Phuket Tuk-tuk Driver Attacks French Family

[lopburi3]

A number of raciest and troll type posts have been removed - members are also asked to observe forum rules in posting.

[samuidave]

Yeah, classy -- blame the victims who did nothing illegal. <deleted>??

[animatic]

I spent Christmas in Kata, no problems,

rented two bikes, and never thought about taking a tuk tuk.

Parked carefully and moved once when asked to. No problems.

Obviously when in Rome listen to the Romans when they talk or yell at you.

Same for Paris, NYC or Bangkok.

Most French are quite polite if they understand your words, and are

not the arrogant and ignorant people being described by some here.

This is clearly the case of a nutter Thai Tuk Tuk guy going postal

because he lost face not being listened to by people who didn't

understand his;

'we are superior to all of you farangs,

and when you don't listen, we can make you listen', attitude.

A classic gang or mafia attitude.

Lack of strength made up for by numbers and street arrogance.

Add police protection, with Lao Kao and they feel near invincible.

I bet the police are not amused with his act right not.

[brahmburgers]

You can bet if the angry tuk tuk driver was rebuffed and/or overpowered, his fellow tuk tuk pals (and other Thais) would have come to back him up. There is a hard and fast rule in Thailand; if a Thai person is having an altercation with a farang, you must either stand aside and stare or come fight on the Thais' side. There is no question of who is right or wrong. You hear the Thai person(s) shouting bloody murder toward the farang, and you automatically get angry and join the shouter in bashing the farang. I call it 'prison mentality' as it's the same way things are done in prisons between groups with one shade skin color or another.

The way things are getting here, I am surprised some more cowardly sh*ts didn't join in with the tuk tuk driver.

[salty]

Can anyone say anything positive about any tuk-tuk anywhere in Thailand?

They are noisy, dirty (terrible pollution!) , rude, dangerous, dishonest and all around bad news.

I guess it may be part of Thailand's identity, but I feel they should make Tuk Tuks a thing of the the nostalgic past.

Why would anyone want to go to Phuket in the first place. The only way I can describe it - It is scum hole.

And if you go? You desreve it. Phuket S_u_c-k-s

Mirrors my feelings. I hope many others who would have considered going to Phuket feel the same way.

[hansnl]

A situation that could have, and should have been avoided.

As tourists they should have taken the guy's word and found another parking spot. You don't go to someone else's country and do what's you think is right in your country.

This guy who beat them is still a piece of human excrement and should be thrown in jail but I put some blame on the tourists.

You put some blame on the farang.....of course.

Having no idea, probably, where it was all about.

The whole thing is that actions like this are costing a lot of Thai people a lot of money.

Those French people will probably never come back to Thailand, and I wonder how many other French people will decide not to take their chances.

This stupid Tuktuk-pilot with his his thoughtless action probably will probably cost Thailand a lot of income....again.

No way, the French family has any blame, probably.

All the blame must be laid on the tuktuk-arsehol_e.

If so many Thais cannot understand that tourists are guests in this country, and to earn money from those tourists you should have some consideration with them, they deserve to remain poor.

Yes, I know, maybe utopia thinking from me to think that one day, before it is too late, the Thai people in general will see that tourists mean income.

[bobbin]

I see many posters on this thread with low post counts. They are posting to this thread because they are outraged, I'm sure.

Attacking someone while their entire family looks on is unpardonable. Can you imagine the trauma to the young children?

The role of authority is to act for the greater good of the people..

Throw this "criminal" to the wolves for the greater good of all the other Thai people on the island who need to make a living from tourism.

[john b good]

Scum. Short and simple.

Absolutely!!

I wouldn't trust one of them in a fit.

[Netfan]

Look at the history of how Italy attacked and beat the Sicilian mafia. Many good people died. The entire police and "justice" system had to be directly confronted. Here, in Thailand, there doesn't seem to be the will to even begin such a heroic effort. You have been warned.

Excellent analogy. In NYC it took Serpico to change the police department. Don't see any chance of a Serpico type appearing here, and even if one did, chances he/she would make it to court would be zero.

[Eddy1960]

I believe Tuk Tuks can stay, its not everywhere the same. Where we stay in the nord east, there is (not yet) no problem. But this atack is very bad and i hope police will find him.

[dude007]

"The law? I am the law."

-Tuk Tuk Driver

and that's the whole truth. They are protected by the police and I have proof of that. Whatever incident you have with these bandits, all being pirates with little education and only hanging around in Phuket island to rip-off the tourists' money in a scam, it makes them the most feared maffia of the entire island. Being forced by the Governor and other authorities to pay yearly huge amounts of money for their license and their "police protection", they scam every tourist for as much as they can or how much they dare. How many times I have asked this forum why in Bangkok an A/C taxi costs 35 Baht for a minimum ride (2 Km), a short ride with a samlor in Pattaya 10 Baht/person and in Phuket the starting price (just to drive you around the corner) 200 THB/person? WHO in the name of TAT can explain that? WHO DARES to explain that to all the tourists of Phuket and tell them the truth; and if they know, are these authorities really so simple to believe that the tourists are so dumb and they do not kow?

That's why all big resorts and hotels have their own transport and carefully avoid thei guests being ripped of by these gangsters. They are too lazy to go to work, they prefer to steal and are bringing down the entire tourist sector in Phuket.

Prime Minister, start first with cleaning up this mess and send them to labour camps, all of them... You will see, within few years tourism will pick up and come back again in Phuket!!!

It's the cancer of the Phuket tourism and everything starts with these maffiosi who keep all public transport in hand. The few public taxi meters which were entered in Phuket for operation a few months ago were all set on fire. Nobody can enter their territory, which starts with their so-called private parking places along the beaches. There is indeed NO SIGN which prohibits this but the challenge is damage to your car and flat tyres...

I challenge every tourist or resident from Phuket to park their car at the drop-off zone at the Central Shopping mall to pick up your wife that has finished shopping. See how long it will take before you will have these maffiosi around you, threatening and telling you, instructing you to move your car immediately because this is THEIR parking place (which is of course not true)!!! If you dare to disagree with them because you tell them this is not a parking place for illegal taxis (they are ALL illegal) then they block your car that you can't move anymore and the time you go to call the police, your four tyres are flattened. I am sick of these maffiosi.

Governor of Phuket: the ball in in your camp. Clean up this mess and elimintae these maffia. Bring public transport again in life and protect it! Your island's welfare depend on it!

[richieudon]

went to phuket 2 weeks ago...

those SCAM taxi drivers who charge anything from 600 to 1200 baht (sometimes per person)

for a 3o min - 3o km taxi drive to/from the airport

where it should cost max 300 - 400 on the meter for the whole cab...

my wife asked 4 places in 100 meters from the hotel

hotel was 1100 for 2 persons, some (i really do not know why they can work this sceme) pakistani-indian so called private car business who tried 900 baht (kamala beach), a travel agency where we booked phi phi trip came with 800 and finally, the realy thai van (private van just for us) at 'only' 600 baht after negotiation ...

Sheeeet!!!

Have I really got to pay 1000+ baht to get from Phuket airport to Patong???

[Me&MrsJones]

Typical tuk-tuk driver! Coward! I'd like to see him pick on my old fella (he's 65 and an ex-pro boxer)! Haaa, would i love to see that!

Some people say "just walk away" to avoid trouble.....but for how long and how often do you have to walk away before you decide to to say "fuc_k it, bring it on"?

This is not our country but that does not give anyone the right to abuse and assault you without you having the right to defend yourself. Plain and simple, these wanke_r tuk-tuk drivers are mono-syllabic cave-dwellers and they ALL need a good kicking - without exception.

As you can probably tell by my tone here, i've had my share of run-ins with taxi drivers and tuk-tuk drivers. I tell you with no amount of ego or righteousness - i never asked for any hassle. I speak Thai fluently and i know how to talk to these people poitely and calmly. The fact is that they are racist and downright criminal. They try hard to rip you off left right and centre, and when they dont succeed they go nuts. Brainless idiots - even after speaking to them in Thai for aminute they ask "can you speak Thai"? I mean, come on, we are talking about the lowest of the low - spiritually, intellectually and socially.

Seems to me that the taxis and tuk-tuk drivers in the tourist areas are losing the plot, partly because they have to put up with the drunken farang all day long. But this is no excuse to attack people. If they cant stand the heat get out of the kitchen!

Next time i have a run-in with a taxi driver i am going to do a fuc_king riverdance on his head.

I've had enough of them!

[bsriphet]

Thailand is becoming a place not to visit,i will not be recomending my friends to come here,and i have been coming here a longtime,everyone is getting ripped of,if you are a Farang you pay double why? you cannot own land why ? you cannot work why?,the only thing good about Thailand now is it is warmer than the uk,and most of the Thais do not like the farang unless they are getting money from them, for doing nothing (bling) that is what they are,and it is going to get worse

There are places in Thailand that are still ok but clearly Phuket is not one of them. I used to go several times a year but I've stopped going there for holiday, too expensive, too crowded and generally not very pleasant..

[SM7WGP]

Its the same in Chiangmai they always put something in front of shops, and on the street to say no parking here.

But have had luck so far stop the car and put the obsticle on the sidewalk and then park the car.

NOBODY SAYS ANYTHING BUT I CAN SEE OF THE LOOKS THEY DO NOT LIKE IT.

If somebody says anything I ask if i can see the chanoot paper that says he owns the peace of the street.

[DP25]

Local government is obviously unable to deal with these criminals. It's about time they brought in the military and used force to enact local bus routes between the beaches as well metered taxis.

[harleyclarkey]

And the lazy, ineffective authorities are surprised? Thuggish violent and abusive, these supposedly public service providers have a litany of complaints against them going back years. What a joke. But not for the victims.

They have allowed this situation, and many others like it, to go on for years. I have said it before here....the longer these thugs are allowed to do what they want whenever they want...the harder it will be to control them.

I fear this line has been passed long ago.

[billpatt]

i have stayed in thailand for over 6 years now,

and it has always been common knowledge to not advise anyone to go to Phuket,

a shame really as it needs tourism,

but i`m sure the message is getting through to the correct authorities,

clean it up and protect your income....

[oops]

Hope they catch the man who attacked these Tourists.

Having said that though, It is like Parking the Car on a Motorcycle Taxi Rank - There are no signs telling us not to, we just use our common sense really and not park there to avoid this type of trouble.

The tourists on holiday should have moved on really to avoid this, afterall, they are visitors in this Country.

That is what I think anyway.

I agree they should of moved...however...However...like any other country the taxi drivers get territorial over property that isn't theirs.  I can't stand them...they have no respect for the area in which they decide to squat nor are they courteous  when they are driving or parking.  This is  common for most of those Taxi drivers be it motorbike car or tuk tuk  they have a gang mentality and it is reinforced by the police who don't punish them.   What is really funny is the idiots in the tuk tuk's and baht busesses all try to intentionally run over those that help them make they're living.   I have never been able to figure that one out....the funny thing is, they do it with tourist on board.  I guess it all falls under customer service....and if any one outside the five star living has witnessed it let us know

[AndersJensenThailand]

If you all the time let the Thais tell what you can and can not do even you know it is wrong........... you will go crazy in thailand. Sometimes you need to stand up for yourself like a man.

[churchill]

and I thought the Taxis in Samui were bad, - but the Tesse Bahn here are trying to control and negotiate with the Taxis to give a better and fairer service .

[Oliver Reed]

A situation that could have, and should have been avoided.

As tourists they should have taken the guy's word and found another parking spot. You don't go to someone else's country and do what's you think is right in your country.

This guy who beat them is still a piece of human excrement and should be thrown in jail but I put some blame on the tourists.

I find your apportioning of some of the blame on the tourists as pathetic..How do you know what occured or what was said?..These people may have been first time visitors to Thailand, and i am not aware of any countries that pre warn its citizens about the level of mob rule in Thailand, in particular Phuket, where it comes to Tuk Tuks and Jet ski's etc..like the posting said, there was no signs indicating any parking violation, so the tourists are innocent victims of a scandal that should have been jumped upon and stamped out long long ago..its easy enough to licence these people and insist on them wearing badges etc like they do with beach hawkers... The blame lies firmly with the thug that carried out this viscious attack, in front of children, and the authorities that prefer collecting tea money rather than looking after the very people that provide them with a living way (The tourists)

Lets hope you are never a victim seeing as your so street wise

[Screws]

It is completely indefensible to attack someone with a metal bar for a parking problem.

Absolutely - should be 2 years jail hard labour if true as reported. We had the same prob in Jomtien 6 - 9 months ago - I hope he is inside, but I doubt it.

[inquisitive]

The tourists on holiday should have moved on really to avoid this, afterall, they are visitors in this Country.

Yes, they are visitors and that means they should be expected by polite society to not overly assert their rights and instead defer to their hosts. At the same time, the other half of the equation is that the hosts are equally obligated to protect and assist their guests. Obviously this equation is not balanced in Thailand (nor, I would guess, in most modern areas of the world). And since this equation is so out of whack here, I am afraid that the guests do not owe the hosts near so much respect and deference as you seem to be saying. Since the hosts are continually attempting to rip off the foreigners at every turn, it practically forces the tourists to take an equally unyielding attitude in self protection.

I understand that it once was, but these days in Phuket it ain't 'polite society' any more.

[dude007]

quote:

In fairness, i managed to get a tuk-tuk on Saturday night from Patong/Bangla road to Surin Beach/Stereo lab for 400baht which i think is a fair price for the distance. I speak Thai to them though which may or may not help.

unquote:

In Bangkok you can drive three times back and forth with 400 THB for such small distance. Don't try to protect these maffiosi or to justify their scums... They are bandits. Too lazy to work.... and the disease is spreading quickly around in Thailand, as the authorities are just doing nothing unless crackdown on pirated software, school girls with long hair, selling booze between 14:00 and 17:00 and smoking in public open air parks....

The real bandits, they are afraid of.... or they collaborate and share the profits without making their hands dirty

Edited December 29, 2009 by dude007

[husky]

It is like Parking the Car on a Motorcycle Taxi Rank - There are no signs telling us not to, we just use our common sense really and not park there to avoid this type of trouble

After living here for a while I am more practical then at first. If someone goes to the trouble to even give me a dirty look I move the car, anything said and I am happy to move it. This is after having my tires nailed (without anything said). Technically you can often argue that it is legal to park there but in the end there will be some kind of problem. I've also seen instances where there is an area reserved for food carts and such, but it is not posted. A Thai parked there and one of the sellers down the lane said that was reserved for food carts and he moved the car. So I think often the 'posting' of areas where one should not park is left up to the public, not a good system but one the Thai's I believe tend to follow.

Of course this does not justify violence and the driver should be dealt with legally.

[anthos]

Can anyone say anything positive about any tuk-tuk anywhere in Thailand?

They are noisy, dirty (terrible pollution!) , rude, dangerous, dishonest and all around bad news.

I guess it may be part of Thailand's identity, but I feel they should make Tuk Tuks a thing of the the nostalgic past.

Well, Phuket tuk tuks are a true disaster

But I wouldn't complain about Chiang Mai and other places in the North

Many times I got a great service there, been charged very modest price and many drivers could speak pretty good English

Edited December 29, 2009 by anthos

[Igor]

Don't expect they will be booking their next vacation in the sunny Land of Smiles?

Nor will their friends. And, of course, the French consulate will put up a travel warning. Then decent families will avoid the area but the young Euro toughies will think they can manage and pretty soon ... well, I guess it's pretty much already that way.

[oops]

And the lazy, ineffective authorities are surprised? Thuggish violent and abusive, these supposedly public service providers have a litany of complaints against them going back years. What a joke. But not for the victims.

They have allowed this situation, and many others like it, to go on for years. I have said it before here....the longer these thugs are allowed to do what they want whenever they want...the harder it will be to control them.

I fear this line has been passed long ago.

What would be fun is to have a thug patrol and beat the shit out of the lawless low life that cause all the problems.  We should start a web site with profiles "Mug Shots" of these type of people and anytime they create problems we send the thug patrol out for a blanket party.......for those of you who don't know what a blanket party is..it is were you throw a blanket over the perpetrator and beat him as hard as you can with a stick.

[mahtin]

En ville, abstenez-vous de répondre aux sollicitations des chauffeurs de tuk-tuk.

(When in town abstain from replying to the solicitations of tuk tuk drivers)

http://www.ambafrance-th.org/spip.php?article39

From the website of the French Embassy.