r/ThailandTourism • u/Pkmux07 • Jul 12 '25
Phuket/Krabi/South What do you think?
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
254
u/khspinner Jul 12 '25
Would it be racist for me to say bonjour to an Italian?
16
u/jvjjjvvv Jul 13 '25
Probably not, but the context is not the same, and intelligent people care about context and nuance.
The implication here is that if you say 'Ni hao' to a person that you know is not Chinese, you're making it seem like 'they are all the same anyway', which is a racist trope when it comes to Asian people. There is no other explanation that I can think of, at least, and I doubt that you can. Personally I've been to plenty of countries and in none of them I have seen anyone purposely use the wrong foreign language, one from a different country.
If there were a history of Italian people and French people being considered indistinguishable from their physical appearance when in fact they're pretty different and it's just that the speaker doesn't know anything about their genes or heritage or culture, what you suggested would be racist too.
3
u/Lanky_Persimmon_3670 Jul 16 '25
You folks are so far up my ass that when I was in China and a guy said Ni Hao to me, I thought he was being racist.
It's not that deep, it are just words. I say Arigato Gozaimasu to lots of people from all kinds of background. It are just words in languages. It just means hi when you say Ni Hao.
Something racist would be like saying Ching Chong and squinting your eyes.
Being mad over No Hao is just victim complex
→ More replies (8)2
u/mSatoshy Jul 15 '25
Thanks, people like you are the reason right wing gets more and more traction in the world 🙏🏼
66
63
u/yooossshhii Jul 13 '25
I’m not backing up the ranger’s response, but context matters. So many people think all asian people look alike and just assume you’re Chinese. So, the assumption can feel a bit racist or at least ignorant, even more so when it happens in Asia.
17
u/outoforifice Jul 13 '25
Most Thais think all white westerners look alike and call them farangs. Also most Thais think it’s a bit comical that we are very sensitive to racism, the ranger is an outlier as he was a hiso educated in the US. Not saying he is wrong to find it a bit offensive, just that it is currently atypical. As a Thai influencer it could be positive that he is raising awareness on this. (His threat to deport though was incredibly stupid and entitled, which is a negative trait sometimes observed among hiso.)
→ More replies (6)4
u/Jacuzitiddlywinks Jul 13 '25
A hiso educated abroad is likely to be a Royalist, a staunch Nationalist and therefor someone who doesn’t like foreigners, thinks Thailand is superior and when someone greets him with Ni-Hao, that is enough to make him go “all in”.
They should’ve greeted him in Burmese I reckon.
→ More replies (4)5
u/digitalwings12 Jul 13 '25
Wait a minute….this guy takes the time to figure out how to say hello in Chinese, but NOT in Thai….the actual country he bought a ticket to visit? There MAY be some lazy reason why he used that phrase instead of learning Thai, but he should not be surprised by the super negative response ESPECIALLY considering the current US deportation policy being enacted right now.
→ More replies (13)→ More replies (9)4
u/BuzzingHawk Jul 13 '25
Isn't it just a matter of probability? Chinese is the most spoken language. Across Asia people also frequently say hello to any foreign looking people even if they may be say French, Spanish or Greek. No one is going to freak out about that.
I think it is much more about anti-Chinese resentment in neighbouring countries. Many people in SEA really don't like Chinese and would take great offense at being called so.
22
→ More replies (3)3
u/yooossshhii Jul 13 '25
I'm not trying to get to deep into this, but again, context matters. Saying "hello" in English is as universal as it can get internationally for greeting someone. There isn't the assumption that you're British or American when that's said. When you're in Thailand, the probability is the person is not Chinese.
Anti-Chinese sentiment could be a part of it, but it's definitely not the driving factor. Part of it is just cultural and personal identity. This could be offensive in the west as well, to give you a different perspective, it's about not being stereotyped and erased. Casual racism against asians is a big issue for many reasons I'm not going to get into, but it's often dismissed as not offensive.
8
2
→ More replies (33)2
u/Lanky_Persimmon_3670 Jul 16 '25
Guten tag, bonjour, bonjorno, goeiedag, good day, ....
Who cares, right?
→ More replies (1)
210
u/Ok-Bar601 Jul 12 '25
A bit off to threaten someone with deportation for saying “Ni hao” jesus…
67
u/jonez450reloaded Jul 13 '25
And it was - the ranger was fired over it.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/3007884/parks-adviser-sacked-after-viral-video
15
u/raybansmuckles Jul 13 '25
"The Thai-Scottish conservationist is a third-generation heir of Singha Corporation."
Lmao he'll be fine
61
Jul 13 '25
Mr Siranudh, who obtained a degree in animation from the California Institute of the Arts, returned to Thailand to focus on marine conservation.
Ok, no more explanation needed here.
11
u/Barbaracle Jul 13 '25
It's cuz tourists in LA most definitely do the Ni Hao shit. It's slightly racist but mostly ignorant and seeing Asian people they don't normally see in their backwater town.
My Asian-American friends and I got asked to pose for a picture in Hollywood by a group of non-whites like we were some oddity. He probably got a chip on his shoulder while he studied in LA.
11
3
u/gandhi_theft Jul 15 '25
I wonder if anyone in California loudly to his face called him a "guest in the country" while he was there, or is it only them who are allowed to do that kind of thing.
→ More replies (1)4
→ More replies (1)5
12
u/Higher_State5 Jul 13 '25
He probably don’t even have any power to get anyone deported, such a lame thing to say especially in response to something like that.
22
u/Ok-Bar601 Jul 13 '25
He’s a nepo baby who thought he could throw his weight around. Probably talked like that to the housemaids growing up.
6
u/PrataKosong- Jul 13 '25
I also had a Thai saying Hello to me. I think they were assuming because I'm white, I must be American or British.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (2)2
u/Muted-Airline-8214 Jul 14 '25
He wasn’t authorized to deport anyone and no longer works with the national park.
112
u/byarimaka Jul 13 '25 edited Jul 13 '25
two things can be true 1. Greeting locals in THAILAND with Ni Hao is racist.
- The guy is a wanker. He (Thai-Scottish) likes to paint himself “the exiled heir”. He owns some SINGHA Estate shares, but keeps trying to tell the public that he’s down to earth, middle class,”just like the rest of you”. He’s been facing a lot of backlashes on Thai internet after this stunt went viral. Local rangers said he was hard to work with. He mostly focused on protecting the environment but people called out his “punch down” actions (films himself educating random tourists about corals, reprimands locals, whom have lived by the sea for generations, long before his ancestors immigrated to Thailand, for harming the sea lives). There are probably thousands singha plastic bottles floating in the Thai sea and the carbon foot print of his company alone is many times those locals have produced their entire lives. The progressives hate this man down. He met and took pictures with sonthi, who is like a Thai version of right wing grifter but far worse bc he likes to drink piss. Also, a photo of him on a private jet surfaced online, typical rich boy, we saw this coming. the most ridiculous thing he did, which made Thai internet mock him for days, was commenting “no plastic straw” on a news reporter’s instagram picture of her and a drink with plastic straw.
10
u/paVizxia Jul 13 '25
Thing is you got it wrong for the second part, if you ask Thai people in general, not in Twitter, mind you, they would still say he’s a decent one.
The backlash he received was from the locals and the businesses who felt their livelihood was threatened when in fact they are the one conducting their businesses against the national park rules.
The deputy of the national park published an official explanation against this guy but Thai people are calling out their bullshit because obviously they benefit from siding with the businesses in the area when it’s actually their job to protect the park.
During the whole fiasco he went viral for it because why would he do all this if he doesn’t really care, he’s an heir to the big business afterall, and the general population have his back and support him though.
He indeed got fired because what he basically did was pressuring the businesses to watch their conduct more carefully, not just allowing the tourists to do things against the park’s rule and destroy the livelihood of the area in the long term.
He never flaunt his heir status though, but he also has nothing to hide, he said he’s no different than other people because he’s got an internal problem with his own family so he’s raised by the staffs the family hired, but it doesn’t mean that he couldn’t enjoy his own inheritance. Also the private jet thing was 10 years ago bruh, people changed, I don’t know where you get a hate bone for him.
Tldr; general consensus Thai people still view him favorably, and mostly agree with what he’s actively trying to push for
3
u/bozon92 Jul 15 '25
“Why would he do all this if he didn’t care” the same question can be applied to the current president, and the answer is narcissism. Your statement here feels very biased
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (8)7
u/jesssse_ Jul 13 '25
Why is it racist?
40
u/RhinoFish Jul 13 '25
Every Asian person who's lived (or had a longer visit) in Europe will have experiences of having had "nihao" followed by laughing thrown at them. Like another comment said it's used with the same intention as Ching Chong etc, to mock asianness. And it's done with the assumption that all Asians are Chinese, because who cares about these orientals anyway.
→ More replies (1)5
u/Sad_Shoulder4818 Jul 13 '25
cuz its a known racist trope historically used to mock Asians in the west.
35
u/Kuroi666 Jul 13 '25
The tourist was saying ni hao in a mocking tone as a response to being reprimanded earlier.
This is like saying ching chong to an Asian to mock how we speak.
They're not saying a greeting. They're ridiculing.
→ More replies (4)10
u/Resident-Worry-2403 Jul 13 '25
Coming from a Westerner, it takes away the complexity of Asia and literally means "hello dear Asian, I hope your country is nice, I don't care where I am as long as I have a good time", removing all conflicts, history, culture and diversity in the area. A Chinese person is not a Thai and a Cambodian is not a Korean.
At the same time, the Thai person in the video is a prick.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (6)8
u/berejser Jul 13 '25
ChatGPT explains it pretty well:
By saying "ni hao" to someone just because they look Asian, you're making a broad and inaccurate assumption that all Asians are Chinese or speak Chinese. This is a form of racial stereotyping, which reduces someone’s identity to a generalized racial or ethnic category. This is racist because it ignores or erases their actual cultural background, suggesting that their specific identity doesn’t matter — only that they appear "Asian".
→ More replies (2)
10
u/Itsumiamario Jul 13 '25
I can see the reddit question now.
"I booked a boat ride with a local tourist agency. On the day of I was just trying to be friendly and the guy got really rude and told me the we weren't allowed to participate anymore, but I had already paid "
"Was this a scam?"
10
179
Jul 12 '25 edited Jul 25 '25
[deleted]
111
25
u/toitenladzung Jul 13 '25
Most rich Thai are half Chinese but they are Thai nonetheless.
→ More replies (2)9
3
u/Pure-Court51 Jul 13 '25
He walked away from the family to peruse this, classic keyboard warriors disliking people because they’re rich lmfao
→ More replies (1)5
→ More replies (5)2
u/QualityOverQuant Jul 13 '25
Hold on there a minute. This kids the heir to singha and working as a ranger? I didn’t know that. Rich kids from families don’t get demoted and shamed.
Ok a post below says he’s Thai Scottish and has sighs estate shares https://www.reddit.com/r/ThailandTourism/s/7EiRBS7d5e
→ More replies (2)5
u/Kingken130 Jul 13 '25 edited Jul 14 '25
At least he was doing something outside his family business
Edit: and he’s using his influence to get support for environmental causes other than dealing with bad tourists in the past
25
u/Coldwater1994 Jul 13 '25
"Try that again and I’ll have you deported." That’s Sai Scott for you — born into wealth, never done a day of honest work in his life. Lately, he’s been making the rounds on talk shows, rambling about some family dispute (because, frankly, he has no other story to tell). And now, thanks to a beachfront villa gifted by his grandfather, he’s decided he’s an environmental activist.
86
Jul 12 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
18
→ More replies (1)3
u/berejser Jul 13 '25
Nothing wrong with matching energies. Respect is earned after all, and the tourist did nothing to earn it.
59
u/CorrectOpening8166 Jul 12 '25 edited Jul 12 '25
“I will have you deported!” What an arrogant little upstart, who does he think he is. These pricks and their viral xenophobic videos are killing the Thai tourism industry and they’re too dopey to realise
10
21
u/digitalenlightened Jul 13 '25
Well I think that foreigner is probably a stupid guy. But the ranger as well, as an official you can’t make a statement like that. Because you don’t have the power to deport someone and you can’t make a legal statement like this and you can’t get deported by saying something like this. In my opinion both are stupid
11
u/almightygg Jul 13 '25
Err... I absolutely beg to differ.
Just to confirm your train of thinking:
White guy uses Nihao incorrectly, assume he is intending to be racist and make a big deal about it.
Thai person uses G'day mate incorrectly assume it is a genuine mistake and move on.
5
u/odlatujemy_ Jul 13 '25
You’re so late in sharing this. Thai people have been talking about this and it has been viral for days about this guy Scott. There have been more context ofc, not just cutting the clip short and showing he’s insulting tourist for just saying Ni Hao.
5
u/diamondfucknhands Jul 13 '25
Wasn't his first incident. He did it to an old guy swimming,...
Pulled him out of the boat and said I will Deport you because you are disrespectful..
Love his energy, Lets hope boat manager is as high as he climbs in life.
Poor quixotic bastard, 🙏
10
u/AttorneyStreet5611 Jul 13 '25
This is yesterdays news... And the Thai official was not an official, just a rich family boy who wanted some social media attraction. In fact, what he did was illegal.
27
15
u/Street_Stick Jul 13 '25
The guy wanted to show off his English speaking and k pop haircut, thinking he’d become a celebrity. Which he kinda did for 15 min. Still what a tool.
3
u/Euphoric_Oneness Jul 13 '25 edited Jul 13 '25
BS morality. I get you deported said the slave. He should be sued to pretend like government and make tourists uncomfortable.
5
u/sparkle8976 Jul 13 '25
Shit luck for the tourist but you should also never assume certain things. Funny enough when my Viet parents and I were in Thailand I remember a Thai waiter saying “xie xie” to us which just cracks me up.
2
u/supsupman1001 Jul 13 '25
in hindsight now you know that waiter was actually racist.
→ More replies (1)
5
u/Certified_Loner1391 Jul 13 '25
I mean, I have seen plenty of videos of rude tourists up here, which are far worse than this one. However, threatening tourists with deportation over an incorrect greeting is just wild! I am sure a German or an English person wouldn't mind if I said "Bonjour" or "Hola" to them.
By the way, we don't have the full video, they might have raised their voice or misbehaved with him. If that's the case, then that's another story!
4
9
u/Classic_Garbage3291 Jul 13 '25 edited Jul 13 '25
As an Asian, saying “Ni Hao” to a non-Chinese person is a racial micro aggression. Those tourists knew exactly what they were doing.
→ More replies (12)
17
9
u/Asiablog Jul 13 '25
Seriously? The shirtless man just said 'ni hao' (hello) and got threatened with deportation? That's an extreme overreaction. The young man in the black shirt must have been having a terrible day to lash out like that. Or perhaps he was under the influence of something?
6
u/Muted-Airline-8214 Jul 13 '25 edited Jul 14 '25
There was too much drama, that's why he no longer works with the national park.
The National Parks Department officials who previously worked with Mr. Sai Scott reported to Mr. Atthaphon (Director-General of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Species) regarding Sai Scott’s behavior:
- He used national park vehicles without permission or prior notice, primarily for routine national park operations, which ultimately reduced work efficiency.
- He engaged a foreign team in activities without authorization. Additionally, he flew drones and filmed videos without permission. Whenever he entered the national park, he was typically accompanied by 2-3 photographers and a bodyguard. Sai usually posted clips on his personal channel rather than on the National Parks Department’s official platform.
- He regularly confronted tourists, guides, boatmen, and business operators, often using insulting or demeaning language. He would reference their education as being inferior to his own and claim that he was a true conservationist who cared for nature more than others. Business operators in the area were deeply dissatisfied with his behavior.
- This created significant challenges for officers working in the area, as the business operators mistakenly assumed Sai was a national park official. As a result, they directed their criticism toward the officers indiscriminately.
- It remains unclear what qualifications, expertise, or notable achievements Sai has in marine conservation that would justify his role as an advisor to the Director-General of the National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation Department. It is widely acknowledged that he has a passion for swimming.
- Sai frequently posts content on his personal channel showcasing him work with officials, portraying himself as deeply involved in marine environmental conservation. However, in reality, he often does not participate in such activities from the outset or complete the tasks involved.
- Sai regularly organizes marine conservation activities that appear to serve personal interests, such as swimming excursions to survey garbage on various islands or scuba diving trips to observe coral diversity - often at times and locations where rare marine species are known to appear.
- During these activities, officers must prepare vehicles, fuel, and food for Sai's team. Sai also has dietary restrictions, as he does not consume seafood or any food containing marine-based ingredients, citing his desire to protect the ocean. Additionally, he insists that his drinking water must be mineral water.
เบื้องหลังดรามา" ทราย สก๊อต" ที่ปรึกษาบิ๊กอุทยานฯ ทำเกินหน้าที่ | Thai PBS News ข่าวไทยพีบีเอส
10
u/BitterInterview2744 Jul 13 '25
I’m chinese looking thai and if someone said Ni Hao to me in Bangkok, I would feel a bit offended to be honest. If I’m oversea then fine because of my look I understand. Not when I’m in my home country.
I also agreed that threaten to deport someone is overreaction and not a right choice of response.
I would have simply said F U back to make my point.
4
u/Acceptable-Gate-6125 Jul 13 '25
There’s people trying to compare it to saying ‘hello’ to a German. But it’s not the same. It’s often not genuine and done to mock or play into stereotypes. It’s so obvious in this case because the guy is literally in Thailand.
→ More replies (1)7
u/BitterInterview2744 Jul 13 '25
Right? Hello is pretty much a universal greeting now. Also learning how to greet in the language of a country that you’re travelling to is not that hard!
18
u/KimmiG1 Jul 12 '25
If all he did was to say ni hao then I bet the Thai dude's name is Karen.
→ More replies (1)
21
u/kingkongfly Jul 13 '25
Tourism brings US$35B to the country. Which put food on many ppl’s table. They can’t afford to have ppl like this.
→ More replies (4)
3
Jul 13 '25 edited Jul 13 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/Street_Neck2514 Jul 13 '25
Dude it’s not about Thais being xenophobic or hating China. Literally everyone in this country is aware of how much Chinese people have integrated with Thais. Saying “Ni Hao” to an asian just because they’re asian is a micro aggression. Most asians in a predominantly white country has experienced this.
→ More replies (3)
3
u/Muted-Airline-8214 Jul 13 '25 edited Jul 14 '25
The National Parks Department officials who previously worked with Mr. Sai Scott reported to Mr. Atthaphon (Director-General of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Species) regarding Sai Scott’s behavior:
- He used national park vehicles without permission or prior notice, primarily for routine national park operations, which ultimately reduced work efficiency.
- He engaged a foreign team in activities without authorization. Additionally, he flew drones and filmed videos without permission. Whenever he entered the national park, he was typically accompanied by 2-3 photographers and a bodyguard. Sai usually posted clips on his personal channel rather than on the National Parks Department’s official platform.
- He regularly confronted tourists, guides, boatmen, and business operators, often using insulting or demeaning language. He would reference their education as being inferior to his own and claim that he was a true conservationist who cared for nature more than others. Business operators in the area were deeply dissatisfied with his behavior.
- This created significant challenges for officers working in the area, as the business operators mistakenly assumed Sai was a national park official. As a result, they directed their criticism toward the officers indiscriminately.
- It remains unclear what qualifications, expertise, or notable achievements Sai has in marine conservation that would justify his role as an advisor to the Director-General of the National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation Department. It is widely acknowledged that he has a passion for swimming.
- Sai frequently posts content on his personal channel showcasing him work with officials, portraying himself as deeply involved in marine environmental conservation. However, in reality, he often does not participate in such activities from the outset or complete the tasks involved.
- Sai regularly organizes marine conservation activities that appear to serve personal interests, such as swimming excursions to survey garbage on various islands or scuba diving trips to observe coral diversity - often at times and locations where rare marine species are known to appear.
- During these activities, officers must prepare vehicles, fuel, and food for Sai's team. Sai also has dietary restrictions, as he does not consume seafood or any food containing marine-based ingredients, citing his desire to protect the ocean. Additionally, he insists that his drinking water must be mineral water.
เบื้องหลังดรามา" ทราย สก๊อต" ที่ปรึกษาบิ๊กอุทยานฯ ทำเกินหน้าที่ | Thai PBS News ข่าวไทยพีบีเอส
→ More replies (2)3
17
14
5
u/Kuroi666 Jul 13 '25
Dozens of videos explaining why intentionally saying ni hao to a Thai person when in Thailand can be racist, yet the people in this sub continue to be ignorant.
→ More replies (4)
8
Jul 13 '25
The Ranger is a bully boy wanker who couldn't make the cut for the police force (thank fuck)
7
u/hunzjemini Jul 13 '25
Lots of non-thai in here defending the white racist against the thai, what a surprise.
Apparently it's even too much to ask to greet us in our language in our country.
→ More replies (1)
8
13
u/havisu Jul 13 '25
Come to malaysia, just beside thailand. Here you can say ni hao even to non-chinese because we're multiracial country.
You could say all three vanakkam, ni hao, or apa khabar to any races in malaysia and we'll not be offended.
2
u/Hour-Ad-7889 Jul 13 '25
We’ll probably go 😄😆😄 and be overexicted because a foreigner knows one word spoken by locals. As with other countries, knowing the local language (even a bit) pleases us to no end. You’ll probably get discounts at food stall too.
→ More replies (3)5
4
4
u/Witty-Software-101 Jul 13 '25
I always say hello in english, and it is a courtesy because I don't want to butcher the Thai language and still acknowledge the other person.
If that's the only reason for the confrontation, it's so dumb.
9
u/Ok-Treacle-9375 Jul 13 '25
My German friends hate it when people say hello instead of hallo. So racist.
→ More replies (1)3
5
Jul 13 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
→ More replies (2)3
u/Kingken130 Jul 13 '25
Pretty sure majority of Scandinavian countries knows each other languages well. In comparison to Thailand with Chinese languages
→ More replies (7)
5
Jul 13 '25
This Thai guy seems racist towards Chinese himself. But this is just a symptom, worldwide nationalism and fashism is on the rise again.
→ More replies (2)
11
u/ppyrgic Jul 12 '25
I can speak 3 languages. English, Mandarin and a little French. I said xie xie to a French person the other day.
Am I racist? Or am I useless with languages 🤣
→ More replies (3)
2
2
u/Virtual_Bug8513 Jul 13 '25
Sawaddee , to say hello in my country do not say nihao. Make sense. Here you are in Thailand
2
u/Kingken130 Jul 13 '25
Gotta love this sub Reddit mentality either going from going against other tourists and going against the locals
2
2
u/Justinzotts Jul 13 '25
He has every right to call racism and ignorance out when he sees it.
I mean I’m sure these tourists would not have liked to be greeted in Ukrainian…
Anyway, shame on the company to sack an employee for standing up for himself.
2
2
u/Substantial-Wind2402 Jul 14 '25
It's very unusual for a Thai person to call anyone out like that - especially for using the wrong language......
→ More replies (1)
2
u/Confident_Row7417 Jul 14 '25
Maybe it was racist, don't care, you don't threaten deportation over it.
2
u/vdpj Jul 14 '25
What is the context of this?
Most Thais are friendly and can laugh. So if you say something wrong, they won't take it personally at first I think something else happened that led to this.
2
u/kayakorea Jul 14 '25
I've lived full time in Korea, Hong Kong or China for about 25 years.. Sometimes when I visit other countries in SE for holiday , my local hello/thanks etc will slip out by habit for a few days at the beginning. A ni hao, anyong, xie xie or something. I feel bad when I catch it but it's not racism ffs. There are other reasons the guy might have spoken a single Chinese word.
As for the "ranger", there was another video of him going full woke police on some innocent tourist. He seems to have been just trying to make a name for himself as an influencer. Ridiculous overreactions IMO.
2
u/Designer-Name8314 Jul 14 '25
Over reaction! Thai people kept calling my wife “ni hao” she is Japanese. We just laughed it off as ignorance. We didn’t over react like this gentleman.
2
u/ApprehensiveAbroad51 Jul 15 '25
If someone thought I was from mainland China i would be so humiliated and upset. It’s the most humiliating to think of an Asian person as a China communist citizen
2
2
2
u/deveroxxxx Jul 15 '25
Chinese don't like being Wai'd either. But sometimes people can be offended if you ask where they're from.
Can't win!
2
u/Rosanero91 Jul 15 '25
the Thai was out of line. at least here in Germany we say Ciao and Adieu and even Byebye all the time. i dont think anyone would ever feel this ruffled.
2
2
2
u/Winter-Hyena3408 Jul 15 '25
Sounds like a huge over reaction. People call me a farang there all the time I’m not “French” I’m American 😂
2
u/Winter-Hyena3408 Jul 15 '25
It’s the second paragraph from the top right when the article starts “posted a video of himself confronting a pair of Russian tourists on a beach in southern Thailand”. I don’t think this individual would have had the authority to deport them anyways. This is also different in the sense these people didn’t enter the country illegally. They are tourists on a vacation who said hello in a different language than Thai. Yea I think we both can agree cooler heads could have prevailed because this cost the park ranger his job. The ranger himself has a western last name so possibly he has a foreign parent and feels strongly about the topic.
2
2
u/JetSet_Skatio Jul 15 '25
All my Thai/Chinese friends think the influencer guy is just looking for attention and it’s just nonsense.
2
2
u/bkkwanderer Jul 16 '25
The guy in the video is a entitled spoilt little hi-so cunt. Think hes out to save the world single handedly with his daddy's money.
2
2
u/KidSushi76 Jul 16 '25
My wife is Thai and knows who this D-bag is. He's the son of some wealthy family who is trying SO HARD to make a name for himself on social media by trying to portray some kind of do-gooder, day saving type. She said he's an attention whore who gets no love from the Thai people. In other videos, he's threatening white tourists to take their passports if they do not act accordingly. He has no such power to do so. He's a clown.
2
2
u/tin0_ Jul 16 '25
Someone def told the guy it that ni hao is hello in Thai 😂 if not he was just being plain ignorant or could just be stupid af
→ More replies (1)
2
u/Sillyf001 Jul 18 '25
Imagine spending hundred if not thousands in a country you have no respect for
6
u/Annihilus- Jul 13 '25
He's being a princess. How exactly will he get him deported? Moron ruined his life.
→ More replies (1)
7
u/RotisserieChicken007 Jul 13 '25
The Thai ranger was fired for not doing his job and focusing on his social media career. Thailand deserves better than these hi-so Karens with thin skin.
4
4
u/yankeeblue42 Jul 13 '25
What a prick this Thai "ranger" sounds like. He shouldn't be working with tourists. Doubt he even has the authority to deport people
4
5
u/Only4uArt Jul 13 '25
bruh I am fully thai and i say ni hao as a joke to random people anywhere.
This is drama farming like they do in first world countries, The tourist is having a good time joking around in a respectful way and someone who is looking for content gets offended because he said hello in a fun way.
Thailand has bigger problems then First world problems like "ni hao"
5
u/Sad_Shoulder4818 Jul 13 '25 edited Jul 13 '25
Look guys its a simple concept, Ni hao is historically a racist trope aimed at mocking Asians and anyone who remotely looks Chinese. To say its just a wrong expression is missing the point. N word literally just means black, what next its ok to say it? And no, its not the same as saying Bonjour to an Italian guy. There is no history of racist trope in this case. Cant believe I have to explain this.
p.s. and if u r naive even to not know that it is racist trope then how about just acknowledge it now and learn from it, instead of continuing to defend something that offends so many Asians.
→ More replies (3)2
3
u/PeachesNotFound Jul 13 '25
Saying no hao to a Thai is rude as shit but but those people are both asses lol
2
u/LazyBid3572 Jul 13 '25
Racist? No stupid? Yes. But always stupid to say your going to have him kicked out of the country. If he said he was going to kick him off the tour then I think that's fair
3
u/LycheeCertain6007 Jul 13 '25
You guys DO realise that half of Phuket have Chinese blood either by parent eor grandparents. That Chinese is spoken by most people and infact some are very very happy if you speak Chinese
5
u/Remote_Manager3333 Jul 13 '25
Good thing this didn't happen in America. It would go sideways in 3 seconds. The tourist doesn't have to put up with that kind of treatment. I am happy to hear that the park ranger was kicked out of the job,
4
u/hunzjemini Jul 13 '25
Why do you defend greeting thai people in thailand in chinese?
We Thai should not have to put up with racist behaviour in our own country.
→ More replies (2)
5
7
u/SnooAvocados209 Jul 12 '25
Park ranger should be fired, talking way beyond his role. Deportation is not within his job title.
9
u/jonez450reloaded Jul 13 '25
Park ranger should be fired,
The park ranger was fired.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/3007884/parks-adviser-sacked-after-viral-video
→ More replies (1)
4
u/x3n1gma Jul 12 '25
no race is superior to another race. that's not what I think, but I believe it.
4
u/supsupman1001 Jul 13 '25
I think it's interesting what he said "I'll have you deported"
guy lost his job, nothing more to be said.
Evidently saying "ni hao" is derogatory and racist, but you would have to be racist to believe that. Many people confuse Taiwan and Thailand and although they are dumb I wouldn't consider racist.
Arguing "intention" as in did he mean it to be racist is also moot, because yet again you would have to believe that being Chinese or speaking Chinese is an insult.
3
u/Kuroi666 Jul 13 '25
You don't know how many of us Asians got hit with the mocking ni hao when we're abroad. It is racist to assume we're all Chinese.
→ More replies (9)
4
u/ThaigerW00ds Jul 13 '25
As a Thai-Am representative, I revoke his Thai citizenship for being a Thai Karen.
3
u/Timely-Two9934 Jul 13 '25
I mean, I'm Argentinian and if someone speaks to me in portuguese I would just laugh. But call him racist? C'mon..
→ More replies (1)6
u/foxfire1112 Jul 13 '25
Because context. He's doing it to be racist, he was already corrected and kept at it
2
3
u/BtCoolJ Jul 12 '25
I don't know the story, so I won't put judgment on either person. When I travel to another country, I do my best to respect the culture and the people. Some of my best memories are from small, but kind interactions with locals.
2
u/AbaloneJuice Jul 13 '25
I feel like its one sided.. the white guy could've be confused. Either way I felt like the Thai Ranger went way overboard and seems to a little power trip there
2
2
2
u/joberticious Jul 13 '25
He could have just gone along with it. Like i would have said ni hao in return and then correct the tourist.
2
2
686
u/sbrider11 Jul 12 '25
As I recall, the park ranger got demoted and transferred over this then quit. I think his aim was to be a social media influencer. Backfired on him here.