A Thai man in Bangkok has received a court summons from a food shop located within a hospital's food court, reportedly seeking compensation of one million baht. The dispute stems from the customer posting a video on Facebook that criticized the 260-baht "kaprao" chicken dish for being too expensive. In his footage, he described the meal as consisting of stir-fried chicken with holy basil, rice, fried egg, and spicy fish sauce before complaining about the high cost relative to the portion size.
The customer stated that he ordered the food because it tasted good but only noticed the price at checkout. He uploaded a video expressing his shock over the cost, which later garnered over 8,000 comments on social media discussing pricing rather than quality issues. The court document allegedly accuses him of offenses under the Computer Crime Act and the Criminal Code for defamation by publication following his online review.
Thai lawyer Monchai Chongkrairattanakul has commented on the situation, noting that while honest opinions should be protected, reviews can still lead to legal complications if they involve false information or misleading wording. He advised consumers to stick to verifiable facts and avoid distorting images when reviewing products or services. Neither the hospital administration nor the food shop owner has publicly addressed the case as of this report.
Would you like to discuss whether social media criticism should carry such severe financial penalties?