Verbal abuse of Singaporean tourist leads to Phuket van driver being fined 1,000 baht

[Sig]

7 minutes ago, bignok said:

The Singapore guy should have paid the extra 100 baht. Or just got out if vehicle and walked. 

What makes you think he wasn't willing or going to pay? I guess you could make that assumption, but it is unfounded according to the article. Nowhere did I read that he refused to pay the required extra 100 baht to be dropped where he wanted to go. There was only a claim by the insane driver (whatever anything he says can have any trusted value is questionable) that the passenger was uncooperative and was discourteous during the journey, which apparently made the driver feel justified to kill him or in the least, threaten to do so. Swinging (allegedly) an iron bar at someone's head should be thought of as no less than aggravated assault and perhaps stretched to attempted murder by an aggressive prosecutor. At any rate, that driver should suffer much more severe consequences than a pittance of a fine.

[kwaussie]

Very rarely do we hear problems involving Singapore people, i find them some of the nicest people on the planet.

[Skeptic7]

38 minutes ago, Sig said:

Yes, I'm all for avoiding the court system! Anyone with an iota of knowledge of what goes on in America knows all too well how insane that gets. But when somebody's life gets physically threatened... any society, I would think, should take that quite seriously. Docking somebody a days wage, or so, for such a egregious crime, surely couldn't appear reasonable to the average person, could it!??? Does anyone ever think how they'd feel about it if that were their mother being attacked? It appears not....

Thai justice is a freakin' joke. I knew a girl for 10 years in Kanchanaburi who was raped then brutally murdered (knife) at 32 y.o. by a worthless piece of <deleted> scum Thai maniac. He got 7 years.

 

Only surprise in the highly glossed over OP case is that it wasn't the foreigner who was fined instead. Pathetic Thailand. 

[stevenl]

18 minutes ago, Sig said:

What makes you think he wasn't willing or going to pay? I guess you could make that assumption, but it is unfounded according to the article. Nowhere did I read that he refused to pay the required extra 100 baht to be dropped where he wanted to go. There was only a claim by the insane driver (whatever anything he says can have any trusted value is questionable) that the passenger was uncooperative and was discourteous during the journey, which apparently made the driver feel justified to kill him or in the least, threaten to do so. Swinging (allegedly) an iron bar at someone's head should be thought of as no less than aggravated assault and perhaps stretched to attempted murder by an aggressive prosecutor. At any rate, that driver should suffer much more severe consequences than a pittance of a fine.

If you had followed the story you would know the issue started or escalated with the Singaporean unwilling to pay the 100 baht.

[ikke1959]

1000 THB that will scare them and make them behave..... Suppose it was the Singaporean who did the same... The fine would be much higher....No wonder everybody in Thailand can do as they want, as the fines and punishment are never updated only for n on Thais

[mrfill]

I expect he'll start a GoFundMe page to pay off the huge fine.....

[phetpeter]

Isn't there a legal restriction on the number of passsengers those small mini buses can carry now. I am sure they are they are not allowed to carry 11 passengers?

[brianthainess]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

In a show of justice for tourists in Phuket,

 

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The driver was imposed with a fine of 1,000 baht

 

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

it remains unclear whether the fine of 1,000 baht was imposed before or after this reduction in his punishment.

So could be 500 baht fine, that'll teach him.  

[brianthainess]

No mention if they showed the CTV footage in court, my guess not, going by the fine.

[TigerandDog]

14 hours ago, bignok said:

Verbal abuse not attempted murder

maybe not attempted murder, but threatening with an iron bar is assault. 1 month in the slammer might teach this moron a lesson, and I bet the mini van company haven't fired him.

[brianthainess]

48 minutes ago, Skeptic7 said:

Only surprise in the highly glossed over OP case is that it wasn't the foreigner who was fined instead. Pathetic Thailand. 

My mate wanting to get to his house after a month away, offered a local Songthaew taxi an extra 200b off his route to take him 2 km up to his place, he refused. Imagine if he had threatened the driver with an iron bar .????????

[ignore it]

While verbal abuse is impolite,

Singaporeans are such whiny entitled mouthy wimps.

[Chongalulu]

14 hours ago, bignok said:

Threatening

So didnt actually do it

Yes,that makes it perfectly acceptable then. Later on I'll be arriving at your house pointing a loaded gun at your head. I "probably ” won't pull the trigger (use it) and so you'll be perfectly fine with that I guess...? 

[Chongalulu]

Thank goodness no wing mirrors were damaged in this incident. That would been 40 times more serious.. ????

[sambum]

2 hours ago, bignok said:

The Singapore guy should have paid the extra 100 baht. Or just got out if vehicle and walked. 

Where was "the extra 100 baht" mentioned? Or walked how far? From Krabi to Phuket?

 

Seems to me that the guy paid for his trip, and asked for a drop off at a certain hotel, and then for some reason the driver took umbrage (maybe because he didn't get a tip because of his attitude?) and went way over the top in his reaction.

And what I saw in the video is certainly a much more serious reaction than "verbal abuse"!!! 

 

Yes, let's make Phuket "safe and an attractive place for tourists" ????

[Scouse123]

15 hours ago, bignok said:

Drivers are underpaid and over worked. 

Ah, so that gives them the right to abuse tourists which is the lifeblood of that island?

 

That's why I don't bother with the place anymore and tell friends the same.

[Smokey and the Bandit]

15 hours ago, Yorkshire Tea said:

Nowt wrong with a bit of verbal abuse.  Better than using an iron bar ????

Any abuse is wrong, verbal or otherwise?

[sambum]

24 minutes ago, ignore it said:

While verbal abuse is impolite,

Singaporeans are such whiny entitled mouthy wimps.

I presume that is a tongue in cheek comment?

 

By the way, when does "verbal abuse" include taking a swing at somebody's head with an iron bar?

[gerritkaew]

15 hours ago, bignok said:

Verbal abuse not attempted murder

No, iff the tourist not duck and avoid get hit he would get killed!!

 

[gerritkaew]

What a joke..

 

Iff it whas one off us we would been in Bangkok Hilton..

[kwak250]

15 hours ago, bignok said:

So who drives the vans then? Robots?

Maybe drivers that can control their anger?

[worgeordie]

The tourist is going back to Singapore (where this sort of thing would never happen) and

is going to do a lot more than a B 1000 worth of damage to Thailand's reputation , what

reputation you say , and your right....

 

regards worgeordie

[kwak250]

27 minutes ago, sambum said:

Where was "the extra 100 baht" mentioned? Or walked how far? From Krabi to Phuket?

 

Seems to me that the guy paid for his trip, and asked for a drop off at a certain hotel, and then for some reason the driver took umbrage (maybe because he didn't get a tip because of his attitude?) and went way over the top in his reaction.

And what I saw in the video is certainly a much more serious reaction than "verbal abuse"!!! 

 

Yes, let's make Phuket "safe and an attractive place for tourists" ????

It was only verbal abuse because his skills with an iron bar were below average.

Just imagine if he had caught him with the iron bar it could have been 1500 baht maybe 2000 baht fine and a wai.

[Purdey]

It was definitely a show but not much justice. Put taxis and tuk tuks on a points system or a yellow then green card and they will fear for their jobs.

 

I can't help feel that ferrying richer people around in the knowledge they would always be poor is frustrating. 

[Polaky]

1000 baht fine, well that will fix it, no van driver would do the same for fear of the same penalty ????

[bignok]

59 minutes ago, nchuckle said:

Yes,that makes it perfectly acceptable then. Later on I'll be arriving at your house pointing a loaded gun at your head. I "probably ” won't pull the trigger (use it) and so you'll be perfectly fine with that I guess...? 

Up to you.

[klauskunkel]

16 hours ago, bignok said:

Drivers are underpaid and over worked. 

and here I thought it was a dream job...

[bignok]

Just now, klauskunkel said:

and here I thought it was a dream job...

Tuk tuk not a van.

[paul1804]

What a joke, this is the iron bar weilding individual who is charged with verbal abuse. Typical Thai justice! 

[IamNoone88]

I'm looking forward to the next aggressive van driver story. I know it will not take very long. Perhaps by Saturday.