A bad hotel review is landing an American in legal trouble in Thailand, where a resort on Koh Chang island has filed a criminal defamation complaint over online reviews.
According to reports from AFP and other outlets, the man, Wesley, lives in Thailand. He says a dispute started over a corkage fee of about $15 the resort wanted to charge for his own bottle of gin. After an argument with a manager, the fee was waived. He then posted several low ratings on TripAdvisor and Google criticizing the resort and its management.
The resort, Sea View Koh Chang, says it tried to contact him before going to police and filed the complaint as a last resort. Local police confirmed the complaint. The resort also said using a defamation law may be viewed as excessive for the situation.
Wesley was arrested, held for two nights because he arrived too late to post bail, and released on bail that Monday. Thailand’s criminal defamation law carries a penalty of up to two years in prison and a fine of 200,000 baht, about $6,300, if he is convicted.
Wesley gave his side to a travel blogger, saying he was shocked by the fee and felt staff treated guests poorly, which led to his reviews. He has not been convicted of anything.
The case has travelers talking about how strict defamation laws can be abroad. Think twice before you hit submit on that one star review overseas.
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