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Thai ranger slams Italian tourists for breaking snorkelling ban
Petch Petpailin
3 minutes ago
Last Updated: Thursday, February 27, 2025
2 minutes read
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.”
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.
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…
“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.
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.
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.
