British tourists held ‘ransom’ by Thai police
Original story by Ben Archibold.
Group of British women held to ransom by armed Thai police and forced to pay £150 – for a broken TOILET
“Jade McInnes, Stacey Robertson, Rachel McFarlane, and Emily Michie, from Fife in Scotland, were in disbelief when gun-toting cops appeared at their hotel.”
That’s the rather sensational headline in a UK tabloid, thesun.co.uk.
Let’s dig into the story…
Four British holidaymakers say they were held to ransom by armed police after the toilet at their Thai hotel was smashed.
Jade McInnes, Stacey Robertson, Rachel McFarlane, and Emily Michie claim they were told to pay 10,000 Baht (£230) for the broken toilet.
The Scottish women say the gun-toting cops then bartered with them before accepting 6,500 Baht – around £150 – not to chuck them in jail.
The standoff came after the group of old school pals came back from lunch on Wednesday to find the manager at JJ Residence on Phi Phi Island pointing to the broken lavvy.
“Then armed police arrived and threatened us with arrest if we didn’t pay.
“We didn’t want to miss our flight home, so we just had to pay it.
Jade, Stacey, 28, Rachel, 27, and 26-year-old Emily fly home today (October 19).
Bottomline in these situations, contact the Tourist Police to help wade around any ‘cultural misunderstandings’. We’ve contacted the JJ Residence on Koh Phi Phi to confirm the story was true. They said it “was no scam” without wanting to comment further.
Somewhere between their Scottish accents and ‘Thainess’ there was sure to be some problems negotiating this situation. For your own piece of mind, when staying in a hotel room, check the room before and after with staff and take photos to back up your situation. Never give in to demands for payment without consulting with Tourist Police, or speaking to your Consulate if the amounts of money are high.
