Hungarian Man Facing Legal Action After Touching Pipefish While Diving at Pha Ngan Island

Pha Ngan Island, Surat Thani-

 A Hungarian man is facing legal action after he touched a pipefish while he was diving at Pha Ngan Island.

The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) Office told the Phuket Express that a video clip was posted on a YouTube channel this week with the message “Scuba Diving in Paradise, Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand”.

The diver was touching a pipefish which is illegal to touch or catch the pipefish by law. The DMCR filed a report to the Koh Pha Ngan Police and the video went viral on Thai social media, with many Thai nationals outraged. Some critics, however, said the diving company or boat operator should have properly warned the man. However, the man was not a tourist and was an ex-pat, the DMCR stated.

The diver was later identified by police as a Hungarian man although they did not release his name to the public. He has a Thai wife and lives on Pha Ngan Island as an ex-pat.

His passport is being kept with police to prevent escape from Thailand while an investigation continues.

The original version of this article appeared on our sister website, The Phuket Express, owned by our parent company TPN media.

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Goongnang Suksawat
Goong Nang is a News Translator who has worked professionally for multiple news organizations in Thailand for many years and has worked with The Pattaya News for more than four years. Specializes primarily in local news for Phuket, Pattaya, and also some national news, with emphasis on translation between Thai to English and working as an intermediary between reporters and English-speaking writers. Originally from Nakhon Si Thammarat, but lives in Phuket and Krabi except when commuting between the three.