A video has gone viral of a Thai minibus driver threatening to strike a foreigner with an iron bar in Phuket. The case is under investigation by the police.

 

In the video shared yesterday, July 2, a white minivan is seen parked on a roadside in front of a coffee shop on Ratsada Road in Phuket. The driver, dressed in a red shirt and jeans, steps out of the vehicle, while the foreign man retrieves his luggage and stands on the footpath.

 

The driver then approaches the foreigner with an iron bar in his hand and attempts to strike the foreigner on the head. The foreign victim avoided the blow and tried to walk away from the driver. The driver followed the foreigner and continued to threaten him.

 

The side of the minibus displays the name of the touring agency, Haad Yai River Tour. Unfortunately, the video does not reveal the vehicle’s registration plate

 

According to ThaiRath, the minibus was full of passengers, leading many netizens to express concern not only about the driver’s aggressive behaviour towards the foreigner but also about the safety of other passengers on board.

 

By Petch Petpailin

Caption: Photo via Facebook/ Thaicrime Online

 

#news

Full Story: https://thethaiger.com/news/national/mini-bus-driver-caught-on-viral-video-threatening-to-hit-foreigner-with-iron-bar-in-phuket

 

-- © Copyright Thaiger 2023-07-03

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

 

 

start 0:17

an island of thugs.

 

nothing changes.

Taxi/Van/TukTuk drivers are the most aggressive bunch of people that I got to see in Thailand.

 

I whitnessed a TukTuk driver trying to hit a motorcyclist with a wood plank spiked with nails on a red light. On another occasion a van driver first pushed me off the line I was in and then because I honked on the next red light came out of his vehicle and stormed towards me, luckily I was able to ride away quickly.

 

The problem is the punishments for wrongdoing are a joke. This case here is attempted murder. Throw him in jail. But what will happen is he'll be fined 1000 baht as mentioned in the article. Boohoo just means he'll need to scam a few more passangers.

4 minutes ago, eisfeld said:

Taxi/Van/TukTuk drivers are the most aggressive bunch of people that I got to see in Thailand.

shhhh, dont say that!

 

you'll have all the apologists out soon saying 'he was just having a bad day!'

 

????

34 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The side of the minibus displays the name of the touring agency,

you actually printed this name knowing the defamation laws here ? good on the foreigner for keeping cool in the situation. 

Have experience of  a van man like this. So dangerous I say I want off  and he argue  not until desyination. I say no and not want money back, just life . He  got angry  more when other passengers  say  us too ! Nevr use such transport again .

37 minutes ago, bogs smith said:

an island of thugs.

 

nothing changes.

Didn't know had Yai is an island and part of Phuket.

1 minute ago, stevenl said:

Didn't know had Yai is an island and part of Phuket.

what are u on about had yai. it says Phuket in the title!

1 hour ago, bogs smith said:

what are u on about had yai. it says Phuket in the title!

And the minibus is from where?

26 minutes ago, stevenl said:

1 hour ago, bogs smith said:

what are u on about had yai. it says Phuket in the title!

And the minibus is from where?

Who cares....   ??? irrelevant....  Whether the driver is from Phuket (an Island full of thugs) or from Hat-Yai... or any other area of Thailand the post below rings true...     

 

Even with 'bogs' 'and Island full of thugs comment'....  that facet of the debate is just dumb. 

 

2 hours ago, eisfeld said:

Taxi/Van/TukTuk drivers are the most aggressive bunch of people that I got to see in Thailand.

 

 

The old 'we help you rent (an overpriced) room' scam... Even if people already have bookings, the obligatory stop at the tour company office. - Guess, the foreign tourist didn't have a need for such a room, which upset the driver, as he didn't get a commission... Remember that scam vividly from past trips to Phuket. No wonder the industry is vying for first-timers rather than trying to welcome tourists back.

2 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

The old 'we help you rent (an overpriced) room' scam... Even if people already have bookings, the obligatory stop at the tour company office. - Guess, the foreign tourist didn't have a need for such a room, which upset the driver, as he didn't get a commission... 

I can see the way some of these guys drive (also often Taxi drivers / Songthaew drivers) that they must be on something... they are so very very unhinged and 'edgy' just waiting to be trigged by the slightest of slights....

 

Driving the public around is a crappy job, I'm sure they have to deal with so many ayholes, howerver, it seems these drivers go from nothing to ready to kill in milliseconds. 

 

35 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Who cares....   ??? irrelevant....  Whether the driver is from Phuket (an Island full of thugs) or from Hat-Yai... or any other area of Thailand the post below rings true...     

 

Even with 'bogs' 'and Island full of thugs comment'....  that facet of the debate is just dumb. 

 

 

 

Very relevant if you look at the post I replied to.

23 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

The old 'we help you rent (an overpriced) room' scam... Even if people already have bookings, the obligatory stop at the tour company office. - Guess, the foreign tourist didn't have a need for such a room, which upset the driver, as he didn't get a commission... Remember that scam vividly from past trips to Phuket. No wonder the industry is vying for first-timers rather than trying to welcome tourists back.

No, read the tourist's explanation in the full story. Without knowing exactly what was discussed with the agency we don't know if the driver was in the right to ask for an additional charge. We do know his behaviour was in the wrong. 

25 minutes ago, stevenl said:

We do know his behaviour was in the wrong. 

Of course he was, and in some other countries he would have had to explain himself to the police, lose his job, or both. And such an incident is neither the first, nor will it be the last...

26 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

The 'attack' happened in Phuket, the Van has 'hat-yai' written on it...

Whether the driver picked up the tourists at Phuket Airport, or in Hat Yai is here irrelevant...

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

And the minibus is from where?

probably not Hat Yai. article clearly says Haad Yai River Tour. 

 

like a mini bus that says trat must be from trad right. 

4 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The driver then approaches the foreigner with an iron bar in his hand and attempts to strike the foreigner on the head. The foreign victim avoided the blow and tried to walk away from the driver. The driver followed the foreigner and continued to threaten him.

Customer complaints department, Thai style.

3 hours ago, bogs smith said:

you'll have all the apologists out soon saying 'he was just having a bad day!'

Two of my favourites: "A Thai would never do something like this for no reason.  The foreigner must have done something to antagonise him."  Or "Thais can sense someone's character just by looking at them, so if they treat you badly, it's because you're a bad person."

23 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

49 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

The 'attack' happened in Phuket, the Van has 'hat-yai' written on it...

Whether the driver picked up the tourists at Phuket Airport, or in Hat Yai is here irrelevant...

Agreed....  its so typical of these forums to get into debates about the inanely irrelevant.... 

 

As far as the reports state - they could not get the numberplate of the van itself... 

 

But how many 'Hat-Yai-World-Tour' vans can there actually be in operation.

 

Are the police even going to bother 'trace this guy (driver) or are they going to do what they usually do and ask him to turn himself in at the station so he can explain it was all a misunderstanding and it was only long piece of paper (poster) he was waving around !!!... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

Two of my favourites: "A Thai would never do something like this for no reason.  The foreigner must have done something to antagonise him."  Or "Thais can sense someone's character just by looking at them, so if they treat you badly, it's because you're a bad person."

Well... to be fair... such characters (as this driver) usually need a 'trigger' to kick off like this... 

But this trigger is usually someone not allowing themselves to get ripped off.....

4 hours ago, bogs smith said:

shhhh, dont say that!

 

you'll have all the apologists out soon saying 'he was just having a bad day!'

 

????

Just a misunderstanding. Didn't mean to threaten the passenger with an iron bar, which mistakenly happened to be in the minibus, someone must have left it there 

Minivan Driver Allegedly Threatens Foreign Passenger with Iron Bar in Phuket Old Town
By Goongnang Suksawat

 

 

Phuket – A minivan driver allegedly threatened a foreign passenger with an iron bar in Phuket Old Town.

A video clip of the incident went viral on social media and can be seen HERE on Sunday afternoon (July 2nd). According to the footage, the unidentified driver came out of a minivan which was parked near a coffee shop on Rassada Road in Talat Yai, Phuket Old Town.

 

The driver was holding an iron bar when he emerged from the minivan. A foreign passenger whose nationality and name were not identified to the press came out of the minivan with some luggage. The driver appeared about to hit the foreigner with his hand and the bar but the foreigner walked away.

 

Full story: https://thephuketexpress.com/2023/07/03/minivan-driver-allegedly-threatens-foreign-passenger-with-iron-bar-in-phuket-old-town/

 

-- © Copyright The Phuket Express 2023-07-04

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

Phuket transport employee?   'nuff said

Driver..."I didn't ask him for another 100bt... I was refunding 100bt

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

A video has gone viral of a Thai minibus driver threatening to strike a foreigner with an iron bar in Phuket. The case is under investigation by the police

Welcome to Thailand.

The propensity to pick up an object to hit someone with is ingrained in these people from childhood. Nary a week goes by that I don't see someone hitting, or going after another, usually smaller person with a stick, club, rod, bar, piece of wood or machete. Just yesterday, taking my child to the local village clinic, saw the nurse continuously hitting a (her?) child with a stick, for doing nothing than being a child complaining about something or other. Same place awhile back, was waiting for the doctor to see my child, sitting with the other parents (grandparents), and saw a mom holding a stick, and hitting her child whenever the child tried to wander a few yards away. Quite a few times I've seen this, moms walking around with their kids, holding a stick. In America this is abuse. Anywhere, it's a cowardly act. You can use your open hand to smack a child on the butt if they misbehave. Daily, you see others going after people one against four or five, hitting, kicking, hitting with sticks, or one running after another with a machete, on TV. Pretty sad, cowardly thing to teach your kids.

Driver must have been a feyenoord hooligan...

11 hours ago, bogs smith said:

an island of thugs.

 

nothing changes.

All the Thai islands are like that.

After my first trip (Koh Libong), I never went to a Thai island again.

Amazing Thailand TIT