Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources has filed a police complaint over a Facebook photo of a tourist posing against a coral reef. The department believes that the man committed a serious crime.
According to the Bangkok Post, the violator turned out to be a local citizen who was vacationing on the island of Koh Temple Noi in the Sattahip region last year. There he took a picture, which eventually interested the authorities. At the same time, the Thai himself published the photo only 12 months after the trip.
The department has already stated that the natural object is protected by Thai law, and the tourist could harm him by his actions. The man sank under the water in a mask and fins and actually sat down on a reef. As a result of these actions, the tourist endangered the life of marine organisms living there.
The citizen has already turned himself in to the police. Under the presented article, he could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of one million baht. However, the man assured law enforcement officers that he was not going to harm the environment, and the photograph was staged, there was no physical contact with the reef.
Note that the Thai authorities are very sensitive to corals. For example, last year tourists were federally banned from using certain sunscreens in reserves where there are reefs. Fine for violation – more than 70 thousand UAH.