Thailand park ranger sacked after ‘ni hao’ tourist clash video: ‘we’re Thai, not Chinese’
The viral video has stirred debate on whether he was right to be offended or overreacted to the Mandarin greeting
Siranudh Scott, 26, an adviser to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, posted a video of himself confronting a pair of Russian tourists on a beach in southern Thailand onto his social media accounts last week.
In the video, Siranudh cuts short the visit of two foreign tourists, ordering them to depart from the island that they are on.
“You said ‘ni hao’ to us, that’s not how you say hello and hi. Because of your attitude and disrespect towards me as a national park ranger, [your day here] has ended,” he tells them.
“I might take this chance to remind you to be a bit more respectful. Do not be racist.”
When the tourist denied being racist, Siranudh referred to the man’s earlier greeting of “hello” in Mandarin and warned: “We’re not Chinese, we’re Thai. So try that again, and I will have you deported.”