Chinese tourists were arrested on the resort island of Phuket in Thailand last Friday. They were charged with touching starfish and damaging coral. This was reported by Phuket News concerning the local police. What should travelers know when heading to the kingdom?
The incident occurred while diving on the island of Racha Yai, located south of Phuket. Chalong police summoned three Chinese nationals for questioning who took part in diving tours organized by Jinyang Holiday Group Co Ltd on Racha Yai Island, with a group of 30 people. Only two appeared for questioning – they were accused of harming the marine environment. The law enforcement officers did not specify whether they tried to contact the third accused.
According to Acting Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) Varavut Silpaarch, the accused tourists have been formally charged. According to Law 29 “On the Promotion of Management of Marine and Coastal Resources”, tourists who violate the rules for the treatment of marine animals and corals can be sentenced to prison for up to two years or fined up to 200,000 baht ($5,700).
The travel agency was inexperienced
On Friday (June 23), the manager of the travel agency Jinyang Holiday Group Co Ltd Sirikwan Saengravy, and the owner of the company held a press conference where she apologized for the incident. As it turned out, the company was new, and the employees had no experience, that is, the trip to the island of Racha Yai was the first in its history: This incident became a lesson for us. Our company has been operating for only two months. That was our first tour.”
A representative of the company expressed its regret about what happened and assured that in the future they will pay more attention to the safety and well-being of their customers. In addition, the firm said it intends to train its diving instructors and remind them of the importance of not touching marine animals and corals. At the moment, there is no information about the initiation of legal action against the travel company.
Tourists traveling to Thailand should familiarize themselves with local laws and regulations, particularly regarding natural resources. This will help to avoid unintentional violations of the law and related troubles.