By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-08-05 08:21:49 | Updated at 2026-08-05 09:15:43
57 minutes ago
Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport has apologised for the “inappropriate conduct” of its security officers while dealing with 22 disorderly fans, who swarmed two actors there late on July 29.
The airport’s statement in English on Aug 5 comes after a video of an airport security officer making a racially offensive gesture towards the fans was widely circulated on social media.
The incident happened at about 11pm on July 29, said Suvarnabhumi Airport in a Facebook post. The airport serves the Thai capital, Bangkok.
The artistes were identified by media reports as Singaporean Ayden Sng and Chinese national Lv Sitong, stars of the television drama Double Helix. The July 29 incident is also not the first time the pair have been mobbed by fans.
For the July 29 incident, the 22 fans were supposed to board Thai Airways flight TG674 to Beijing, China, the airport said.
The group had followed the two actors into an airline lounge despite not being authorised to use the facility, Suvarnabhumi Airport said.
“Thai Airways personnel therefore requested assistance from airport security officers, who escorted the group out of the lounge,” it added.
However, the fans continued to follow the artistes into the departure hold room, said the airport.
“At the boarding document checkpoint, they refused to cooperate with boarding pass checks and attempted to rush after the (artistes) in order to board the aircraft together,” the airport said. “They continued following the (artistes) to the passenger boarding bridge until the (artistes) had boarded the aircraft.”
Suvarnabhumi Airport said that airline personnel temporarily closed the aircraft door to prevent passengers who had not completed pre-boarding checks from entering the plane, with the fans escorted back to the departure hold room.
The 22 fans were subsequently denied boarding by Thai Airways for failing to comply with airport security procedures and airline regulations, added the airport.
It said: “The airline determined that allowing the group to travel could lead to further disruption on board, potentially jeopardising the safety and orderly operation of the flight.”
The flight’s departure was delayed as a result, it added.
After they were not allowed to board the flight, 12 passengers agreed to have their checked baggage offloaded from the aircraft, while the remaining 10 refused, said the airport.
Those passengers expressed dissatisfaction with the airline’s decision and “behaved provocatively towards security officers”, resulting in a physical altercation while officers attempted to control the situation, it added.
The airport confirmed that the altercation was the one shown in videos circulating on social media, with the situation subsequently handed over to airline personnel for further handling.
It said: “While the security officers’ intervention was intended to ensure the safety and security of passengers and flight operations, Suvarnabhumi Airport acknowledges that certain security personnel displayed inappropriate conduct during the operation.
“Such conduct does not meet the airport’s service standards or operational regulations.”
According to the airport, the director of the Airport Security Department has ordered disciplinary action against the personnel involved.
The airport said it will review this incident and strengthen its incident management procedures and operational oversight to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
Sng was formerly with Mediacorp’s talent agency, The Celebrity Agency, and left earlier in 2026 after seven years.
In the Chinese boys’ love drama Double Helix, Sng portrays the wealthy second-generation heir Lu Feng, who falls in love with a gentle and academically gifted student, Cheng Yichen, played by Lv.
Korean entertainment outlet reported that Sng and Lv were also mobbed by fans at an unnamed airport on June 1, with both reportedly pushed to the ground and Sng shielding Lv.
