Indonesian tourist’s false Thai honeymoon drama debunked

A viral clip of an Indonesian woman‘s outcry on social media, claiming her honeymoon trip to Thailand collapsed because her husband was denied entry for not carrying cash, sparked significant attention. However, Thai immigration authorities have debunked the story as a fabrication for content creation, further uncovering that the woman is a frequent traveller to Thailand and an online merchant.

The incident unfolded when the Indonesian Embassy in Thailand issued a warning to its citizens planning to visit Thailand to carry their passports, trip itineraries, and sufficient funds to avoid being deported by Thai immigration. Following this advisory, a clip posted by an Indonesian tourist, under the TikTok username Herjastipbkk, went viral.

In the video, she claimed that during her January honeymoon trip to Thailand, she passed through immigration, but her husband was detained and deported for not having cash on hand. Despite her attempts to withdraw money from an ATM to prove their finances, her husband was still sent back, which led to the cancellation of their trip, and they opted to honeymoon in Japan instead.

The video went viral in Indonesia, garnering 24.5K views and 1,476 comments, casting a negative light on Thai tourism and immigration.

On February 29, Thai Immigration Police Division 2 chief and spokesman revealed that after investigating the claims made by the Indonesian tourist, it was discovered that the woman, named here as Farida (a pseudonym), had travelled alone to Thailand via Don Mueang Airport on flight FD395 from Jakarta on January 4. CCTV footage showed no evidence of her husband accompanying her, contrary to her allegations.

She was granted entry into Thailand and left the country on January 16, after a 13-day stay, not immediately as she had claimed in the clip. The investigation also found that Farida frequently travelled to Thailand and speculated that she concocted the story to generate content for her online business, reported KhaoSod.

Immigration procedures

A meeting was held yesterday, February 28, attended by the Indonesian Embassy’s representative and Thai tourism officials, where Thai immigration clarified their procedures. They emphasised that the focus during immigration checks is primarily on travel plans and accommodation bookings, with cash just being a supplementary element since many travellers now use credit cards and e-payment systems.

They noted that foreigners are often denied entry for failing to present valid travel plans or accommodation bookings, sometimes attempting to deceive officials with fake documents. Some Indonesian citizens have been tricked into flying to Thailand with the intent to cross over to neighbouring countries for call centre jobs, a situation that poses a risk of human trafficking.

The Indonesian Embassy had previously thanked Thai immigration for screening and preventing such incidents.

Thai Immigration welcomed Indonesian tourists and confirmed the government’s visa-free policy. The Tourism Authority of Thailand acknowledged the clarity provided by immigration and planned to inform the Minister of Tourism and Sports about the measures and the discussions that had taken place.