Stepping on Coral Reefs and Torturing Starfish... Thailand Outraged by Troublesome Chinese Tourists

Chinese Tourists Face Backlash for Scuba Diving in Thailand
Up to 2 Years Imprisonment and 7 Million Won Fine Possible

Three Chinese tourists who caused a nuisance by touching starfish and stepping on coral reefs while enjoying scuba diving in Thailand are facing the risk of imprisonment.

According to reports from the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) and others on the 29th (local time), the three Chinese tourists stepped on coral reefs and touched starfish while scuba diving near Racha Island, close to Phuket Island, Thailand, on the 22nd. They even showed themselves holding starfish in front of the camera.

However, Thailand's local marine protection laws strictly prohibit such actions. In Thailand, damaging the marine ecosystem by catching starfish or stepping on coral reefs can result in up to two years of imprisonment and a fine of 200,000 baht (approximately 7.41 million KRW).

Chinese tourists are holding up starfish. [Image source=Facebook]

This incident came to light after a Thai environmental organization released photos and videos of the tourists on social media (SNS). The released photos and videos showed tourists wearing oxygen tanks stepping on coral reefs.

Following the news, local criticism arose, pointing out the complacent attitude of the local travel agency that led the tour.

As the controversy spread, the travel agency apologized for the behavior of the Chinese tourists. A representative of the travel agency said, "This was our travel agency's first tour," and "We deeply regret that such an incident occurred." It was reported that the travel agency had only been in operation for about two months.

Tourists are touching starfish and coral reefs. [Image source=Facebook]

The Thai Minister of Environment stated regarding this incident, "Two of the tourists surrendered to the police and admitted to the offense, while the remaining one is on the run." He added, "Local tourism police, the marine office, and related travel agency officials are cooperating to track down the missing tourist."

Chinese Tourists' Nuisance Sparks Outrage... Using 120 Tons of Water and Vandalizing Tourist Attractions

Graffiti drawn at a tourist attraction in Japan in 2018. [Image source=Mainichi Shimbun]

This is not the first time Chinese tourists have caused nuisance controversies. In March, a Chinese couple caused controversy after using 120 tons of water and gas worth 640,000 KRW at a shared accommodation in Seoul.

The homeowner, Mr. Lee, rented out a detached accommodation to them for 25 days starting from the 6th of last month, but they left the boiler on so that the floor was hot and left the windows open when going out. When Mr. Lee contacted them, they reportedly threatened, "If this continues, we will raise this issue through the Chinese embassy."

Earlier, in 2018, tourists presumed to be Chinese caused public outrage by vandalizing a 100㎡ area at a tourist attraction in Japan. The Japanese Mainichi Shimbun reported in January 2018 that graffiti in English and Chinese was found on the snow-covered trees of Mount Hakkoda in Aomori Prefecture. The graffiti, written with pink spray paint over an area of 100㎡, included Chinese characters meaning "Happy Birthday." Alphabets presumed to be someone's initials were also found in various places.

The graffiti was discovered by a local citizen visiting a nearby ski resort at the time. The citizen said, "I saw a couple spray-painting graffiti and tried to stop them, but they ignored me," adding, "They spoke in English and Chinese."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.