Destinations known | Welcome to Thailand, where a negative TripAdvisor review can get you jailed
- An American expat is facing up to two years in jail after being sued by a Koh Chang resort for defamation
- Thailand has notoriously strict libel laws that have long been criticised by human rights advocates
If TripAdvisor has taught us anything in its 20 years, it is that the customer is not always right. But by creating a digital ecosystem wherein the opinions of the hoi polloi are solicited, and therefore substantiated, the popular online travel platform has handed the average traveller untold power.
Not in Thailand, though, where a lone-star reviewer faces up to two years in prison for having left poor appraisals of a Koh Chang hotel. On September 26, Agence France-Presse reported that American expat Wesley Barnes was being sued by the Sea View Resort “after he wrote unflattering online reviews about his holiday”.
“Statements” released by Barnes and the Sea View Resort, which were made available on Barrow’s social media channels, agree on certain details: that there was a disagreement about the consumption of outside alcohol on the resort’s premises; that Barnes was ultimately not charged the 500 baht (US$15) corkage fee for the aforementioned alcohol consumption; that Barnes was contacted several times and asked to remove negative reviews of the hotel from TripAdvisor and Google or face criminal charges.
“Coming from the West, I felt it was an empty threat,” wrote Barnes. “Boy, was I wrong.”
