Phuket Taxi Cartel Grants US Military Safe Passage

[rbrick49]

They may not have a Vietnamese version of Puket, and don't want one, but I've got a few friends, late 20's & early 30's, who went to DaNang recently and said "<deleted> Thailand!" Gorgeous beaches, which I've seen myself in the past, and while they don't have the blatant, in your face nightlife, they said that finding female companionship, of a much higher class and caliber that what they've experienced in the past in both Phuket and Pattaya, was not a problem. No rip offs of any kind, and overall, a whole lot cheaper.

What's so great about Phuket? Dirty beaches that are overrun with food and junk carts, water that can be hazardous to your health to swim in, overpriced hotels, in your face porn, hookers and lady boys, grossly inflated prices for tuk-tuks, whose drives might decide to beat the hell out of you just for looking at them the wrong way while the BiB stand by and act like they don't see anything, and who are as corrupt and crooked as a dog's hind leg, jet ski scams, and the list goes on and on.

yes my friend I have an ussie mate living in vietnam he keeps telling me come to vietnam you will love it its beautiful so he says and some of the photos how clean it is is unbeleivable

[featography]

Many of the men and women of the USS Boxer group – about 1,500 sailors and 2,500 Marines from the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit – volunteered to paint a fence and wall at Muang Phuket School today and Wednesday.

All of them with regular work permit??

Not needed because they are servicemen/women doing good will work, no more than a passport is needed to land and fight for the freedom of the natives. Get real dude.

[featography]

The Headline reads - "Phuket taxi cartel grants US Military safe passage"

I thought to myself - wow - thats very nice of them - what a nice gesture to 'grant' them a safe passage.

These are US servicemen from just about the most powerful nation on earth, and the Phuket Taxi 'Cartel' was gracious enough to grant them a safe passage

we bow down before you - oh great tuk tuk drivers!

NO SHIT! Where else can you go and find such arrogance?

[BangTaoBoy]

was not a problem. No rip offs of any kind, and overall, a whole lot cheaper.

Your mate wasn't trying to sell you a condo at the time was he.

No rip offs in the whole of Vietnam, what ever you say mate.

The point was, some body said they could just go somewhere else, and the fact of the matter is they don't want to go somewhere else, because there is nowhere like Phuket in Vietnam. They love coming to Phuket, that's why they're back.

[DEVATSAR]

What a load of old cobblers "taxi drivers allow marines to blah blah blah....." Talk about total crap this has got to be the worst "headline" ever.

Who writes this *******

IMHO

Cheers

[KeyserSoze01]

I hope the jet ski group and tuk tuks try and start something, i'm sure the marines will finish them up like stepping on an ant!!!

Sure ... then face the consequences when they get back on ship. You know the US service people are under strict orders not to get into trouble on shore leave.

When has "orders" ever stopped a sailor or marine from tearing it up while on shore leave?

It would bring a smile to hear that the tuktuk mafia had their ass handed to them by a few jar heads.

[chooka]

Many of the men and women of the USS Boxer group – about 1,500 sailors and 2,500 Marines from the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit – volunteered to paint a fence and wall at Muang Phuket School today and Wednesday.

All of them with regular work permit??

4,000 men an women to paint one fence and a wall. Sounds like one heel of a fence or are they just abiding by normal thai work practices.

[OzMick]

Those wondering why it takes 4000 servicemen 2 days to paint a fence have to realise how a military operation works. Quite possibly there will be as few as 10 marines (it's always the marines at the sharp end) who actually pick up a brush. The rest will be support personnel and command structure.

First thing required will be transport to the site which will require a fleet of vehicles, specialist drivers, refuellers and mechanics.Before applying paint begins, specialists such as paint can openers, paint stirrers, and paint tinters will need to employed. Safety officers will have to check the site for hazards, and a mine and booby trap team deployed to ensure no nasty surprises, with a fast response assault group to secure the area, and a heavy weapons group for remote fire support. Victuallers will supply 3 hot meals per man per day (2 with ice-cream for dessert) plus several coffee breaks with snacks. And of course, there will have to be a medical team on site in case of a nasty wrist strain, and a emergency evac helicopter on standby, with its standard 50 man support unit.

Then we hve the command structure. A planning will have spent the last 3 days preparing the excercise, Each team of specialists will have a supervising junior officer, reporting to a more senior officer for each group (Security, Transport, Supply. Medical), who will in turn report to the Exec officer, who reports to the CIC - the man with final responsibility. The officers require batmen, clerks, communication specialists, and radio repair techs. As always there will be a crew from JAG to deflect the blame should anything go wrong.

I'm amazed that they will manage to do it with only 4000.

[EyesWideOpen]

I have finally decided that Phuket does have a function, and that is to produce one amazing head line after another. But this one is a capper...... :-) Especially odd in light of the fact that the US military was the first one to come in with tsunami aid after Phuket was devastated. So any Phuket business should show some gratitude, and not be blockading the servicemen as they did the last time. Sometimes I think that the mafia really is in control of Phuket.....

[scotto]

I think the U.S marines are painting the tuk tuk mafia bosses house for sure!!!!!!!!!!

What a joke

Edited August 24, 2011 by LivinginKata
profanity removed

[thaienglish]

Isn't it kind of the Taxi drivers to allow so many people to spend their money in Phuket, I would have thought the Thai Government ran this country including the port not as this article indicates the Taxi Drivers, is this a new coloured shirt brigade

[chooka]

Those wondering why it takes 4000 servicemen 2 days to paint a fence have to realise how a military operation works. Quite possibly there will be as few as 10 marines (it's always the marines at the sharp end) who actually pick up a brush. The rest will be support personnel and command structure.

First thing required will be transport to the site which will require a fleet of vehicles, specialist drivers, refuellers and mechanics.Before applying paint begins, specialists such as paint can openers, paint stirrers, and paint tinters will need to employed. Safety officers will have to check the site for hazards, and a mine and booby trap team deployed to ensure no nasty surprises, with a fast response assault group to secure the area, and a heavy weapons group for remote fire support. Victuallers will supply 3 hot meals per man per day (2 with ice-cream for dessert) plus several coffee breaks with snacks. And of course, there will have to be a medical team on site in case of a nasty wrist strain, and a emergency evac helicopter on standby, with its standard 50 man support unit.

Then we hve the command structure. A planning will have spent the last 3 days preparing the excercise, Each team of specialists will have a supervising junior officer, reporting to a more senior officer for each group (Security, Transport, Supply. Medical), who will in turn report to the Exec officer, who reports to the CIC - the man with final responsibility. The officers require batmen, clerks, communication specialists, and radio repair techs. As always there will be a crew from JAG to deflect the blame should anything go wrong.

I'm amazed that they will manage to do it with only 4000.

They have the assistance of the Tuk Tuk "Cartel" who will provide a lot of the logistics support. I am sure they will have the infrastructure in place. Friends and relatives with a fleet of pickups(Thai Ambulances) on standby ready to provide emergency medical evacuation for those sprained wrists. Hospital rooms just waiting for victims of sprained wrists (At least 5 nights stay) Tuk tuks to convey them to and from the work site. (reduced prices for military allies) Mobile food carts to sell food at dramitically reduced prices, The Cartel will secure the perimiter to ensure that another does not move in on thier territory. All neccessary supplies (white wash, cant use paint as is permanent and need the next ship to paint again) will be provided. A total cost analysis has been completed and bill ready for payment. Total supervision will be provided by the Cartel to ensure all work complies with Thai standards (No need for expensive U.S military officers and thier batmen). At the end of the working day they will be conveyed to the best bars where the stocks of bargirls/boys have been replaced with the newest and freshest in thailand. Alcohol prices will be reduced and music supplied free of charge. They will even throw in free ice creams.

[robertson468]

The lilliputians are revolting

I think you might mean that they "are in revolt", but on the other hand perhaps you're right and they are revolting

[chooka]

I thought I was going to read SATIRE in red letters and was looking forward to a humorous article. Odd. A gang of tuk tuk drivers granting passage? Are they the new Thai militia? It's been a while since travelling to Phuket. What are they armed with, colorful language and a roll of baht coins?

It just goes to prove that scamming is powerful in Thailand. Tuk Tuk drivers hold the balance of power and can dictate to the military of one of the most powerful Nations on earth who ultimately do bow down to them. Always wondered why Thailand was never colonised by a foriegn power as other S/E Asian Nations were now I know. The Tuk Tuk drivers were thier 1st line of defence. If you don't use our services to convey your troops and supplies then sorry you can not come in. satire

[GrantPhuket]

"....Many of the men and women of the USS Boxer group – about 1,500 sailors and 2,500 Marines from the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit – volunteered to paint a fence and wall at Muang Phuket School today and Wednesday. .."

Search for my current video USS Boxer sailors paint Muang Phuket School - there were about 25 volunteers there yesterday;

and see previous video US Navy's USS Ronald Reagan COMREL at Phang Nga - the Captain also went with a bus load of volunteers, assisted by Rotary Club of Patong & Navy League volunteers.

[Shotime]

"U.S. MARINES GIVE ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT TO PHUKET TAXI CARTEL."

"I'm amazed that they will manage to do it with only 4000."

It took a few more to adjust Japan's attitude towards Australia during the 2nd WW.

[mkeebler]

What a contradiction and absurd thought, ' Taxi Cartel '...? Can you imagine what would happen if a group or Union of taxi drivers in the USA organized into a ' cartel ' of greed and intimidation? Ha ha ha ha...... Only in Thailand!

What could they do besides grant them safe passage, I mean with the unmanned drones overhead keeping an eye on things ready to take them out, one cab at a time! :-D

[mkeebler]

Would you believe the CIA has operatives in Thailand posing and operating amongst the Cartel??

[SteeleJoe]

--It's surprising to me how many people apparently can't see that this is just a case of a lame hyperbolic headline. The US Navy has to deal with Thai civilians onshore and doesn't want any hassles in their logistics. They obviously aren't going to mount an invasion of Phuket or use any kind of force to enable the troops to go ona goodwill/R&R visit.

So an accommodation was reached and the taxis cartel agrees to not cause any hassles. It has nothing to do with taxi drivers granting "safe passage" or the US military bowing before them.

-- It's also surprising to me how many posters read the OP but somehow imagined that it says all 4,000 -- or anywhere near that -- would be involved in painting the fence. or that the paining of fence is the only thing that will be done.

[KarenBravo]

Based on their last experience, they should have gone somewhere else for the port of call...and given another nation their money. Too bad.

What other "nation" in the area has what Thailand has to offer? It's the perfect place for R&R, either Phuket or Pattaya, relatively safe and plenty to keep the guys occupied. What 20 year old guy wouldn't love it?

ONE WORD ! VIETNAM !!!!

Where is the Phuket of vitnam?

Vung Tau, Nha Trang and Da Nang come to mind.

I'm in Vietnam now. Fantastic place.

[BangTaoBoy]

Vung Tau, Nha Trang and Da Nang come to mind.

I'm in Vietnam now. Fantastic place.

I'm sure they're great places which I will undoubtedly visit one day, but the fact that I've never even heard of them, makes me think the chances they have what Phuket has to offer is highly unlikely. What you mean is they have girlie bars and beaches I presume.

I will check them out and see, but I doubt they will hold up to the cross examination.

[Shotime]

Stay in Puhket.

I've heard a lot of good things about Da Nang. I need to find out if there's reasonably priced golf there.