British tourist stabbed by illegal tourist bus worker in Samut Sakhon

SAMUT SAKHON, June 27 – A British tourist was stabbed by a worker for an illegal tour bus in Samut Sakhon, adjacent to southeastern Bangkok, on Wednesday.

Leigh Banks, 36, was wounded during a quarrel with the bus worker over valuables he said were missing from his wallet which he had forgotten on the bus.

The tourist was seriously wounded in his left torso. A passerby helped send him to Mahachai 1 Hospital where he received emergency treatment.

Before the incident, Mr Banks and his wife, and another 20 passengers travelled by the bus from the southern province of Surat Thani to Bangkok.

Other passengers got off the bus along the way and only the couple was left on the bus. The bus stopped at a petrol station in Samut Sakhon, where the driver told them to wait for a new bus take them to Bangkok.

After taking their two bicycles from the bus and the bus departed Mr Banks realised that he had left his wallet with cash in US dollars and his passport on the bus, and he called the bus driver to return.

The bus came back to the petrol station and Mr Banks found that his wallet had been searched by someone and his valuables were missing. He asked a bus worker and the two men quarrelled. The staff worker stabbed the tourist before fleeing by the same bus.

His wife asked for help and a Thai woman, a passerby identified as Sumalee Yisunkaew, drove to a petrol station and called an ambulance for them and also called the police.

The police are searching for the bus, which was initially found to be operating illegally, that is without proper licensing to transport tourists. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-06-27

So the bus is illegal, not the worker?

Buses need a special licence to transport tourists????

I see tourist safety and security is being handled well.

I'm sure Chalerm will be swiftly on the case

No stabbings in Samui.... They shoot you here

I'm sure Chalerm will be swiftly on the case

Nah. He only deals with shootings.

I am not sure that stabbing a tourist is legal whether TOT has licenced the bus staff to do so or not.

I wonder whether this stabbing will get the prominence that the Puckhet one did or do you have to be an important Tourist agency person to get this.

Thailand!!!!!!!! I am speechless

It appears Thailand is no longer a peaceful land of smiles but knifes and tourists stubbings / deaths.

I was initially thinking about moving there for some time but the more such news come through the less I like the idea...

Could it be that they caught the wrong stabber last week after all?

"After taking their two bicycles from the bus and the bus departed Mr Banks realised that he had left his wallet with cash in US dollars and his passport on the bus, and he called the bus driver to return.

The bus came back to the petrol station and Mr Banks found that his wallet had been searched by someone and his valuables were missing. He asked a bus worker and the two men quarrelled. The staff worker stabbed the tourist before fleeing by the same bus.

His wife asked for help and a Thai woman, a passerby identified as Sumalee Yisunkaew, drove to a petrol station and called an ambulance for them and also called the police.

Very confusing.... did the couple have a telephone or not? If not how did they call the bus back? If yes, why did a stranger have to drive to a petrol station, or was it the same petrol station they were already at? I presume this is just muddled writing.

I find it interesting that the bus turned back when asked, still carrying the empty wallet....

So the bus is illegal, not the worker?

Buses need a special licence to transport tourists????

Off course.

Samut Sakhon is adjacent to South Western Bangkok...

Dude should have checked his valuables and policed his surroundings before alighting. Just saying...

I am not sure that stabbing a tourist is legal whether TOT has licenced the bus staff to do so or not.

I wonder whether this stabbing will get the prominence that the Puckhet one did or do you have to be an important Tourist agency person to get this.

No, you have to be killed.

Seems tempers are getting shorter and shorter,stories weirder and weirder... oh well, keep smiling after all it is the LOS

dam_n, I sold my Kevlar vest in Los Angeles before i moved here.

Well well Amazing Thailand ! Again very good news for tourists!

"The police are searching for the bus" -

Ehhhhhhh right you are then........ Why not check the CCTV at the gas station for the number plate or the name of the bus company...Shhhhhhhhhhhhh the case will be cracked in no time at all then.....

But sad to see this "ANOTHER" stabbing here in LOS, hope the British guy will be ok. But you do know it was his fault!!

Surely the "illegal tourist bus worker" wasn't a Thai? Must be one of those nasty illegals.

Phi-Phi...2 girls dead. Phuket...1 lady dead, another injured. Samut Sakhon...1 stabbed.

Here we go again! Mind you the lad was stupid for forgetting his wallet & passport on the bus.

Hope he makes a speedy recovery.

thankfully nobody was killed this time, however Im sad to say that Brits in general are reputable as well for carrying attitude problems from time to time... A possibly iced up Thai working illegally and an angry possibly very loud and aggressive Brit threatening with police or reciprocal violence is just asking for trouble.

Wow you really do generalize hey, in one quote you have all Brits have attitude problems and all Thai tourist workers are on ice..... Come on man, tad unfair don't you think??

Dude should have checked his valuables and policed his surroundings before alighting. Just saying...

Come on. don't you ever forget ??????

It appears Thailand is no longer a peaceful land of smiles but knifes and tourists stubbings / deaths.

I was initially thinking about moving there for some time but the more such news come through the less I like the idea...

it is still the land of smiles...

yes there are horrible things that happen there, but horrible things happen in every country, it is the way the authorities deal with these crimes that is the problem. i would still recomend going to thailand to anyone, i'd just say that there are do's and dont's. but they are common sense and generally the same in thailand as anywhere e.g. someone tries to rob you, you give them your stuff (if you were getting mugged in London your not going to fight back over a few quid when you know if this guy is low enough to mug you he's probably capable of worse).

please understand that this is not me trying to in anyway justify some of the terrible things that happen there; they are tradgic. i just want people to remember that every country has low lifes. for the huge majority thailand is an amazing experience...

don't not go because of a couple of horror stories

dam_n, I sold my Kevlar vest in Los Angeles before i moved here.

Better buy a new one

It appears Thailand is no longer a peaceful land of smiles but knifes and tourists stubbings / deaths.

I was initially thinking about moving there for some time but the more such news come through the less I like the idea...

Did you really believe Thailand was a peaceful land of smiles??? It's virtually a fully developed country with all the problems that come along with that - together with the benefits. No worse than anywhere else. Good luck with finding your utopia of peace and happiness!

How long before the Thai 'spin' starts on yet another stabbing / shooting / poisoning / killing / 'suicide' in the LoS . . . ???

He should get a refund.

There is Thai word for refund, but it is very very rude and should never be spoken by farangs.

It was a stupid mistake by the tourist in general to leave his wallet on the bus. 1. What was it not doing being in a secure place like his rucksac or pocket maybe..........that was dumb. 2. I am sure it was not his nationality that was the spark for the stabbing, anyone would be pissed to find they had been robbed regardless. 3. The police will not do a goddamn thing because it just is not worth their effort...........it will slide under the carpet as many other such occurances.

I hope the tourist gets better soon and learns to put his money and wallet in a safer place, thank god it was not is passport!

Well well Amazing Thailand ! Again very good news for tourists!

Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.