Thai ranger slams Italian tourists for breaking snorkelling ban

Photo via Facebook/ ทราย - Merman Ψ (มนุษย์เงือก)

A Thai park ranger took to social media to expose a disrespectful Italian tourist who ignored a warning from officials after he and another foreigner went snorkelling in a restricted area, endangering the coral reef.

The ranger, identified only as Sai, shared a video of the two tourists who broke the rules on his Facebook and Instagram accounts today, February 27. Sai stated in the video, “Can you do anything you want if you have money? Foreign tourists look down on Thai people.”

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Sai further clarified the incident in the video caption. He explained that he and other officials spotted two foreign tourists, believed to be Italian nationals, swimming in an area that had been closed off to allow the coral reef to recover. A significant portion of the reef at the site had died last year.

Sai stated that the two Italian tourists not only posed a risk to the coral reef but also to themselves as they were snorkelling 700 metres away from the beach without a tour guide or any specialist nearby.

In the video, Sai and other park rangers asked the two foreigners which travel agency brought them to the site, but they refused to respond. The officials then asked them to stop their activity and get onto the boat, but they refused.

Italian tourist caught for snorkelling in a restricted area, endangering the coral reef
Photo via Facebook/ ทราย – Merman Ψ (มนุษย์เงือก)

Free-visa blamed

This prompted the officials to approach them and pull them onto the boat in order to bring them back to the coast. One of the foreigners expressed anger towards the officials and complained…

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“No! You are crazy. I paid for your… Last time in f*cking Thailand! Last time!”

At the end of the video, the ranger team was seen dropping the two foreigners into the sea near the beach.

Italian tourist complained Thai ranger for stopping him from snorkelling in a restricted area
Photo via Facebook/ ทราย – Merman Ψ (มนุษย์เงือก)

Sai expressed his opinion on the matter, stating that the two foreigners, particularly the one who made the angry complaint, believed they could do anything in Thailand if they had money. He considered this an insult and a sign of disrespect towards Thai people.

The ranger also complained about the free-visa scheme, which allows tourists to enter Thailand too easily. He argued that the lack of conditions and requirements led to problems for both locals and officials.

Italian tourists caught in restricted area
Photo via Facebook/ ทราย – Merman Ψ (มนุษย์เงือก)

In the video, Sai threatened to fine the two foreigners for breaking the law, but it was unclear whether they actually faced a fine.

Some netizens stated that the authorities should take legal action against the travel agency that had brought the foreign tourists to the restricted site as well.

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Petch Petpailin

Petpailin, or Petch, is a Thai translator and writer for The Thaiger who focuses on translating breakingThai news stories into English. With a background in field journalism, Petch brings several years of experience to the English News desk at The Thaiger. Before joining The Thaiger, Petch worked as a content writer for several known blogging sites in Bangkok, including Happio and The Smart Local. Her articles have been syndicated by many big publishers in Thailand and internationally, including the Daily Mail, The Sun and the Bangkok Post. She is a news writer who stops reading news on the weekends to spend more time cafe hopping and petting dwarf shrimp! But during office hours, you can find Petch on LinkedIn and you can reach her by email at petch@thethaiger.com.

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