Phuket tuk-tuk driver gets suspended sentence for attack on tourist

Phuket Gazette

Patong Police Deputy Superintendent Kittipong Klaikaew. Photo: Gazette file

PHUKET: -- A Phuket tuk-tuk driver who confessed to assaulting an Egyptian tourist in Patong last week has been sentenced to a three-month suspended prison term and fined 3,000 baht.

Patong Police Deputy Superintendent Kittipong Klaikaew identified the driver as 40-year-old Sirapob Ngamriab.

Patong Police were notified of an assault on a tourist in front of the Jungceylon shopping complex on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road at about 8pm last Tuesday.

The area, a short distance from the entrance to the Bangla Road night walking street, has been the site of numerous assaults by tuk-tuk drivers against tourists in recent years.

According to the police report, when officers arrived they found 35-year-old Egyptian Ahmed Taha Taha sitting on the busy road, obstructing traffic. He refused to seek medical treatment until he had a chance to give his account of what happened to police through a translator.

Police eventually convinced him to move to the sidewalk. After telling police that he had been struck in the left eyebrow by a tuk-tuk driver, officers escorted him to Patong Hospital, where doctors closed the wound with eight stitches.

From there, he was taken to Patong Police Station to file a report of the incident.

Before the assault, Mr Taha Taha hailed a tuk-tuk to take him and his family back to their accommodations at the Centra Ashlee Patong Hotel, a distance of about one kilometer.

When asked how many people would be travelling, he told the driver “six”; they then agreed on a fare of 300 baht.

But noticing that more than 10 people had piled into the tuk-tuk, Mr Sirapob raised the fare to 400 baht, according to the official report.

An argument ensued, which resulted in Mr Sirapob losing control and striking the Egyptian in the face twice before fleeing on foot, according to the report.

Mr Sirapob came to the police station at about 11:30pm that night to give his version of events.

He told police that Mr Taha Taha refused to pay him 400 baht, berated him and approached him in an aggressive manner. He confessed to losing his temper and striking Mr Taha Taha before running away quickly to avoid retribution from the tourist’s family members.

At the police station, Mr Sirapob apologized to Mr Taha Taha, offering to pay him compensation.

The Egyptian accepted the apology, refusing to accept any compensation. He also said he did not want to press any charges against Mr Sirapob, Lt Col Kittipong told the Gazette.

However, as assault against a tourist is a non-compoundable offense under the Thai Criminal Code, it cannot be privately resolved between the parties concerned.

Mr Sirapob was thus charged with assault. He confessed and was sentenced by Phuket Provincial Court to three months in prison, suspended for two years, and paid a fine of 3,000-baht.

Lt Col Kittipong said Patong Police were constantly urging tuk-tuk and taxi drivers to exercise patience and restraint when disputes with tourists occur.

“We always have meetings with taxi operators, asking them to exercise self-control. Some of them are not very well-educated; they do not quite understand that when they harm tourists, they will have to suffer the consequences, or that it will damage the tourism industry that sustains them,” he said.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle16319.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-07-02

Yeh ... right .... gives the tourists that welcome safe feeling ..... I don't think. I will say no more and stay within the forum rules ...

10 more happy tourists. Keep up the good work.

Why do people still visit that dump anyway?

Yeh ... right .... gives the tourists that welcome safe feeling ..... I don't think. I will say no more and stay within the forum rules ...

I hear you.... loud n clear.

This incident was probably only reported because of the injury sustained from the assult that required medical attention.

It makes you wonder how many assaults go unreported, with most tourists just paying the money for fear of having a problem in a foreign country.

It doesn't make for a pleasant holiday experience.

The victim didn't want to press charges or accept compensation, but still they considered it a serious enough offence to sentence the guy anyway, and actually the sentence isn't particularly light, suspended jail term and fairly big fine (by Thai standards). Surely this is a positive outcome???

Just one more case of the untouchable tuk tuk mafia. The front of the next edition of every English language newspaper in Thailand should read in 4cm high bold: "Court Delivers Message to Tuk Tuk mafia: It's Open Season on Tourists." Disguisting.

Untouchable? Did you read the article? He was arrested, charged and sentenced...

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Wheres Charlem and his anti mafia drive?, this violent tuk tuk driver should loose his licence. 400baht for a 1 kilometer trip

Untouchable? Did you read the article? He was arrested, charged and sentenced...

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Yes, but back at work in his tuk-tuk and threatening more tourists.

Untouchable? Did you read the article? He was arrested, charged and sentenced...

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Sentenced to a slapp on the wrist is the point.

Try 50,000 baht fine and 1 week in the hole no revenues from driving.

THAT would make them think twice. this is just losing 10 or less faires,

He got off very lightly, i think,but it's a start,the real charge from now on should be!!! if you damage the tourist industry and give Thailand a bad name,by scamming,ripping off,stabbing,assaulting etc....you will be put in jail with out chance of parole Till, you are considered a non threat or liability to the tourist industry!!!

Topic of the PG is well..

But this was on the article:

Mr Sirapob was thus charged with assault. He confessed and was sentenced by Phuket Provincial Court to three months in prison, suspended for two years, and paid a fine of 3,000-baht.

So this is a good start? Not untouchables anymore?

... reread it.. I guess that suspended for two years points to the prison sentence, not the tuk-tuk license...

Untouchable? Did you read the article? He was arrested, charged and sentenced...

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Yes, but back at work in his tuk-tuk and threatening more tourists.

You'd hope with a suspended sentence hanging over his head, he'd keep himself out of trouble for the two years, but he'll likely just get his mates to whack you instead.

Just as a comparison, does anyone know what the likely sentence would be if it was a Thai on Thai assault? Only then we can really judge if he was let of lightly or not.

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What for pure Guy's travelling around the Globe for fighting for 3.5$ .........are there no better Things to do in Holiday as this .......

Sends out a clear message to tourist's Do not waste your time reporting thugs only if they are falang because we will not punish our own brothers to the extent that we do if it was a falang !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seems like a fair sentence...

As for the damages to tourism, without condoning violence, 10 egyptians piling into a tuk-tuk refusing to pay 40bht each, no sure it's the kind of tourist Thailand needs in the first place.

Idiot tourist tried to put 10 people into a tuk tuk and the driver sought a slightly higher fare ??

Whats wrong with him trying to do that ???

How many of you above posters would allow 10 people into your car or 3 onto your motorbike ??

The court's decision is very reasonable.

Untouchable? Did you read the article? He was arrested, charged and sentenced...

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Yes, but back at work in his tuk-tuk and threatening more tourists.

You'd hope with a suspended sentence hanging over his head, he'd keep himself out of trouble for the two years, but he'll likely just get his mates to whack you instead.

Just as a comparison, does anyone know what the likely sentence would be if it was a Thai on Thai assault? Only then we can really judge if he was let of lightly or not.

In a Thai on Thai situation, it depends on who gets hit. An assault on a Thai person with money and or influence (and money generally indicates influence) will be far more serious than an assault on a beggar.

I personally think the Egyptian guy is out of line trying to fill a TT with 10+ people after stating 6 persons.

I also think the original fare is outrageous, one can travel with 5 perons in a London cab the same distance for less, and a London cabbie has spent 2.5-4 years learning London, the vehicle is a 1.5 million Baht purpose-built people carrier and everyone is insured. Why so do we pay more in Phuket to a horrible thug very likely tooled up with a weapon, to travel in a crate on wheels on roads which are choked to death with the said vehicles parked eveywhere they want to? And then there is the small matter of assault. The driver could have said no, I am not taking you. Disgusting really, isn't it?

10 people in one tuk tuk ?????

Uh - was this a Tuk-Tuk - i mean the crummy little, about to de-weld itself, 3-wheeled motorbike-engined joke with the belt on a drum rear-brakes ? TEN PEOPLE in one of those ? Or was it one of the bigger things ? Do people use the term Tuk-Tuk for very different vehicles in different parts of the country, because the one we use it for around here in Isaan - no way 10 people can even think about getting in; unless they are midget-sized. Enlighten me pls...

As for the price - sounds like the driver had a reason to get fractious if the deal was being reneged on - don't condone a swipe round the bonce, but can see how it all got out of hand. Moral : don't try to cheat taxi-guys or tuk-tuk jockeys - that's their job ! ;-)

Sends out a clear message to tourist's Do not waste your time reporting thugs only if they are falang because we will not punish our own brothers to the extent that we do if it was a falang !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He threw two punches, he got a suspended jail sentence, pretty much the same as you would get anywhere in the world.

300 or 400 baht. They state from where to where....... does anyone know what the distance was and how much the fare should normally be????

300 or 400 baht. They state from where to where....... does anyone know what the distance was and how much the fare should normally be????

However far it was with TEN people in the tuk tuk it was only 30 or 40 baht each, even for a short distance reasonable price.

Appears most people are overlooking the fare being requested. 400thb for 1 kilometer. Compare that with elsewhere in Thailand. Did I not read somewhere that the deputy PM has vowed to stop this?

What for pure Guy's travelling around the Globe for fighting for 3.5$ .........are there no better Things to do in Holiday as this .......

You are exactly right. So what do you propose as the correct limit that a tourist should stand firm about? $35? $350? You realize, of course, that if you somehow managed to get every tourist to follow your advice, then soon every tourist will be overcharged by whatever amount you've deemed as acceptable. My understanding is that some tourists feel they should set the limit at whatever was agreed. They won't cheat the seller, and in turn they expect to also not be cheated. (And further, do you think the tourist really expected to be physically assaulted over $3.50? A ride on licensed public transportation is not supposed to be handled the same way as a mugging.)

Ten people in a Tuk-Tuk ?? Have never been to Phuket and maybe they use something different than Bangkok, but have never seen more than 5-6 in a Tuk-Tuk here!! Six or seven babies plus adults????

Can't wait for this delegation of consuls,TAT and the BiB to have this conference/meeting soon...back to normality within a week of the boys from Bangkok going back...same bloody same!!!

from the news article "However, as assault against a tourist is a non-compoundable offense under the Thai Criminal Code, it cannot be privately resolved between the parties concerned." Does anyone know if this has been previously utilised by the Thai Courts.

Seems a fair sentence to me, so long as it's a first offence. From reading the report, it's more like the tourist was the <deleted>, but violence is uncalled for.