Phuket Tuk-Tuk Driver Gets Suspended Sentence For Attack On Tourist

[cdmtdm]

because the police , mafia , tuk tuks , taxis are all one big happy family ........ lets see what the killers get ... not life thats for sure //

[siam cbr]

Quite clearly the tourist is at fault.

Agreeing a fee for 6 and then sneaking in 10.

That over 50% more.

The tuk-tuk raises the fee by 33% and he is intimidated.

Typical BS.

Good on the Thai Tuk-Tuk driver and I'm sorry that he had to go through what he has, if the tourist was a man than he would insist of paying the man's fine after he tried to rip him off.

[BOS2BKK]

I still don't understand why I can go anywhere in Bangkok for 50 or 60 baht in air conditioned comfort, but I have to pay 500 baht to go over a hill in Phuket. I used to own interest in a business in Phuket, and I walked away a couple of years ago. It is a shithole and getting shittier by the day. Pattaya two the electric boogaloo. The more tourism drops the more depserate and aggressive the criminals will become. There are plenty of beautiful beaches in Thailand, leave this one to the Russians and Nigerians like they did with Pattaya. I speak with my dollars. My dollars have not gone to Phuket for a while now.

[cdmtdm]

I still don't understand why I can go anywhere in Bangkok for 50 or 60 baht in air conditioned comfort, but I have to pay 500 baht to go over a hill in Phuket. I used to own interest in a business in Phuket, and I walked away a couple of years ago. It is a shithole and getting shittier by the day. Pattaya two the electric boogaloo. The more tourism drops the more depserate and aggressive the criminals will become. There are plenty of beautiful beaches in Thailand, leave this one to the Russians and Nigerians like they did with Pattaya. I speak with my dollars. My dollars have not gone to Phuket for a while now.

where then ?

[somchai jones]

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.

Agreed.

[wooly]

C'mon people I think you are all being a bit harsh on the tuk tuk driver. It actually cost him more than the 3000 baht 'cos he didn't get the original fare either - that had been agreed with the tourist, who changed the deal. On top of that he was probably so upset that he went home early - so he didn't earn any more money that day.

[sirchai]

“We always have meetings with taxi operators, asking them to exercise self-control. Some of them are not very well-educated;

​Guess the ten Egyptians were also not very well educated. And one of them had no self control........

A real good one. The tablets might change this country in about 20 years........

Edited July 2, 2012 by sirchai

[Card]

So an Egyptian and his 9 wives want to get away with paying for only 5 wives - I think I would thump him too.

[paulswebb]

Tuk Tuk one. Kilometre, 50 baht most places. 10 passengers, sounds like a baht bus, a pick-up with seats at the back and a hard top

[TinoThailand]

I would have paid the 100 Baht more if I took more people then I told them.

I have known a lot of North Africans. When they "just talk", they look kind of agressive aswell sometimes. Specially to the Thai culture, underdog, talk gentle... (yea yea not always, just try to get the picture )

[Arkady]

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.

I think it was reported because the Egyptian sat in the road blocking traffic until the cops arrived. Good on him for doing that but unbelievable that he crammed 10 people into a tuk tuk.

The problem seems to be that the local authorities don't regulate tuk tuks properly in Phuket because they are all involved in the scam as protection money flows uphill to the mayor, police, governor etc. They need to fix the fares instead of allowing them to charge outrageous fares for short distances. They also need to permit songthaews running fixed routes for a flat 10-20 baht as in Pattaya which would eliminate the need for most of the tuk tuks and their beastly drivers. This would be a huge benefit to locals as well.

Edited July 2, 2012 by Arkady

[Nitro Sweden]

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????

60 TBH for one km would be ok.

Here in Phuket, the mafia drives it up to anything they want but mostly 300-500 TBH under 2 km, unless you cross over to the next village, will be higher.

Regarding the 10 people in the tuk-tuk, must have been adults with children, six adults not counting the kids? na krap.

[hawker9000]

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???

Isn't particularly light!!?? A positive outcome!!?? You do know what a suspended sentence is, right?

[BOS2BKK]

The Balinese were positive their tourism industry would sustain them forever without fail. Two bombings later and they learned their lesson. Bali's tourism industry is only just now starting to recover. I work with an Aussie who cancelled his upcoming trip to Phuket after that lady was stabbed. There are two places in Thailand you see reports of this kind of violence. Phuket and Pattaya. The Tuk Tuk drivers blockading the docks have cost themselves cruise business, they are beating and stabbing tourists over extortionist prices. Screw them. I recommend anyone I know to go to Thailand without hesitation. It is a magical wonderful place. I also recommend against anyone going to Phuket. It is nothing but Detroit with Palm trees.

[wooly]

“We always have meetings with taxi operators, asking them to exercise self-control. Some of them are not very well-educated;

A real good one. The tablets might change this country in about 20 years........

Yes well said, Keep taking the tablets.

[Arkady]

'“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."'

Read, "If these buffaloes were better educated they would understand that beating and stabbing tourists, while perfectly understandable and acceptable in and of itself, indirectly affects the income of police and other important people who make a living from scamming tourists."

[TinoThailand]

So an Egyptian and his 9 wives want to get away with paying for only 5 wives - I think I would thump him too.

8 kids, 9 camels, what would it matter to the issue?

[TinoThailand]

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???

Isn't particularly light!!?? A positive outcome!!?? You do know what a suspended sentence is, right?

Yea.. Should he not at least pay the ticket for fighting? 500 Baht if I'm right.

[firestar]

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????

60 TBH for one km would be ok.

Here in Phuket, the mafia drives it up to anything they want but mostly 300-500 TBH under 2 km, unless you cross over to the next village, will be higher.

Regarding the 10 people in the tuk-tuk, must have been adults with children, six adults not counting the kids? na krap.

ONE Kid alone takes a motorbike taxi to the end of my soi it's already 40 bht, This is in Bangkok where it is cheaper.

A combination of 10 adults and kids are not going anywhere for 60 bht.

[LALes]

Both of these guys are slime. The Tuk Tuk mafia in Phuket and their extortionate prices and the slimeball tourists trying

to scam the driver. They deserve each other. Ever see the Egyptians and their cousins dealing with the street girls?

They make a deal, take her to the room where there are 5 guys waiting to jump in for free. Scum, all of 'em.

[firestar]

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???

Isn't particularly light!!?? A positive outcome!!?? You do know what a suspended sentence is, right?

Yea.. Should he not at least pay the ticket for fighting? 500 Baht if I'm right.

he had to pay 3000 Baht

[inquisitive]

It is not clear to me from the original story whether the passengers were ever transported anywhere. If so, then the "corrected fare" should have been negotiated before the journey began. Both sides would be wrong if it were not. If, on the other hand, a fare was negotiated for 6 people (as extortionate as it may have been) and then 10 piled in and the driver attempted to straighten things out BEFORE travelling, then that's a different situation. Basically the driver would have been telling the passenger that they had to either dump some pasengers to keep the deal that had been made, or else make a new arrangement. The only way this could then have gotten out of hand would have been if the <deleted> (oops, I meant the thieving passenger. Oops, I mean the esteemed tourist) refused to get out, in which case the police should have been summoned. If the tourist refused to leave but insisted on trying to force the driver to carry nearly double the number of passengers at the old rate, then he certainly deservd to get smashed in the face - even though the driver should NOT ever be the one to administer same. Bottom line is that everyone was in the wrong. Hopefully the court-administered punishment will deter the driver from a repeat offense, and the driver-administered punishment will deter the passenger from doing the same. And you know what? if news of this keeps this kind of tourist away, then it is a satisfying result for everyone.

[Ferangled]

While I'm sure the Tut Tut driver shouldn't have hit the guy, I don't think the Egyptian should have agreed a fare for 6 passengers and then tried to cram 10 people in. It's clearly taking the p*$$ in any country and most western taxis would have refused the fare altogether (minibus drivers aside). To then get into a heated argument because the driver asked for another 100 baht, to the point of violence, seems ridiculous.

300-400 baht? Yes it's a short distance but this is Patong, the crazy one way system will force the driver back around the town, taking him another 2-3 km before he gets back to gain a position for another fare, probably having to get in line with the 100s of other Tut Tut drivers in the area before he stands a chance of picking one up. I imagine the guy had already had a skin full of the not exactly "model" tourists that Patong attracts and this Egyptian guy just pushed him over the edge...

The sentence is in line with what you'd expect for a first time offence in the UK... ABH charge, minor injuries, 1 or 2 years suspended sentence and a small fine, maybe £250-500.

I don't know why there's so much negative response to this, the BiB/ Thai legal system seems to be damned if they do, damned if they don't on here!

[Jimmu]

It is probably a "SONGTHAEW" (สองแถว) (small van), not a tuk tuk, as that is what is normally is used in Phuket.

[Sayonarax]

We always have meetings with taxi operators

[frank2611]

I agree with firefly, it is the same as most western countries who allow weak sentences. The only difference is USA where if you are black they give you 10 years. Thailand sentence is same as other places except fine is smaller but that OK compared to wages.

[dcsw53]

Sounds like they deserve each other.

Typical Egyptian trick, see how often a hotel room booked with twin beds will have 5-6 sleeping there. Then instead of refusing the fare the driver tries to get 10 in ?? What is the world record, Egyptians are not generally known for their small size ? No comments from the police or court about unsafe loads, that would be too logical.

[Hostile17]

That driver was probably hated by the police as that would explain why he is the only one getting sentenced EVER

Edited July 2, 2012 by Hostile17

[tragickingdom]

Great justice system. How is an accused person able to get his defense arranged within a week. I know for poor people there is never a layer present not even when a capital crime is in play. A suspended jail term is actually quite heavy, although I am pretty sure that the rednecks among us like to hang him on a tree or let him be locked up by a private company like back one who never let a prisoner get free anyhow. The driver is still lucky that he is not a pregnant woman sentenced to a year for stealing 300 dollar and who has to give birth in chains..... Good sentence therefore,

[samsingsong]

Apparently, after their ordeal, the Egyptian family plan a day on the beach.

They are going to relax and rent some Jet-skis.