The incident, which happened last week on the Thai island of Koh Racha, came to light following photos shared by a group that tracks environmental transgressions in the country.
Environment minister Varawut Silpa-archa said in a Facebook post that two visitors admitted to the offence after turning themselves into police, while the third suspect was still at large.
Varawut added officials coordinated with the provincial tourism police, marine office and the company that organised the trip to track down the lawbreakers. He did not elaborate if the missing tourist was still being pursued.
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Bali issues tourism dos and don’ts list in wake of scandals involving unruly visitors
Bali issues tourism dos and don’ts list in wake of scandals involving unruly visitors
If found guilty, the visitors culd face two years in prison and a 200,000 baht (US$5,670) fine.
The two-month-old travel firm that led the tour apologised for the behaviour of the tourists who were part of a diving group, saying it was the establishment’s first junket and it “learned a lesson”.
The operator also promised to raise awareness about not meddling with marine wildlife among its clients, especially Chinese who have previously been involved in similar incidents.
“Some of them find the animals cute and want to have the pictures taken with them to show to their friends,” The Phuket News quoted a company executive as saying. “On behalf of the company, we are very sorry that this has happened.”
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Thai social media users directed their ire at “wild Chinese tour groups”, while others blamed the diving instructors for not properly telling the guests about the regulations.
Some lamented that such incidents keep occurring despite actions by law enforcement.
Two Chinese tourists were arrested in 2020 for catching protected ornamental fish using a spear gun while snorkelling in central Thailand.
Marine experts say more than three quarters of Thailand’s coral reefs have been damaged by rising sea temperatures and unchecked tourism.
The tourism-dependent country’s sandy beaches helped draw 6.15 million foreign visitors, including more than 700,000 Chinese, in the first quarter of this year.
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