Thai hotel agrees to revoke defamation charges on US tourist who posted negative reviews

Thailand hotel has agreed on October 9 to drop the charges, carrying up to five years in prison, against an American guest who posted negative reviews after the latter issued a lengthy public apology. As per BBC report, Wesley Barnes had posted several reviews allegedly accusing the hotel on the holiday island of Koh Chang, Sea View Resort, of “modern day slavery”. Following which, Barnes was detained and charged under Thailand’s stringent anti-defamation laws. 

Police reportedly said that American tourist and the Thailand resort managed to reach an agreement that included an apology to the hotel as well as to Thailand’s tourism authority. Barnes was even asked to send a statement to foreign media organisations that had previously written about his possible arrest including BBC. In the apology statement, Barnes said that he was sorry for his “repeatedly false and untrue” remarks that were made to “maliciously” defame Sea View. It further added that he wrote the remarks “out of anger and malice”. 

In the same statement, Barnes said that he was regretful of his actions and that the hotel has forgiven him while also agreeing to withdraw the complaint against him. As per media reports, both parties had met for a mediation session that was overseen by the Thai law enforcement officials. Even though the matter is reportedly resolved between the Thailand hotel and the American tourist, Barnes will still have to provide an explanation to the US embassy. 

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Why did Barnes leave negative comments?

Barnes, who works in Thailand, had stayed at the Sea View resort earlier this year. However, he reportedly got into an argument with the staff over him wanting to bring his own bottle of alcohol while dining inside the restaurant. As per the hotel’s statement, Barnes “caused a commotion” and then refused to pay the corkage fee which was eventually waived following the intervention of the manager. After Barnes left the hotel, he started posting several negative reviews of the Thailand property. Sea View then sued him for defamation. 

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Image: Koh Chang island/ Representative-Unsplash