American sued Thailand resort, fined 200,000 baht, or both

 American sued Thailand resort, fined 200,000 baht, or both.

*Update* The resort, in a statement to Mothership that they did not file a complaint based only on 1 review but on 4 reviews and the intention of the reviews, written about a week or so apart.

They called Barnes' reviews a "premeditated attack" on the resort that continued "week after week" and they were unsure when it would end.

They would also like to clarify that they had had all their efforts to contact Barnes ignored. And as a last resort, involved the authorities. They also would like to make clear that they do not have any authority to request the arrest of any citizen. The arrest was a decision made by a judge.

Here is their full five-page statement.

*End of update*

After feeling less than satisfied with the service provided a Thai island resort, an American residing in Thailand took to TripAdvisor to air his grievances through an unhappy one-star review.

He is now being sued by the resort and could face up to two years in prison if found guilty of defamation, reported AFP, and carried by Bangkok Post.

"Unfriendly staff" that "act like they don't want anyone there"

In July 2020, Wesley Barnes left a review on TripAdvisor about his visit to The Sea View Resort on Koh Chang Island.

In his review, the 37-year-old complained about "unfriendly staff" who did not smile and "act like they don't want anyone there."

He complained specifically about the restaurant manager, who he identified as being from the Czech Republic, who Barnes called "the worst", "extremely rude", and "impolite to guests."