A man with a 'star 1' was arrested and imprisoned in a hotel review



An American man working as a teacher in Thailand was reportedly arrested and imprisoned by police after giving a total of four bad reviews in an online review of a resort hotel in Thailand. The man was released on bail, but if he was found guilty in court by criminal accusation, he could be sentenced to up to two years in prison or a fine of 200,000 baht (about 660,000 yen). It is said that there is.

Koh Chang resort defends suit against unhappy expat guest

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1992079/koh-chang-resort-defends-suit-against-unhappy-expat-guest

American Hotel Guest In Thailand Arrested & Jailed For Defamation After Posting Bad Online Reviews | LoyaltyLobby
https://loyaltylobby.com/2020/09/27/american-hotel-guest-in-thailand-arrested-jailed-for-defamation-after-posting-bad-online-reviews/

The Thai daily Bangkok Post reported that the arrest was made by American teacher Wesley Burns, who works as a teacher in Thailand, and the review in question was given at one of Thailand's leading resorts. A hotel called Sea View Resort on Koh Chang .

The issue was widely known in a post on Twitter by renowned Thai-based British blogger Richard Burrow. 'Thai defamation law is very strict, especially for online reviews,' said Barrow, who has 167,000 followers, on September 26, 2020. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine told me that Thailand He was arrested at his school at work as a result of posting a one-star review on Google Maps for a hotel in a resort on Chang Island in Thailand, 'said an acquaintance arrested for a review of the hotel. Reported that it was done



According to a Sea View Resort (PDF file) statement released by Mr. Barrow, Mr. Burns brought alcoholic beverages to the hotel's restaurant when he used Sea View Resort with his friends on June 27.

The restaurant told Mr. Burns and others that bringing in outside beverages is prohibited in principle, and that a carry-on fee of about 500 baht (1600 yen) will be charged, but Mr. Burns and others will charge a carry-on fee. I started drinking alcohol without paying. After that, the quarrel between Mr. Burns and the restaurant side developed into a fuss, and Mr. Burns said that he abused the restaurant employees with swear words.

In addition, Mr. Burns posted a total of 4 reviews, 2 each on TripAdvisor and Google Maps, a travel review site, and gave the lowest rating in all of them. The hotel side who saw this evaluation tried to contact Mr. Burns, but Mr. Burns ignored them and did not fight.

The following reviews posted on TripAdvisor are of particular concern to the hotel. In a post on June 30, 2020, Mr. Burns said, 'Staying here should not help modern slavery. Staff are unfriendly because of the owners, and foreign staff Treating colleagues like slaves, especially the worst, is a manager from Czech, who not only enslaves employees, but also acts as if he were better than a hotel guest. '. In addition, this post is said to have been deleted from TripAdvisor one week after posting as a violation of the terms.



A review on Google Maps also blames the Czech manager, and says, 'Like the coronavirus, you should avoid this place!'



In response to a series of reviews, the hotel said, 'Mr. Burns made a forgery that misleads TripAdvisor and Google about the link between the hotel and xenophobia, slavery, and even the new coronavirus infection. I posted a review. ' A total of four reviews were posted from June to mid-August, and a series of reviews were submitted to the police because they are expected to increase further and even if they contacted Mr. Burns and asked to cancel, they were refused. Reported.

As a result, Mr. Burns was arrested by the Immigration Police Department on September 12, and was released after spending two nights in prison after paying a bail of 100,000 baht (about 330,000 yen). In addition, Mr. Burns has been charged with criminal charges and could be sentenced to up to two years' imprisonment or a fine of 200,000 baht under Article 326 of the Thai Penal Code if convicted. According to journalist Andrew MacGregor Marshall, who has contacted Burns, Burns intends to dispute in court .

The process leading up to Mr. Burns' arrest was based on the hotel's announcement, and there are some discrepancies between the hotel's claim about the facts and Mr. Burns' claim. 'The events at the restaurant shocked me and my friends and complained a bit to the waiters, but they were happy to pay,' Burns said in a statement made through Mr. Burrow. And counterargued. It makes a different claim from the hotel's explanation that 'the carry-on fee was not paid'.



According to the Bangkok Post, Article 326 of the Thai Penal Code has been raised for many years, alleging that companies and influential people are abusing it to block free speech. For example, Thammakaset, a leading Thai chicken processing company, has filed 39 criminal and civil suits against a total of 22 individuals and groups, including migrant workers, journalists, human rights advocates and media companies, over the past four years. ..

Thammakaset confiscated the identity of an migrant worker and said that he worked 20 hours a day at the minimum wage or less, and in August 2016, the Thai Bureau of Labor Welfare and Protection gave a total of 1.7 million baht (about 5.65 million yen). The lawsuits have been ordered to pay for the matter and are allegedly in retaliation for bringing the matter to the surface.

'No one knows how true the hotel statement is because this is an ongoing proceeding,' said Loyalty Lobby, a news site that deals with travel-related information. He added, 'I don't think it will be a plus for Mr. Burns' life in Thailand no matter how the case is settled, and it's also a lesson for people who use review sites. , The law of that country, whether in another country, makes it easy to arrest and bring people to justice if necessary. '

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