-person-per-seat rule. After being asked to leave once, she returned, prompting further conflict. Chinese netizens, however, argue she had arrived as early as 6 a.m. and used an umbrella to reserve her spot, providing photos and chat logs as evidence. They deny any queue-jumping. The controversy intensified as Chinese users accused Thai staff of targeting Chinese fans, while Thai users countered that anyone breaking the rules would face the same treatment—possibly harsher if it were a Thai national. According to reports from The Bangkok Post and Thai PBS on July 27, fans from Thailand and abroad demanded GMMTV clarify the incident and take responsibility. On July 26, GMMTV issued a statement admitting that security personnel used excessive force beyond what was necessary. The involved security staff were contractors, not direct employees, and have been suspended pending a full investigation. GMMTV reiterated it has no discriminatory policies based on nationality or race, emphasizing the incident was an individual dispute, not reflective of the company’s stance toward any fan group. 'We will learn from this incident and comprehensively review our event management and supervision processes,' the company stated, pledging to implement improvements to prevent recurrence. Despite the swift response, the controversy persists, with fan communities worldwide awaiting the investigation results and further actions. Some Chinese online groups have called for a boycott of Thai tourism and Thai artists. Others urge caution, warning against drawing conclusions from out-of-context clips and avoiding generalizations about entire nationalities. Meanwhile, many Thai social media users criticized GMMTV for lacking ethics, citing video evidence showing the Chinese fan violated the rules. They accuse the company of prioritizing future profits from Chinese fans over fairness. The hashtag #แบนGMMTV (meaning 'Boycott GMMTV') gained traction on X, with users sharing clips of the confrontation. On July 27, the Chinese Embassy in Thailand confirmed it had received reports from Chinese citizens and noted GMMTV’s admission of excessive force, urging relevant authorities to swiftly clarify the facts and handle the matter appropriately.