Chinese tourist fined for washing her feet in public bathroom sink

KRABI, Thailand – A Chinese tourist at a Thailand park was fined 1,000 baht ($30) on Friday for washing her feet in a public bathroom sink less than an hour after a “no feet-washing” sign was posted.

The unnamed woman had ignored the English-language sign forbidding visitors at the Koh Phi Phi National Park from using restroom sinks to wash their feet, an official told the Thailand-based Daily News, Sing Sian Yer Pao Daily reported.

The “no washing feet in this sink” sign had been posted after several Chinese tourists were spotted using the basins to scrub their tootsies at the park on Thursday.

The foot fiasco has led tourism authorities to consider producing videos in Chinese to better instruct tourists about Thai culture and proper etiquette while in the country, a spokesman for the Tourist Authority of Thailand told the Chiangrai Times on Friday.

This is just the latest of recent policies targeting Chinese tourists in Thailand following high-profile incidents of bad behavior.

Chinese tourists were denied access to the Wat Rong Khun, known also as the White Temple, in Chiang Rai Province on February 3 after a Chinese woman allegedly defecated on the floor of a temple bathroom, Thailand Headlines posted on Sina Weibo February 5.

Some Chinese Net users pointed fingers at the Thai government for discrimination and a lack of proper amenities for tourists.

“The notice was in English, showing that feet washing in sinks is also a problem among travelers from other countries. Could it be all the muddy water that’s making their feet dirty? If so, the Thai government needs to improve their services rather than impose penalties indiscriminately,” Sina Weibo user “Lichaye Ershi” wrote.

But many lashed back at such comments. “How stupid are these people saying they didn’t use Chinese-language signs? Do you need people to slap you across the face to admit you’re disliked?” another Sina Weibo user said.