Thai entertainment company GMMTV recently held a fan meeting event for the BL drama "JuniorMark" in Bangkok, where a Chinese female fan was accused of cutting in line. During the process of being asked to leave by staff, a physical altercation broke out, and she was ultimately subdued and removed from the venue. Footage of the incident quickly went viral online, sparking heated debates among netizens in both China and Thailand, and even drawing the attention of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand.
According to media reports, the incident occurred on July 25th. At the time, a Chinese female fan was accused by other people in line of unjustifiably changing queue markers, removing someone else's marker, and reserving a spot with her own umbrella. As a result, on-site staff intervened.
It is understood that when staff requested the woman leave the scene, she refused to cooperate and began recording the incident with her mobile phone. A confrontation ensued, with allegations that the woman kicked at a staff member. Staff then subdued her on the ground and restrained her before removing her from the venue. Viral videos show that as the woman was led away, many Thai fans at the scene applauded and cheered.
Some netizens pointed out that in Thai culture, kicking someone is considered extremely insulting, so the woman’s action further angered local citizens.
After the incident came to light, both Chinese and Thai fans offered differing accounts.
The Chinese female fan involved posted on Weibo denying accusations of cutting in line, stating that she had arrived at the venue at 6 a.m. and left her umbrella to reserve her spot before temporarily leaving. Upon her return, she found her umbrella had been removed, but she still went back to her original spot, which led to complaints from nearby Thai fans.
She stated that staff not only forcibly dragged her away but also broke her bracelet and pulled her hair and clothes. She claimed she only resisted in self-defense and was then pinned to the ground by multiple people.
The incident quickly trended on Weibo, with many Chinese netizens questioning whether the organizers used excessive force and demanding a public apology from GMMTV. Some also criticized the artists Junior and Mark for not stepping in to stop the incident.
On the other hand, Thai netizens argued that the woman violated queuing rules first and initiated the attack on staff, with on-site personnel just doing their job. Some Thai fans took the opportunity to criticize certain overseas fans for disruptive behavior at events, fueling further heated debates between the two groups online.
In addition, the JuniorMark artists’ manager later posted on social media with comments such as "If you have no manners, don’t go out," which some Chinese netizens interpreted as targeting Chinese fans, further intensifying the controversy.
GMMTV Suspends Involved Staff; Chinese Embassy in Thailand Expresses Concern
On the evening of the 26th, GMMTV issued a statement saying that after preliminary investigation, staff on-site used inappropriate means to handle the situation. The staff involved were external hires and not official company employees; their work has now been suspended pending investigation.
The statement emphasized that the company has always opposed any form of racial or national discrimination and that the incident was a conflict between individuals, not reflective of the company’s stance toward any nationality or region.
On the 27th, the Chinese Embassy in Thailand also issued a statement saying they had received a report from the Chinese citizen involved and noted that the organizer had admitted there was “more force than necessary” used on site. The embassy urged all parties concerned to promptly ascertain the facts and to handle the incident lawfully, fairly, and properly.