A hotel in Thailand has agreed to drop charges against a US man who was arrested for writing a negative review of the facility, meaning he will avoid legal action and jail time.
The hotel, on the holiday island of Koh Chang, filed a complaint against teacher Wesley Barnes in August after he posted what the hotel said were false and defamatory write-ups after a row over a 500 baht ($16) corkage fee.
Mr Barnes, who reportedly works in Thailand, wrote several reviews allegedly accusing the Sea View Resort of "modern day slavery".
Police later detained Mr Barnes under criminal defamation and computer crime laws for two days in September before he was released on bail.
But he has now managed to reach an agreement with the hotel which included issuing an apology to the facility and to Thailand's tourism authority, BBC news reported police as saying.
The hotel also asked Mr Barnes to send statements to media organisations, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the US Embassy and the Tripadvisor website this month, apologising and explaining that his poor reviews were written in anger.
In a statement, the Sea View Koh Chang hotel said: "Under conditions that Mr Barnes shows his sincerity and takes full responsibility for what had happened and remedy the situation, the hotel will be delighted to drop the charge."
Mr Barnes' case brought new scrutiny to Thailand’s defamation and computer crime laws, which human rights activists say are too harsh and sweeping.
Under the laws, Mr Barnes could have been fined up to 100,000 baht ($3,200) and be jailed for up to five years.
Agencies have contributed to this report
