Freeloading official brought to task for demanding free hotel room, abusing staff

PHUKET: A freeloading official has been forced to apologise for intimidating and unloading a tirade of vulgar abuse at staff at a Krabi resort for not getting the room he wanted at the nearly fully booked resort – for free.



By Eakkapop Thongtub

Friday 24 August 2018, 07:36PM

Than Sintawalai, Chief of the Department of Rural Roads Krabi office, caught on CCTV abusing the staff and demanding a free room at the resort. Screengrab: CCTV

The official caught abusing hotel staff and demanding a free room at the resort was Than Sintawalai, Chief of the Department of Rural Roads Krabi office.

Suthat Prukamonkul, General Manager of Ao Nang Phu Pi Maan Resort and Spa, filed a formal complaint of the incident to the Krabi Governor yesterday (Aug 23).

The complaint was also filed with Office of the Provincial Highways Region 14 office and included CCTV footage of the incident.

Mr Suthat also presented to Damrongsak Kongchuay, Acting Director of the Office of Rural Roads Region 14 office, a request to conduct a disciplinary investigation of Mr Than’s behaviour.

The complaint explained that Mr Than had arrived at the resort with family on July 27.

Mr Than asked for a room with a Jacuzzi on the fifth floor of the resort.

Of note, Mr Suthat pointed out, Mr Than had demanded the room for free.

Staff explained that the resort was nearly fully booked with guests, but managed to offer him a room with a Jacuzzi on the fourth floor.

Unhappy, Mr Than unleashed a tirade of verbal abuse at the staff that resort GM Mr Suthat at best described as “vulgarity not appropriate for the employees”.

Mr Suthat explained that twice he had arranged appointments for Mr Than to come and apologise for his behaviour.

Twice, Mr Than had failed to turn up.

However, Mr Than changed his tune yesterday when Krabi Provincial Police Commander Lt Col ML Kittibordee Prawit called Mr Than to meet hotel representatives to discuss the issue.

Mr Than admitted that he was the person in the CCTV footage seen abusing the staff.

He also apologised to the owner of the hotel for the incident and made an appointment with the hotel management to make his apology, which will also be to the employees

Mr Than said that he wanted “to bring the issue to an end”.

“I had a lot of work and did not have time to meet the hotel to make an apology,” he said.

Mr Than added that he was now “ready to follow orders”.