Phuket Tuk-tuk Driver Attacks French Family

[ScubaBuddha]

By the way there were 67 tuktuks parked up between the Holiday Inn and Bangla Road...at 3pm.

I did the loop around beach road and Ratuthit receantly and counted almost 200 EMPTY tuk tuks cruising slowly blockingtraffic, beeping thier horns, many parked illegally. Stating the obvious here, but the tuk tuk situation is just an absolute mess.

[surangw]

By the way there were 67 tuktuks parked up between the Holiday Inn and Bangla Road...at 3pm.

I did the loop around beach road and Ratuthit receantly and counted almost 200 EMPTY tuk tuks cruising slowly blockingtraffic, beeping thier horns, many parked illegally. Stating the obvious here, but the tuk tuk situation is just an absolute mess.

someone has a lot of their money tied up in those empty tuk tuks, hope the guy ( money guy) looses big time

[moskito]

more videos of "incidents" that make it to the net or media would really make a difference.

even a few of tourists being hit up for bogus bribes and so on would shame a few ( just don't get noticed doing it)

gooooooooood morning and a HAPPY NEW YEAR

just checked youtube a bit for tuk tuk videos and found another

another one where two people want go from Patong to a hotel in Patong....first driver demanded 700.-Baht, finally they get it for 360,-,

guess its also an aspect in which hotel you stay and how much gold is around your neck. Tuk Tuk drivers tax you.

[moskito]

uhhhhh btw, who thougt the Jetski problem in Phuket is solved should read http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/detail.asp?id=8180 THIS

[Nio]

Did he go too far? Sure. But a savvy foreigner would have never found out how far he was willing to take it. Unless I'm trying to carry a loved one into the emergency room, if a Thai man is screaming at me to do something, I'm going to shut up and get as far away from him as I can as fast as I can. Don't mistake their small size and smiles for weakness, they will fuc_k you up if you piss them off.

"Don't Mistake their small size" because maybe they would F YOU up for sure because you sound like a puss but once it starts, fair is fair

Not every battle ends with the farang getting a whooping because I have wooped on my share of Thais over the years here

If you are 5'6" and 90 pounds afraid of a Thai the same size, I feel sorry for you

But if you outweight him by 150 pounds I would hope you would put one on him

I think if you saw a farang family getting beat up on by one thai and you didn't do something, then you are the coward

Not every Thai is Bruce Lee like you think

Take Semmy Schilt against the World Muay Thai Champion and watch what happens. Due to size and power, Semmy would beat him into the ground

People, don't be afraid of your own shadow

If it was your mother or grandmother or daughter, I bet you would so something

All and you other wanke_rs afraid of the police and jail, haven't been there yet

[Thongkorn]

All and you other wanke_rs afraid of the police and jail, haven't been there yet

Just read This , I would just like to Say i am not a wank-r ( male or female organ manipulator).

I have never been to Jail and have no intetions of being a bad person to go to Jail.

Maybe there is a Bravo program in the making here,

Knowledge Dispels fear, By that I mean I am not afraid of Snakes Spiders Dogs or people, But I have a

healthy respect for them , because i know that snakes and spiders can bite , and that Some

People are no good. Unfortunately Tourist some times do not know that there are Some bad people trying to

rip them off, they are on Holiday and in a Holiday mood, Without tourist there is no Phuket, Phuket needs

Tourists.

[Skytrain2hell]

They are all French and didn't immediately retreat?

Something is fishy here...

[dom samui]

They are all French and didn't immediately retreat?

Something is fishy here...

And you know what ? YOU !

[dbaron]

Almost everyone has their personal "tragedy" to relate following their visit to Thailand for two weeks - the taxi driver overcharged me by 50 baht, my bar bill was wrong to the tune of 95 baht, a local looked at me threateningly and I was very scared. And then there's the other group who got involved in physical violence, it was 2:0am in a bar me lud and for no reason at all this man started to punch me, or, I'd had a "few" beers and somebody said this and then that happened and before I knew it I was bleeding and crying! The final group is that who have heard things, stuff, from trusted friends, about their experiences - you won't believe what she did or you'll never guess what happened next!

What can be said other than people need to get real about all of this. Thailand is not the UK, Phuket is not the same as Swindon or Leeds, people behave differently, they have different attitudes and motivators and it's, well, different, if folks are not prepared to adapt to that sort of change it's probably best they stay home. I don't know why I never have a problem with the locals, I'm tall but not big and I'm older - locals speak to me and I speak back or ignore them and I've managed to get through my seven years in Thailand without a scratch or a major drama - I suspect it has something to do with attitude but who knows.

I agree with some aspects of your comment.

I have been to Phuket 3 times in 4 years and thailand 4 times in 4 years and will be back with my wife and two daughters in two weeks to Phuket.

Have only had a problem in Patpong Bangkok with tuk tuk driver hasseling my daughters and told him to f_uck off.

Tuk tuk prices in Patong are B_ull S-hit tho and need to be addressed

DB

[britadders28]

Almost everyone has their personal "tragedy" to relate following their visit to Thailand for two weeks - the taxi driver overcharged me by 50 baht, my bar bill was wrong to the tune of 95 baht, a local looked at me threateningly and I was very scared. And then there's the other group who got involved in physical violence, it was 2:0am in a bar me lud and for no reason at all this man started to punch me, or, I'd had a "few" beers and somebody said this and then that happened and before I knew it I was bleeding and crying! The final group is that who have heard things, stuff, from trusted friends, about their experiences - you won't believe what she did or you'll never guess what happened next!

What can be said other than people need to get real about all of this. Thailand is not the UK, Phuket is not the same as Swindon or Leeds, people behave differently, they have different attitudes and motivators and it's, well, different, if folks are not prepared to adapt to that sort of change it's probably best they stay home. I don't know why I never have a problem with the locals, I'm tall but not big and I'm older - locals speak to me and I speak back or ignore them and I've managed to get through my seven years in Thailand without a scratch or a major drama - I suspect it has something to do with attitude but who knows.

I agree with some aspects of your comment.

I have been to Phuket 3 times in 4 years and thailand 4 times in 4 years and will be back with my wife and two daughters in two weeks to Phuket.

Have only had a problem in Patpong Bangkok with tuk tuk driver hasseling my daughters and told him to f_uck off.

Tuk tuk prices in Patong are B_ull S-hit tho and need to be addressed

DB

your daughter was lucky not to get heard they are not afraid of hitting women or girls although with words like that you must be very proud of her!!!

[cdnvic]

One over the top anti-Thai comment deleted. Please restrain your comments to specific persons, not a whole race/gender/nationality/etc.

[dbaron]

Almost everyone has their personal "tragedy" to relate following their visit to Thailand for two weeks - the taxi driver overcharged me by 50 baht, my bar bill was wrong to the tune of 95 baht, a local looked at me threateningly and I was very scared. And then there's the other group who got involved in physical violence, it was 2:0am in a bar me lud and for no reason at all this man started to punch me, or, I'd had a "few" beers and somebody said this and then that happened and before I knew it I was bleeding and crying! The final group is that who have heard things, stuff, from trusted friends, about their experiences - you won't believe what she did or you'll never guess what happened next!

What can be said other than people need to get real about all of this. Thailand is not the UK, Phuket is not the same as Swindon or Leeds, people behave differently, they have different attitudes and motivators and it's, well, different, if folks are not prepared to adapt to that sort of change it's probably best they stay home. I don't know why I never have a problem with the locals, I'm tall but not big and I'm older - locals speak to me and I speak back or ignore them and I've managed to get through my seven years in Thailand without a scratch or a major drama - I suspect it has something to do with attitude but who knows.

I agree with some aspects of your comment.

I have been to Phuket 3 times in 4 years and thailand 4 times in 4 years and will be back with my wife and two daughters in two weeks to Phuket.

Have only had a problem in Patpong Bangkok with tuk tuk driver hasseling my daughters and told him to f_uck off.

Tuk tuk prices in Patong are B_ull S-hit tho and need to be addressed

DB

your daughter was lucky not to get heard they are not afraid of hitting women or girls although with words like that you must be very proud of her!!!

I am very proud of both my daughters and my wife.

The tuk tuk driver tried to take a small amount of money from eldest daughter twice and then grabbed hold of my youngest daughter while my wife and I where not paying attention with our backs to them tryig to work out where a particular market stall was that we had seen and wanted to return to.

Only for my wife grabbing my arm I was flying at him to punch his lights out but realised he had backed up to about twelve of his fellows tuk tuk mates and decided not a good idea with 13 and 9 year old girls to do this as they where screaming no dad don't get hurt.

Two Huge American guy's asked me if they could fix him up and I said no not worth the hassle and got out of there straight away.

DB

Edited January 1, 2010 by dbaron

[jackr]

Did he go too far? Sure. But a savvy foreigner would have never found out how far he was willing to take it.

No they wouldn't.

Only reason these tough guys act this way is the comfort zone. Would like to see them try it on in my home town.

Although no fan of the guy, Phuket needs a Thaksin-esque purge of the scum element along with puppeteers.

[kensingto]

A savvy farang would never confront with a Thai. Who knows if he was carrying a pistol. Better stay claim and let the police clear the matter. It would be great if you know someone working at the media. As far as I know these guys are afraid to be on TV.

[nakachalet]

phuketrex

good job....

one of these days, you'll have something significant....

do not give it up....

we are behind you....

and wishing you a very interesting and safe 2010....

when you see something interesting, REMEMBER YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE CLOSEUP, except for the audio part....

to be safe.... USE YOUR ZOOM, ok?

[uts]

I stopped taking my family to Phuket for the simple reason you can't go anywhere without being ripped off severely or having to argue to get a decent price ( I mean 200 baht for a tuk tuk to go 100m in Patong is a joke ) - it ruins the holiday and there plenty of other beaches in Thailand where it doesn't happen

I found the same thing in phuket!

I wanted to move hotels, 100m around corner,

the tuk tuk driver size you up-think you are rich American,

quote rip off price. I wave them on, and wait for a reasonable

driver to give a reasonable quote for 5 min transfer,and then if

driver is helpful, offer a tip for being OK.

Don't be in a hurry, don't take first quote!

[cdnvic]

let the police clear the matter

[selftaopath]

The problem with dealing with an angry Thai person is, quite often, you'll never know until it's too late. The smile goes away, face has been lost and then there's an explosion of violence. Not that this in anyway excuses what happened but the machinations of the day to day lives of Phukets' tuk tuk operators are, possibly, quite complex. Particularly when the golden cash cow, of years gone by, is beginning to evaporate before their eyes. Money, or the lack there of, can create all kinds of stress. Perhaps one of the mia noi's, or giks, has said that if she doesn'y get more, she's dumping him. Perhaps his gambling debts are spiralling out of control and the real heavies are putting pressure on him. Perhaps his lao kao problem is creating very real health problems and instability. Whatever. One thing's for sure though, it's not going to get better anytime soon. The golden days are over I'm afraid. The likes of Patong and Pattaya have become an urban sprawl of congestion and chaos. Those white sand, idyllic beaches, of the past, are no more. The tourists will go elsewhere for their two week taste of paradise and the angry tuk tuk drivers can keep wondering why it's all gone so horribly wrong.

I agree. Recently a friend of mine and two others were planning a vacation to Land of Scams (LOS). She asked for my input re: Thailand. I told her my observations; they all decided to vacation elsewhere. Oh and BTW these three have lots of money to spend.

I believe Thailand will not change. The system is ONLY about self and profiteering. I believe the powerful do not care about their own people or country, but only care about their self interests. CORRUPTION rules in Lack of Sanctions (LOS)

The Thai people deserve better.

Keoki

[nakachalet]

The problem.... Recently a friend of mine and two others were planning a vacation to Land of Scams (LOS). She asked for my input re: Thailand. I told her my observations; they all decided to vacation elsewhere. Oh and BTW these three have lots of money to spend.

Keoki

------

i felt so very loss for words....

surely you are aware that thailand has lots and lots more to offer than overcrowed and overpriced pattaya and phuket....

next time.... pls do refer your future travelling friends to me, ok.... email me at nakachalet at gmail dot com....

and i'll guarantee that each of them will have one of their greatest vacation days in their life....

visiting unblemished shorelines, coral reefs, caves, waterfalls and

feasting on original herbal thai cuisine.... and

enjoying genuine thai hospitality of bygone years.... and

being welcomed personally by the owner of resorts in phi phi island.... if they wish to visit there.... LOL

all with money back guaranty....

next time--think of other unspoiled parts of thailand--think of me--NAKACHALET.... L O L

hummmm.... somehow, i can not post this....?

Edited January 2, 2010 by nakachalet

[thaibound]

The Tuk tuks and Taxis of Phuket are what make me have second thoughts every time I consider going there for a holiday. Only way to go is to drive yourself, perhaps an amoured car would help.

I Totally agree with you!!!!!!!

[JulesMad]

There are NO good (=positive) stories about any tuktuk drivers in Thailand!!! They also flock down to Ao Nang in the high season with their little red thingies.... They are aggressive as hel_l and they can NOT really drive!! All they do is haressing people!

I never take a tuktuk...I rather walk

[harleyclarkey]

t tuk-tuk driver goes into hiding after assault on tourists

"Now, the suspect has run away. He is not at his house and didn't show up at the tuk-tuk parking area as normal," Chalong Police Investigator Chana Sutthimaat told the Gazette today.

Wow......this guy is good. We can all sleep safely now that we know he is on the case.

[Maestro]

Post about a petition and the replies to them have been deleted. Requests to sign a petition is soliciting and this is forbidden by the forum rules.

Please stop posting about or linking to a petition, as from here on members doing so will receive a formal warning for the record. Thank you.

--

Maestro

[LivinLOS]

No, not a bar, but I do know some people with a bar who are not paying any protection money.

What I really don't like about these kind of threads is that this is for some people an excuse to crawl out of their holes and sprout all kinds of nonsense and their perceived ideas about places, in this case Phuket, which are completely and utter <deleted>.

Do you think that is a constructive reply. The thread is about a tuk tuk driver assaulting a french family.

Are you saying people are making up these stories of aggression; that posters " are crawling out of their holes" " sprout all kinds of nonsense" and are "utter <deleted>"

If you are saying that, you are of course right to call them liars. You have an opinion as much as the next man.

Not sure about your language though.

Maybe you'd better read before you post, and learn how to quote correctly.

Nowhere have I said or implied that the posters making claims about aggression by tuktuk drivers are lying, I know them, and I know some of them can sometimes be aggressive.

But people coming here and saying: 'all Phuket businesses are paying protection money' and things like that, yes, they are telling nonsense.

The vast majority of bars in the tourist zones pay the police protection money..

You deny that ??

[LivinLOS]

With Patong you often get first world prices - eg tuk tuks - with third world quality. Thats what pisses peeps off.

Jack coke 400 baht.. Water 242 baht (hard rock Patong).

A single fried egg 330 baht.. Silk in its new Andarra location.

Posters from other parts of Thailand really need to see how far its spiralling..

[doglover]

I side with the tourist family. They are tourists and not aware of the unwritten rules. They had elderly and small children and were going to the beach with beach gear to haul as well I would imagine. Everyone is looking for a VIP parking spot. Like most Thai men the tuk tuk driver was probably a smart ass and told them to move with a smart ass attitude. And like most people when approached aggressively the family became defiant. The family found the parking spot first and there wasn't any no parking signs. So the tuk tuk driver should piss off. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way as even the low life scum like the Thai man in this scenario think their status is higher than the well to do family from another country. Not seeing that without these tourist families he would be carting Thai citizens around and making a very meager living. He should feel happy and priveledged to being extorting tourists. And he might wave his umbrella pole at the transportation authourities to get some "tuk tuk parking only" signs put up.

[Jingthing]

My understanding is these drivers are only allowed to engage customers from their own designated stations, under threat of violence from their very own mafia. So they do a run and then must return to their home station to wait for another. Very inefficient. So these drivers are they themselves living in a structure which is enforced by the constant threat of serious violence. A mafia.

[geriatrickid]

uhhhhh btw, who thougt the Jetski problem in Phuket is solved should read THIS

And you illustrate the problem with the tuk tuks nicely. The article provides the following item;

Recently one foreign guy damaged a rental jet-ski and the operator asked him for 1,000 baht to repair it plus 15,000 baht in additional compensation, saying the jet-ski would need to be out of service for five days while the repairs were carried out. In fact the jet-ski was rented out again the very next day, so the tourist filed a complaint with the Tourist Police, who came to help work out a solution,” he said.

What should have happened was that the jet ski operator be arrested for fraud and extortion. What needs to happen is for the local authorities to enforce all of the current laws that apply to the tuk tuks. The police will not. The local authorities will not. Therefore the police and local authorities are complicit and ARE the problem. It's not about the tuk tuks, it's about the lawlessness and corruption that is the norm for Phuket. The situation works well for those that revel at being in a place where anything goes as long as you are good at kissing butt and paying your way out a problem. For those that are honest, Phuket is a difficult place to live. At this point the local authorities are paying lip service. Nothing will happen until there is economic pain. Avoid the tuktuks and walk whenever possible. Thing is, most tourists still are oblivious to the situation. Warn them. Tell them. Tell everyone, to avoid the tuk tuks.

[sharecropper]

With Patong you often get first world prices - eg tuk tuks - with third world quality. Thats what pisses peeps off.

Jack coke 400 baht.. Water 242 baht (hard rock Patong).

A single fried egg 330 baht.. Silk in its new Andarra location.

Posters from other parts of Thailand really need to see how far its spiralling..

Being a cheapass Pattayan I really cannot believe these figures:

Jack coke 400 baht.. Water 242 baht (hard rock Patong).

I hardly dare ask, but is the Jack coke price for a single, a double - or the bottle! And the water price - 2 litre or small bottle?

Who would pay those prices in Thailand?

[webfact]

Back on track please and no more off-topic posts. The next one will be deleted

a reminder on the topic title

Phuket Tuk-tuk Driver Attacks French Family, for parking in 'wrong place'

Thx