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Bangkok, Sept. 26, 2020 (AFP): An American has been sued by an island resort in Thailand over a negative Tripadvisor review, authorities said Saturday, and could face up to two years in prison if convicted.
Domestic tourism continues to occur in Thailand, where coronavirus numbers are relatively low, and locals and expats head to near-empty resorts, including Koh Chang Island, famous for its sandy beaches and turquoise waters.
But a recent visit to the Sea View Resort on the island put Wesley Barnes in trouble after he wrote unflattering reviews online about his vacation.
“The owner of Sea View Resort filed a complaint that the defendant had posted unfair reviews of his hotel on the Tripadvisor website,” Koh Chang Police Colonel Thanapon Taemsara told AFP.
He said Barnes was charged with causing “damage to the hotel’s reputation” and fighting with staff for failing to pay a corkage fee for alcohol brought into the hotel.
Barnes, who works in Thailand, was arrested by immigration police and returned to Koh Chang, where he was briefly detained and later released on bail.
According to the Tripadvisor review Barnes posted in July, he encountered “unfriendly staff” who “acted like they didn’t want anyone here.”
Barnes and the Sea View Resort did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Thailand’s notorious anti-defamation laws have long drawn scrutiny from human rights and press freedom groups, who say powerful players use them as a weapon to suppress free speech.
The maximum sentence is two years in prison, along with a fine of 200,000 baht ($ 6,300).
Earlier this year, a Thai journalist was sentenced to two years in prison for posting a tweet referring to a dispute over working conditions at a chicken farm owned by the Thammakaset company. – AFP
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