Phuket minivan driver fined 5,000 baht for abandoning tourists

[webfact]

A Phuket minivan driver has been fined 5,000 baht after abandoning two Russian women at the side of the road, apparently to avoid driving through a police checkpoint. According to a Phuket News report, the incident happened yesterday, October 3, on the Bypass Road (which goes from Samkong to Koh Kaew).

 

It’s understood the Russian tourists had hired the minivan to take them from the Laguna holiday resort in Chergntalay, to the Central Festival shopping mall in Kathu.

 

As the van was heading south down the bypass road towards their destination at around 12.40, the driver spotted a police checkpoint about 400 metres ahead. Unwilling to risk driving through the checkpoint, he stopped the van and made the women get out, before driving off.

 

By Peter Roche

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Full story: PhuketGO 2023-10-04

 

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[ChipButty]

Why did he not want to drive through the checkpoint? 

[daveAustin]

^^ Drinking?

Fine, name and shame. Phuket’s public transport ‘network’ is woefully bad. 

[Don Chance]

2 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Why did he not want to drive through the checkpoint? 

Probably not having the right license to carry tourists.

[tomazbodner]

4 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Why did he not want to drive through the checkpoint? 

From link in original post:

 

Somchat later posted on social media that the man had been brought in for questioning, where it emerged he had not paid the road tax on his vehicle.

Edited October 4, 2023 by tomazbodner

[ChipButty]

1 minute ago, Don Chance said:

Probably not having the right license to carry tourists.

He does have a yellow plate, 

[ChipButty]

2 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

From link in original post:

 

Somchat later posted on social media that the man had been brought in for questioning, where it emerged he had not paid the road tax on his vehicle.

how many years had he not paid? a Thai guy banged my truck he had not paid it for 3 years, 

[bob smith]

and there again, yet another reason not to visit Phuket.

 

getting quite the list now!

[Deserted]

The dog.

[ezzra]

As it turned out paying the road tax would have cost him a lot less that 5k, hard lesson learned, or maybe not...

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, ChipButty said:

Why did he not want to drive through the checkpoint? 

Why did you not read the report in full?

[VinnieK]

'....upon complaining for the severity of the fine, it was reduced to 5 baht.

A slap on the wrist was also added to the penalties

Tourists were issued with a stern warning.

'If you had stayed home, none of this would have happened '

 

 

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, daveAustin said:

^^ Drinking?

Fine, name and shame. Phuket’s public transport ‘network’ is woefully bad. 

"^^ Drinking?".

No.   Read the article in full properly.

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, Don Chance said:

1 hour ago, ChipButty said:

Why did he not want to drive through the checkpoint? 

Probably not having the right license to carry tourists.

Probably best if you read the article!

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

As the van was heading south down the bypass road towards their destination at around 12.40, the driver spotted a police checkpoint about 400 metres ahead. Unwilling to risk driving through the checkpoint, he stopped the van and made the women get out, before driving off.

Welcome to Thailand.

[sikishrory]

Thai logic

Carrying a fare that would probably cover his tax or most of it. As it's already grossly overpriced no doubt.

Yet, instead would rather kick them out and continue driving around the island avoiding checkpoints so he can save 1000 baht or so.

It's around 800 on a car is it not? Taxi maybe a bit more.

Totally illogical

[Irish star]

2 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Why did he not want to drive through the checkpoint? 

Maybe the back of van was filled with packages of some sort lol

[NoDisplayName]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Unwilling to risk driving through the checkpoint, he stopped the van and made the women get out, before driving off.

2 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

it emerged he had not paid the road tax on his vehicle.

So he drove off without the passengers.

How does that avoid driving through the checkpoint?

 

There are two options here:

 

He drove through the checkpoint without the tourists, and was fined for not paying road tax, regardless of tourist passengers.

 

He unnecessarily dumped the tourists, then took an alternate route without going through the checkpoint to avoid the road tax fine.

 

What does the presence of tourists got to do with it?

 

I tink me tink tu mut.

 

 

[RocketDog]

4 hours ago, ezzra said:

As it turned out paying the road tax would have cost him a lot less that 5k, hard lesson learned, or maybe not...

Ah yes. But that might be somewhere in the unknown future.

Thai people don't do 'future'.

[PETERTHEEATER]

7 hours ago, ChipButty said:

He does have a yellow plate, 

And I see both ladies were wearing yellow safety helmets.

Edited October 4, 2023 by PETERTHEEATER
Typo

[stevenl]

5 hours ago, NoDisplayName said:

So he drove off without the passengers.

How does that avoid driving through the checkpoint?

 

There are two options here:

 

He drove through the checkpoint without the tourists, and was fined for not paying road tax, regardless of tourist passengers.

 

He unnecessarily dumped the tourists, then took an alternate route without going through the checkpoint to avoid the road tax fine.

 

What does the presence of tourists got to do with it?

 

I tink me tink tu mut.

 

 

If no customers regular tax is required, if carrying tourists yellow plate tax. 

[NoDisplayName]

43 minutes ago, stevenl said:

If no customers regular tax is required, if carrying tourists yellow plate tax. 

We can see from the photo in the linked article, he has a yellow tag.

 

We can learn from the text of the article that he did not pass through the checkpoint.  He dumped the ladies and then did a runner.  It was only after he was tracked down that they found his tax payments were in arrears.

 

Had he taken the stealth maneuver with the ladies still in the vehicle he'd have collected the fare and continued to avoid the tax, as well as the 5000 baht fine.
 

Quote

 

According to the Phuket News, Mr Somchat’s office assisted the two women and alerted police. Officers were subsequently able to track down the 31 year old minivan driver, named only as “Mr A”.

Somchat later posted on social media that the man had been brought in for questioning, where it emerged he had not paid the road tax on his vehicle.

 

 

Edited October 4, 2023 by NoDisplayName

[Bepah umayun]

Phuket image now, omg! 

[Bepah umayun]

On 10/4/2023 at 8:52 AM, ezzra said:

As it turned out paying the road tax would have cost him a lot less that 5k, hard lesson learned, or maybe not...

no, because it can't happen twice!