Thai hotel owner threatens to sue ‘gangster’ guest for millions after negative review

‘You are messing with the wrong person,’ writes hotelier in now-deleted rant

View of Sri Panwa resort from the beach (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A Thai hotel owner has responded to a former guest’s negative review with a bizarre rant calling her a “gangster” and saying she will “pay millions” for doing so.

Guest Graz Suphawit had posted on Facebook saying she had stayed at Sri Panwa hotel, a family-owned luxury beach hotel in Phuket, between 13-15 February and had not been happy with the condition of the room.

She said the room had been made from “old wood” and smelled musty - lower quality than she had expected, given that she had paid THB 40,000 (£913) a night.

Vorasit “Wan” Issara, managing director of the hospitality and property group that includes Sri Panwa, responded by posting an image of the review on Instagram, with a bizarre tirade in the caption underneath.

In the near-incomprehensible rant, Mr Issara called the guest’s comments “fake news”, threatened to bring a lawsuit against her and said: “You are messing with the wrong person”.

He also referred to a “death threat” and appears to call the guest a gangster.

In the now-deleted Instagram comment, captured by the Thai Enquirer, Issara wrote:

“Fake news again I will get you for a law and 112… I know who you are and why are so instead of me going to deal with you myself you were there with the law I will expose you and you apologize in public anticipates as you follow otherwise you got a present and you pay millions.

“Just to remind you keyboard want to be gangster out You are messing with the wrong person because I’ve been on social media and Facebook and hi5 I will since you were born or even before you were if I Wass me In that Internet world I will be like Putin US presence and China USSR& USA security force working together. the team so good luck.

“Cause those of you who gave me death threats. We Treace u Where you get your money from why are you live who we are most of them have fairgrounds but I don’t where the fake account was set & where & hkwho is paying.

“But as a country we also know and we are taking things slowly because we are a land of compiles of compromise. After I found out who you are I will give you a free room for compassion [sic].”

The “112” comment refers to Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code, which states:

“Whoever defames, insults or threatens the King, the Queen, the Heir-apparent or the Regent, shall be punished with imprisonment of three to15 years.”

Local media has suggested that Issara is threatening to uncover anti-royal sentiment that the guest may have expressed in the past.

It’s not the first time Issara’s company, Charn Issara Development, has threatened to sue for negative social media posts.

When the hashtag #BanSriPanwa was started on social media in 2020, the company said it would collect “defaming” social media posts in order to take legal action.

Charn Issara is one of the leading property development companies in Thailand; Vorasit Issara’s father, Songkran Issara, is CEO and his eldest son is managing director.

Strict defamation laws in Thailand mean that getting dissatisfied hotel guests arrested is a possibility.

Tripadvisor issued a warning to travellers in November 2020 after a former guest was jailed for leaving a one-star review on the site.

Sea View Hotel and Spa in Koh Chang used local defamation laws to have Wesley Barnes, an American who was working in Thailand, arrested for publishing a negative review online.

The Independent has contacted Charn Issara Development for comment.