BANGKOK • An American has been sued by a Thai resort over a negative Tripadvisor review, the authorities said yesterday.
He could face up to two years in prison if found guilty.
Domestic tourism is ongoing in Thailand, where coronavirus numbers are relatively low, with locals and expatriates heading to near-empty holiday resorts, including Koh Chang island, famed for its sandy beaches and turquoise waters.
But a recent visit to the Sea View Resort on the island landed Mr Wesley Barnes in trouble after he wrote unflattering online reviews about his holiday.
"The Sea View Resort owner filed a complaint that the defendant had posted unfair reviews on his hotel on the Tripadvisor website," Colonel Thanapon Taemsara of Koh Chang police told Agence France-Presse.
He said Mr Barnes was accused of causing "damage to the reputation of the hotel", and of quarrelling with staff over not paying a corkage fee for alcohol brought to the hotel.
Mr Barnes, who works in Thailand, was arrested by immigration police and returned to Koh Chang where he was briefly detained and then freed on bail.
According to the Tripadvisor review Mr Barnes posted in July, he encountered "unfriendly staff" who "act like they don't want anyone here".
The Sea View Resort said legal action was taken only because Mr Barnes had penned multiple reviews on different sites over the past few weeks.
At least one was posted in June on Tripadvisor accusing the hotel of "modern-day slavery", which the site removed after a week for violating its guidelines.
"We chose to file a complaint to serve as a deterrent, as we understood he may continue to write negative reviews week after week," the hotel said.
It added that the resort staff had tried to contact Mr Barnes before filing the complaint.
Mr Barnes did not respond to requests for comment.
Thailand's anti-defamation laws have long drawn scrutiny from human rights and press freedom groups, which say powerful players use it as a weapon to stifle free expression.
Earlier this year, a Thai journalist was sentenced to two years in prison for posting a tweet referencing a dispute over working conditions at a chicken farm.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
