A staff member grabs a Chinese fan by the neck and throws her to the ground with other staff surrounding at a fan meeting event on July 25, 2026 during the International Novel Festival 2026. Photo: Screenshot from social media
Thai entertainment company GMMTV on Sunday released official statements in Chinese, Thai and English on various platforms amid call for apologies over a reported incident at a fan-gathering event the company hosted in a mall in Bangkok on Saturday where several security personnel used tough actions, including body slam, to drive away a Chinese fan from the venue, according to online videos and media reports.
In the statement regarding the incident at the International Novel Festival 2026, the company said that after conducting an initial investigation, their findings indicated that the staff member involved “used excessive force” beyond necessity and claimed it does not support violence in any form under any circumstance, expressing “regret” over the incident and impacts on “people related.”
GMMTV said the individual (using force) is an outsourced staff member hired for the event rather than a direct employee. Acknowledging its responsibility to properly supervise all event personnel, the company said the staff member has been suspended from duties until the conclusion of an ongoing investigation.
It also claimed that GMMTV firmly upholds a policy of non-discrimination and does not condone any form of discrimination based on race or nationality.
Video clips online show that several GMMTV staff members forcibly drove the woman from the fan-meeting event of two Thai entertainers. While the Chinese fan holding her phone to record, a female staff member in black grabbed the Chinese woman by the shoulder and neck while attempting to snatch her cellphone. When the Chinese fights back, the same staff member grabbed her by the neck and threw her to the ground with multiple staff surrounding them.
According to media reports, citing footage of the scene and the fan’s descriptions, the woman’s camisole was pulled loose and her bracelet was broken during the incident. The Chinese fan said she gave a statement at a local police station and planned to seek assistance from the Chinese Embassy in Thailand.
A screenshot, reportedly from the entertainers’ agent, hinted that the fan was violating rules and creating troubles. According to a report from the overseasidol.com, a website focusing on entertainment news, the fan also posted online that she had queued since early morning and possessed evidence supporting her place in line. However, after her queue marker was reportedly moved, a misunderstanding over the queue order allegedly occurred. The disagreement later escalated into a physical confrontation while staff attempted to manage the situation.
The incident on Saturday quickly went viral after related posts and videos spread across social media and related topic has ranked top on Sina Weibo’s top search list until Sunday. Some netizens argued that event staff has no right to law enforcement as such and should have limited themselves to verbal warnings or asking her to leave the venue. Methods staff used at the scene were obviously beyond reasonable.
The company finally issued a statement on Sunday evening, yet it failed to appease the situation. “Do you even believe your own claim that the company has no policy or practice of discrimination based on race or nationality?” “Whenever something goes wrong, it’s suddenly outsourced,” a Weibo user posted.
Many Chinese netizens argued that GMMTV should issue a formal apology rather than such a statement. “It is clearly a blameshifting,” one netizen wrote. “Deeply felt GMM’s arrogance and disregard for the personal safety and dignity of fans,” another netizen wrote.
GMMTV organizes multiple offline fan events in Bangkok each year, often setting up dedicated booths at Thailand’s major public book fairs where fans can purchase drama-related novels and official merchandise while taking part in interactive activities, according to posts on its Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Global Times
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