More than 20 Chinese passengers were refused boarding by Thai Airways, and on-site security also made a discriminatory "slant-eye" gesture. The airport issued a public apology and disciplined the staff involved.
On the evening of August 4th, Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Thailand issued a statement saying that in response to on-duty security personnel being caught making suspected discriminatory gestures, the airport publicly apologized and has taken disciplinary action against the staff member involved.
The statement said that at around 11 p.m. on July 29th, some Chinese fans were following a Chinese celebrity who was on the same Thai Airways TG674 flight, and entered the VIP lounge without authorization. Staff persuaded them to leave. The fans subsequently continued to follow the celebrity into the waiting and boarding area. When their documents were checked, they refused to cooperate and attempted to board the plane with the celebrity. To prevent unrelated individuals from entering the cabin, the airline temporarily closed the aircraft door, and security personnel took the individuals back to the waiting hall.
The statement pointed out that the airline assessed that this group of fans did not comply with safety regulations, and, worrying that they might continue to cause disturbances after boarding, which could make things uncontrollable once the flight was airborne, decided to refuse boarding for 22 people. This caused the flight to be delayed.
According to the statement, 12 of them agreed to offload their checked luggage, while another 10 refused to cooperate and expressed dissatisfaction after being denied boarding. During the process, they provoked the staff, leading to a conflict between both parties.