US man faces years in prison in Thailand after posting negative online reviews of a resort

A disgruntled hotel guest can now possibly join the ranks of labor activists, journalists and whistleblowers in Thailand who have been targets of multiple lawsuits as he faces serious prison time for posting negative online reviews of a hotel resort. The accused Wesley Barnes is an expat who teaches English in Thailand and is currently in a feud with Sea View Koh Chang hotel which has accused him of posting false information online which could entail a prison sentence of up to 7 years.

Reportedly, Barnes was arrested this month and held in a jail for two nights, before being freed on bail.

Barnes accused of posting multiple fabricated reviews

The case garnered publicity when a popular blogger in Thailand publicised Barnes' version of the incident. As per reports, Barnes has been trying to reach out to the hotel in question in order to resolve the issue. The hotel, which is located on Koh Chang island, 300 kilometres from Bangkok, has stated that Barnes’ current predicament is his own fault as he did not retract his original critique of the hotel from travel websites when asked.

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As per reports, Barnes and his friend, during their stay at the hotel. When told there was a 500 baht (USD 16) corkage fee, they complained. After getting the manager involved the dispute was resolved and Barnes was allowed to have his drink without the extra charge. Barnes and the Hotel’s accounts are similar until this point, Barnes claims that after this he saw the hotel’s manager treat the staff in an abusive manner and this prompted him to post a harsh critic along the lines of “Do not sleep here! Don’t support modern-day slavery of Thai people!”.

The hotel has also accused Barnes of leaving multiple fabricated reviews on Tripadvisor and Google in an attempt to defame the hotel. Barnes has already lost his English teaching job and now faces prison time. Thailand’s tourism industry and its economy as a whole has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thailand is also currently experiencing student-led anti-governmental protests demanding fresh elections and reform to the monarchy.

(With AP inputs, Image: AP)

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