Phuket Tuk-Tuk Driver Threat: Fighting Fire With Fire

[Halion]

Screw all this. The issue is simple . it is about civil obedience and the will of the administration to enforce the law in all respects.

Perhaps if they got rid of the myriad of Tuk-Tuk mafai members of the various committes they could startr to provide sensible public services as fair market cost. Go ahead with this service and punish any and all who try to disrupt the smooth operation expediently and without exception within the full extent of the law. Tuk-Tuk operators in Phuket are a cancer which requires surgical removal before they contaminate the whole system

[globerunner4]

There's no argument in US that everyone "should" have a gun, just the right to bear arms if you so choose. But what's that have to do with taxi drivers running Phuket?

[eezergood]

I predict the same discussion will be going on in another 5 years! Nothing changed, except the fares will have increased

[brianb1944]

TUK TUK union rep

Who writes this crap?

TUKTUK union rep of course!

Social worker/ psychologist for my money,and almowt certainly Farang.

[Yahooka]

The tuk-tuk drivers of Phuket KNOW

they can get away with anything !!

[blackthorn2005]

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 "

The majority are uneducated, violent, thieving scum, unfortunately they can do whatever they wish, they are the untouchables, same as the jet-ski operators. This is why they quality of tourists are in decline.

[BigSkip]

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.

So thoughtfully said...... Thank YOU! Where does the U.S. have anything to do with this b.s. (always easy to blame or involve the U.S.) Jody get a life!....

[BigSkip]

Screw all this. The issue is simple . it is about civil obedience and the will of the administration to enforce the law in all respects.

Perhaps if they got rid of the myriad of Tuk-Tuk mafai members of the various committes they could startr to provide sensible public services as fair market cost. Go ahead with this service and punish any and all who try to disrupt the smooth operation expediently and without exception within the full extent of the law. Tuk-Tuk operators in Phuket are a cancer which requires surgical removal before they contaminate the whole system

You are correct, but a bit tooooooooooo late I'm afraid.

[annabel]

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.

Sounds to me like the SOUTH is Moving upwards northway ... .. no control whasoever in thugs and or insurgents ... both becoming almost similar in fact ... sad situations !!... Maybe a visit from Chalerm to Phuket could solve this ..??

Edited April 15, 2013 by annabel

[annabel]

The tuk-tuk drivers of Phuket KNOW they can get away with anything !!

And even if eventually they can't get away with the horrendous crimes that they may commit, they will be counting on this weeks Amnesty Bill and that they will fall under the Amesty Laws that will soon be passed and be forgiven for all their immediate crimes and not have to do any jail time or penance whatsoever ... no bails, no fines .. no time in jail either .. Amnesty all the way !!

[xylophone]

There is another angle or aspect to this which probably needs to be considered, not that I am a supporter of the taxi and tuk tuk modus operandi, by any means.

These operators have to pay to get their vehicles on the road and then have to pay a monthly "fee", most of which goes to the "persons in high places" on the island, and to the police.

So imagine their anger and frustration when the "profitable" job that they were hoping to secure for themselves turns to custard, despite having taken out loans to buy the vehicles and paying the above-mentioned "fees".

The problem of course is that these persons in high places have backed themselves into a corner because for the good of the island, better public transport is needed and these are the very people who are supposed to be looking after the "good of the island", yet they are getting very rich on the back of the tuk tuk and taxidrivers fees, so what do they do – – absolutely nothing to curb anything whatsoever, because they are powerless to do so. Implementing a better transport system/public transport system would put them in conflict with the very people who are giving them millions of baht, and of course lose them a substantial income.

Until corruption is rooted out from the highest places, then I fear this will never be solved, and as this is just about impossible, expect more conflict, aggression and violence until such time as the place gets such a bad reputation that only the desperate and foolhardy will come here for a holiday.

[cup-O-coffee]

There is another angle or aspect to this which probably needs to be considered, not that I am a supporter of the taxi and tuk tuk modus operandi, by any means.

These operators have to pay to get their vehicles on the road and then have to pay a monthly "fee", most of which goes to the "persons in high places" on the island, and to the police.

So imagine their anger and frustration when the "profitable" job that they were hoping to secure for themselves turns to custard, despite having taken out loans to buy the vehicles and paying the above-mentioned "fees".

The problem of course is that these persons in high places have backed themselves into a corner because for the good of the island, better public transport is needed and these are the very people who are supposed to be looking after the "good of the island", yet they are getting very rich on the back of the tuk tuk and taxidrivers fees, so what do they do – – absolutely nothing to curb anything whatsoever, because they are powerless to do so. Implementing a better transport system/public transport system would put them in conflict with the very people who are giving them millions of baht, and of course lose them a substantial income.

Until corruption is rooted out from the highest places, then I fear this will never be solved, and as this is just about impossible, expect more conflict, aggression and violence until such time as the place gets such a bad reputation that only the desperate and foolhardy will come here for a holiday.

I understand, but disagree. Blaming again. Blaming it on someone else when these dirt bags have their own senses to get a job in customer service and understand that their customers pay their bills, not their crooked strategies. Be nice and they'll come back. Be an <deleted> and you gotta get more clever to fool them to come back.

Choices!

Moreover, spending their hard earned cash on booze, gambling and whatever else takes the luster off this description you have painted of them.

Choices!

These tuk tuk drivers spend more time trying to be clever and tricking, coercing or extorting the customer, when it would be far more simpler to be nice and honest and give a good product or service and then go home with a good conscience. But you have to have a conscience to understand this. Intelligence too!

Choices!

Hence, they had their chance to choose, and it seems their presence in Phuket is beginning to wear thin on those who see the practicality to moving ahead to catch up with the twenty first century. Empires rise and fall. The tuk tuk dynasty is no different.

[BanTamo]

As Mr Houton feels it appropriate to quote the Talking Heads over this matter may I suggest he at least choose a relevant song?

Life During Wartime

Heard of a van that is loaded with weapons

Packed up and ready to go

Heard of some grave sites, out by the highway

A place where nobody knows

The sound of gunfire, off in the distance

I'm getting used to it now ...

This ain't no party, this ain't no disco

This ain't no fooling around

No time for dancing, or lovey dovey

I ain't got time for that now...

I got three passports, couple of visas

Don't even know my real name

High on a hillside, trucks are loading

Everything's ready to roll, I, I

I sleep in the daytime,

I work in the nigh time

I might not ever get home

Trouble in transit, got through the roadblock

We blended in with the crowd

We got computers, we're tapping phone lines

I know that ain't allowed

Get it straight, mate. This is a war in the making. And there will be blood.

[mogoso]

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?

Just as a point of Information they are copies of the one that sits in front of the one organization that seeks to disarm all citizens, The United Nations. One day we will all be sheeple.

[MacChine]

The writer is asking society to not accept violence to counteract bad behavior,is all. It's not naive, but it does seem to be counter to a nation that is governed by violence rather than enforcement of civil laws.

The driver's have a right to protest, but not block the streets. If it is a Thai custom to placate instead of confront, then one would have to accept proliferation of bad behavior will be the result.

Phuket's mafia is so because it's the brothers and uncles of so and so ...They aren't going to call in the riot police. Nepotism gone mad. It's so deeply rooted, the only way to change it would be foreigners taking the island over - then we'd spend our time sniping each other on forums about how to run it properly.

Edited April 18, 2013 by MacChine