Phuket tuk tuk driver shooting sparks alarm in bustling tourist hub

[webfact]

 

A rivalry between two tuk tuk drivers escalated to violence today when one of the drivers was shot in the stomach and thigh near the entrance of Bangla Road in Phuket.

 

The incident occurred in the vicinity of TaiPan Nightclub, situated on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road, about 700 metres from Patong Police Station.

 

Shortly after midnight, Patong Police were informed of the shooting. Upon arrival, the gunman, identified as 36 years old Kosit Phromphiwat, had already fled the scene in a pink tuk tuk bearing the license plate FK 523. The victim, 42 years old Phongsak Pengporu, was found at the scene, suffering from two bullet wounds in his body.

 

The tuk tuk driver was shot one time in the right side of his abdomen and a second time in his left thigh reported The Phuket News.

 

by Neill Fronde 

Picture courtesy of Patong Police Station

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/crime/phuket-tuk-tuk-driver-shooting-sparks-alarm-in-bustling-tourist-hub

 

-- The Thaiger 2023-09-04

 

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[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

the gunman, identified as 36 years old Kosit Phromphiwat, had already fled the scene in a pink tuk tuk bearing the license plate FK 523.

Spotted heading west doing 20mph.

[nobodysfriend]

Nearly every male Thai seems to be armed and ready to use it .

 

[jacko45k]

Now that is some serious pointing..... he is demonstrating a perfect technique with added dramatic poise.   

[brianthainess]

See if there is a pink tuk tuk parked outside his Mums.

This gun situation is way out of control and getting worse everyday, and authorities are unable/unwilling to do anything about it. They need a MANDATORY prison term of 1yr for anyone carrying or in possession of illegal guns.  (including 'licensed' ones if in public). 

[RichardColeman]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

identified as 36 years old Kosit Phromphiwat, had already fled the scene in a pink tuk tuk

Think I'd check the transport outside the gay  nightclubs first !

[Gottfrid]

Yeah, they got their work cut out for them. Fights between schools, grab, bolt and taxi, tuk tuk drivers and speedboat operators. All fighting and killing each other.

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, nobodysfriend said:

Nearly every male Thai seems to be armed and ready to use it .

 

And that's we must never, ever, under any circumstances get into an argument with a Thai. I've written before that Thailand must be one of the most dangerous countries in the world outside of a war zone. So many armed with a gun or other weapon, so many with very short tempers - we've recently had one man knifed to death for turning off the wi-fi, and another bludgeoned to death with a hammer for slamming a door. The place in a tinder box and anything at all can set them off.

[Tropicalevo]

2 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

Nearly every male Thai seems to be armed and ready to use it .

 

Official numbers for gun ownership were over 10 million guns are known to be owned in Thailand.

 

That is approximately 1 in 10 people own a gun legally registered and 15 in 100 people including illegal gun ownership.

Unofficial estimates are that there are closer to 17 million guns in Thailand.

(I cannot find that link again - sorry.)

[nobodysfriend]

2 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

Official numbers for gun ownership were over 10 million guns are known to be owned in Thailand.

 

That is approximately 1 in 10 people own a gun legally registered and 15 in 100 people including illegal gun ownership.

Unofficial estimates are that there are closer to 17 million guns in Thailand.

(I cannot find that link again - sorry.)

 If you take into consideration that , probably , not many women ( half of the thai population ) run around with a gun , that doubles the percentage of thai males that are armed . That makes it 30 % of thai males are armed .

That IS a reason to be worried .

[CDG931]

I stopped visiting Phuket a long time ago. 
There is a very unhealthy atmosphere and I had some very bad experiences with taxis.
Horrible place.

[Bangkok Barry]

54 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

Official numbers for gun ownership were over 10 million guns are known to be owned in Thailand.

 

That is approximately 1 in 10 people own a gun legally registered and 15 in 100 people including illegal gun ownership.

Unofficial estimates are that there are closer to 17 million guns in Thailand.

(I cannot find that link again - sorry.)

I've read several times over the years that, based on population, Thailand has double the number of gun deaths compared to the USA. In Thailand they are largely family-related (despite us reading in guide books and magazines how close Thai families are), whereas in the USA they are not.

[Bangkok Barry]

30 minutes ago, CDG931 said:

I stopped visiting Phuket a long time ago. 
There is a very unhealthy atmosphere and I had some very bad experiences with taxis.
Horrible place.

Anyone I know who tells me they are including Phuket in their plans when they visit Thailand are told by me to avoid it like the plague.

[still kicking]

1 hour ago, Tropicalevo said:

Official numbers for gun ownership were over 10 million guns are known to be owned in Thailand.

 

That is approximately 1 in 10 people own a gun legally registered and 15 in 100 people including illegal gun ownership.

Unofficial estimates are that there are closer to 17 million guns in Thailand.

(I cannot find that link again - sorry.)

Yes but not as bad as the US 

[richard_smith237]

35 minutes ago, CDG931 said:

I stopped visiting Phuket a long time ago. 
There is a very unhealthy atmosphere and I had some very bad experiences with taxis.
Horrible place.

In 'areas' of Phuket, Samui and also Pattaya there is an a somewhat unhealthy atmosphere, one were there is a general sense of disregard compared to the innocent indifference we see elsewhere. 

 

I always guessed it was because those in specific parts of such area's are less likely to be from that area, less likely to be community spirited and more mercenary in their hunger for money.

 

Such area's are often a tinderbox for fighting factions, fragile ego's, incendiary responses to simple events.

 

That the police do very little to enforce the laws in such area's highlights the utter absence of any grasp the Thai Police have on law and order in the nation in general.

[digger70]

4 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

Nearly every male Thai seems to be armed and ready to use it .

 

All Thai people know that most Thais have a Micro fuse.

Many Thais come Well  Prepared for an Altercation if that occurs.

[PETERTHEEATER]

5 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Now that is some serious pointing..... he is demonstrating a perfect technique with added dramatic poise.   

Absolutely ten out of ten for illuminated pointing. If only we knew what was the centre of attention.

[PETERTHEEATER]

7 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Spotted heading west doing 20mph.

Were his hips swaying?

[rudi49jr]

7 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

Nearly every male Thai seems to be armed and ready to use it .

 

You’re probably not far off. I had a Thai teacher who said that almost every Thai guy she knew had a gun. And they carried them when they went out.