A disgruntled British tourist in Thailand finds himself in hot water over alleged online revenge. 21-year-old Alexander was arrested for supposedly posting fake negative reviews about a Phuket restaurant, according to The Metro.
The trouble began when Alexander, according to reports, tried to use the restaurant as a shortcut to his home but was refused entry for not being a customer. Seeking payback, Alexander is accused of enlisting his friends to flood the restaurant with one-star reviews, causing its rating to plunge from a respectable 4.8 to a concerning 3.1 out of 5 stars, as per the news outlet.
The restaurant owner, understandably upset by the sudden influx of negativity and the potential impact on their business, filed a complaint. This led to Alexander's arrest by the Central Investigation Bureau at his new Bangkok apartment. The arrest warrant, issued last August, accuses him of a crime with a surprising name: "entering false computer data likely to cause damage to the general public."
Alexander maintains his innocence but is now facing legal proceedings in Phuket after being transferred to the Sakhu Police Station there.
This isn't an isolated incident. In 2020, an American tourist in Phuket learned the hard way about Thailand's strict defamation laws. He was arrested for a negative TripAdvisor review accusing a hotel of "modern-day slavery." The tourist was eventually released after an apology, but the case serves as a cautionary tale for online critics visiting Thailand, where even seemingly harmless reviews can have serious consequences.
Defamation is a criminal offence in Thailand and carries a punishment of up to two years in prison.
