Phuket Tuk-Tuk Driver Threat: Fighting Fire With Fire

[webfact]

Phuket: Fighting fire with fire
Jody Houton



PHUKET: -- In response to a threat issued by a Karon tuk-tuk driver that, if introduced, a public bus service from the airport to Kata and Karon would be met with public road protests, a Phuket News reader suggested that “heads should be cracked”, in order to fight the violence with even greater violence.

While the issue of the monopolisation of public transport on the island is indeed an emotive subject, and to a certain extent such reactionary, inflammatory comments are to be expected.

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Even the Bible seems to suggest there is no problem with meeting violence with violence or the threatening of the odd smiting as a pre-emptive strike.

Can we seriously claim to be living and participating in a civilised society when violence – including the continued use of the death penalty – is often used as the punishment for violence?

Sure, the threat of punishment should be in place, but it should be used merely as a last option for preventing crime. Sociologists in Thailand should have as much impact and influence upon Thai society as the police and ever-changing political parties do.

Rather than simply arrest, beat or lock up the criminal, why not instead question why the Phuket gunman who shot a customer in Tesco Lotus last week had a gun in his hand, felt the need to steal and more importantly, kill without compunction?

While we’re at it, why is the Phuket teen on methamphetamine? Why is the Phuket woman working in a bar? Why not ask these questions now?

These are answers that can only be arrived at with our minds and definitely not our fists. Fighting fire with fire is not the answer. It’s never the answer. The argument in the US right now that everybody should be armed in order to protect themselves against everyone else is both absurd and sad.

Violence is never the answer. Fighting violence with violence in order to instil a greater sense of fear to combat those attempting to scare will just perpetuate a never-ending cycle of negativity. Fear, violence, punishment, retribution, vengeance and injustice and fear.

We don't want to sound like a 1980s action movie hero, but if you fight fire with fire, you’re going to get burned. Or to paraphrase the Talking Heads song: 'Fight fire with fire – burning down the house'.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-fighting-fire-with-fire-38655.php


-- Phuket News 2013-04-15

[Locationthailand]

The photo looks like the gun in Cambodia - but yes, the article is basically all about the stupidity and mind set problem. And when it comes to business in Thailand when taking on mafia's like the Tuk Tuk crooks, they will not think twice about violence as is normal with pack animals.

[DiamondKing]

They have a statue like that in Cape Town South Africa in the up market Harbour area

[andygunther]

They have a statue like that in Cape Town South Africa in the up market Harbour area

They have one in Stockholm / Sweden too

[Falcon01]

If taxi drivers break the law they should be arrested and put in jail.

[andygunther]

If they had reasonable prices, and there had not been received so many complaints about Tuk Tuk drivers.

I think the buses never had come into use... I just say " Som Nam Na "

[pacovl46]

They (taxi and tuk tuk thugs) think they can do whatever they want down there and they urgently need a lesson!!! Hunt them down until the very last one is gone!!! Set an example!!! Problem solved!!!

[Dogbreath]

I think the author of this screed should go and sing Kum Bai Yaa with the tuk tuk mafia and all will be well. And the lion shall lie down with the lamb. Breathtaking naivete. Chok Dee

[laislica]

If the Tuk-Tuk drivers wage war they should be arrested and charged and if found guilty, they should be sent to prison, without exception.

No amount of bribes should be accepted, just enforce the existing laws.

[renaissanc]

The tuk tuk mafia has grown in strength because corruption has allowed this. Now it will be hard to break the mafia, but it has to be done. Quite a few will be in jail before this is over, I think.

[scorecard]

Nice warm fuzzy words, but not reality. The author seems to be saying, don't retaliate, just accept.

Well sorry but that attitude will just give more power to the mafia and make them even more entrenched and more beligerent.

I don't readily concone violence, but there is a case for standing up to / confronting bullies after several attempts

at discussion have failed.

Developing and maintaining a civil society is hard work and there will always be bumps and unfortunately confrontations

along the way, that's one of the reasons we have laws and why we pay (hopefully) appropriate people to enforce the laws of a

civil society.

Edited April 15, 2013 by scorecard

[hawker9000]

Who writes this crap?

[Mrjlh]

Wrong approach Jody. The pacifistic attitude does not work. Just ask the people in Yala and surrounding communities. Leave the USA out of the equation because it's an entirely different situation and circumstance. Penalties for violations need to be strictly enforced. In some cases raised to a higher level until society gets the message. All taxis and Tuk-Tuks need a meter for starters. Stopping tuk-tuk forming districts need to be abandoned. It has become territorial and aggressive fights are caused by it. It is not Thai society that is the problem it is the mafia style organizations that refuse to grow with society and hindering Thailand from becoming a better society.

[eezergood]

TUK TUK union rep

Who writes this crap?

TUKTUK union rep of course!

[SDH]

What an idiot!

Let us take it to the bandit, murderous criminals known to us all as the "Tuk Tuk Mafia", it's unfortunate we could not have them all jailed for their past crimes, let lone the crimes they are surely to commit in the future!

[LALes]

Kumbaya, indeed. As if these Tuk Tuk bozos are going to peaceably give up their lucrative scam. Threaten them all with long prison

terms if they don't obey the laws. Ha!! Thailand and upholding the law. Fat chance. This will probably end in a shootout somewhere.

[thaikahuna]

They (taxi and tuk tuk thugs) think they can do whatever they want down there and they urgently need a lesson!!! Hunt them down until the very last one is gone!!! Set an example!!! Problem solved!!!

Let the punishment fit the crime. If a tuk-tuk overcharges, gets caught and arrested, then hit his wallet HARD. The common argument is that Thai people have no money. BULLSHIT! They have money to buy a vehicle and operate it, they have money to pay the fine. If the fine forces them to get a loan against the vehicle, so be it.

[axact]

Who writes this crap?

Highly educated (in the Thai system) people who only have honesty and finding the truth and fighting corruption as the main motivation of their lives. (sarcasm)

But more to the point without sterling reporting like this what would Thaivisa forum posters have to write about ?

[Shot]

Elmer Fudd has a gun like that

[cup-O-coffee]

Jody. You are absolutely mad and that is a fact.

[timewilltell]

Just absolute drivel I'm afraid.

[billd766]

Give the Governer and the Police chief until Monday morning at 9 am to sort it out.

At 10 am if it hasn't been done, fire BOTH of them with NO compensation.

The new guys will get 2 weeks and just keep going with the firing.

The alternative arrest EVERY tuk tuk and taxi driver and jail them for a 5 year minimum..

[woodyjons]

Last time I was in a taxi was 18 months ago when I returned to my Thai Honey from a visit from USA. We have a car, she wanted to meet me at the airport, but I said no, my flight is scheduled to come in at 1am and who knows what kind of delays there could be with my having a 24 hour trip with 3 different carriers. I do come in at 1am, women come humping my leg for taxi service. I try and shoo them away, one was very persistant. I saw no metered taxi's. We haggeled over price to get me to the Wat Chalong area, struck a deal and she led me to the cab and driver. Loaded my luggage up, craweled in, and the ride began, just like thoes miserable border run f*#ks. I look into his crazy, yellow drug laiden eyes, and asked him to slow down, no luck. I lived through it.

But, don't paint with too wide a brush. I have had more than one bad experiences, also many good ones with taxi and tuk tuk drivers. If I am in a pinch, I go for motorbike taxi. Cheap, safe on Phuket, you are putting your life in someone else's hands in BBK.

Metered taxi's should be demanded here.

[Maseratimartin]

This article is really crap...from tuk tuk to death penalty and then even bring in the US....?!

I would develop new emmision regulations and then the tuk tuks are history!

This way you clean up!

But good luck in a such corrupt country like Thailand and the police are the ones with the biggest pockets.

And please do not give up the death penalty....some parasites do not deserve to share the same planet with humans!

I would even hang some criminals directly beside the city sign...

[andygunther]

The tuk tuk mafia has grown in strength because corruption has allowed this. Now it will be hard to break the mafia, but it has to be done. Quite a few will be in jail before this is over, I think.

I really hope so !!

[Valentine]

They (taxi and tuk tuk thugs) think they can do whatever they want down there and they urgently need a lesson!!! Hunt them down until the very last one is gone!!! Set an example!!! Problem solved!!!

Let the punishment fit the crime. If a tuk-tuk overcharges, gets caught and arrested, then hit his wallet HARD. The common argument is that Thai people have no money. BULLSHIT! They have money to buy a vehicle and operate it, they have money to pay the fine. If the fine forces them to get a loan against the vehicle, so be it.

The drivers may be two bit thugs but often they have no choice as many of them have to rent their vehicles & as there are so many of them, overcharging becomes the norm due to not getting so many fares. Try cutting down on the number of tuks tuks & there might be an improvement but that would cut down the amount of money the controllers make. I know the good old days are gone but it was not like this before. Many of you will remember you could haggle for a fair price & the drivers were pretty decent folk.

[orang37]

This homily was written under a pseudonym.

I know, for a fact, this was written by Dr. Pangloss, a well-known Phuket character, easily noticed in the madding crowd by his long, flowing, white robes, and the snow-white dove that hovers over his head, never once (in every reported sighting) taking a crap (the dove, I mean).

I discount the frequent other observations of the Doctor which claim that within ten feet of his presence there is a remarkable scent described, variously, as "heavenly," or "angelic," and that when he shops at Tesco his shopping cart often shimmers with a strange blue light suggestive of deep ocean bioluminescence.

~o37;

[NamKangMan]

Has anyone considered that they may not use violence, but strike. There could be a local, or island wide, tuk-tuk strike.

Proper public transport is just about nonexistent on Phuket anyway, but the tourists do use tuk-tuks. If the tuk-tuks also got together with the airport taxis, you are looking at a major incident that will be picked up by global media.

No violence, no blockade - they just don't drive.

So, instead of using violence, they may just strike and be begged to get on the road again for the sake of the tourism industry, of course, with a list of their demands that must be met.

They wouldn't have to use violence, just sleep in the back of their tuk-tuks in their hammock all day, which what they do now anyway.

Just a thought.

Edited April 15, 2013 by NamKangMan

[Keith67]

In reality nothing will ever get done about this problem in Phuket, tuk tuk drivers will continue to flout the law and police will continue to turn the other cheek, if there is a war and it turns into a blood bath we can only hope that the tuk tuk mafia are illrpepared and lose in exceptional number and then they can possibly be overturned once and for all.

[hansnl]

They have a statue like that in Cape Town South Africa in the up market Harbour area

They have one in Stockholm / Sweden too

Wow!

And then?

Does it help?

Whatever you think, weapons, be it firearms, knives or whatever, do not kill.

People do.

So do something about the way people think.

That might be a huge job in Thailand, or in many other countries in the world.

Whatever, South Africa, and Sweden are not exactly good examples of the "broken-rifle" cult, are they?