U S Navy Sailors Caught In Phuket Taxi Blockade

[IrishIvan]

Sorry to burst your bubble guys but it was mini van drivers blockading the port. The tuk tuks and taxi drivers dutifully transported the sailors to Patong

And how much were the fares ?

 According to the article above: "In the meantime the sailors from the USS Nimitz are deprived of their free shuttle service and are having to pay local taxis and minivans to get to and from Patong." And as IrishIvan stated the rip off tuk tuks were charging 400 Baht a piece with five passengers on board.

Whats a rip off about 400 baht? Its a decent journey from the deep sea port to Patong

 

Because 400 Baht times five people is 2,000 Baht for a 20 KM trip in a Daihatsu mini pickup truck.

Divide that by 5 people and that's 400 baht each. In farangland you would have to get 2 cabs for 5 people and it would be a lot more than that. If you cant afford 400 baht then it might be time to re evaluate your stay in Thailand

[thaicbr]

Sorry to burst your bubble guys but it was mini van drivers blockading the port. The tuk tuks and taxi drivers dutifully transported the sailors to Patong

And how much were the fares ?

 According to the article above: "In the meantime the sailors from the USS Nimitz are deprived of their free shuttle service and are having to pay local taxis and minivans to get to and from Patong." And as IrishIvan stated the rip off tuk tuks were charging 400 Baht a piece with five passengers on board.

Whats a rip off about 400 baht? Its a decent journey from the deep sea port to Patong

 

Because 400 Baht times five people is 2,000 Baht for a 20 KM trip in a Daihatsu mini pickup truck.

Divide that by 5 people and that's 400 baht each. In farangland you would have to get 2 cabs for 5 people and it would be a lot more than that. If you cant afford 400 baht then it might be time to re evaluate your stay in Thailand

It's not about the 400b its about the fact that there are no choices. In Bangkok you get a meter taxi same price for 1 as it is for 4.

Also does any one else not see the inevitably link between the owner of the bus company and the helpful pui yai baan taxi association owner....so the family get paid twice. One for the bus contract and once for the high priced taxi/tuk tuk service. Also note that outside the gates were much more reasonable drivers and rates.

Sent from my i-mobile i-STYLE Q6

[Jimi007]

Because 400 Baht times five people is 2,000 Baht for a 20 KM trip in a Daihatsu mini pickup truck.

Divide that by 5 people and that's 400 baht each. In farangland you would have to get 2 cabs for 5 people and it would be a lot more than that. If you cant afford 400 baht then it might be time to re evaluate your stay in Thailand

“Yesterday, a friend and I took an all-day tour with our chauffeur, Mr Wat, who we met out here [outside the port gates]. We went to Patong and Phuket FantaSea, and he brought us back here all for only 1,000 baht,” he said.

As the article above stated two sailor walked outside the port and got a taxi that toured them around the island for the day and night for 1,000 Baht. I guess some are a bit more fiscally conservative and smarter with their money than others...

[IrishIvan]

Sorry but if you want cheap taxis then go to Bangkok and you can enjoy all that city has to offer. Smog, traffic, Soi Cowboy, views of other buildings...grinding poverty. Its a hole and I wouldnt live there for all the tea in China.

How has 400baht tuk tuks affected your life in Phuket?

[steelepulse]

>>He allegees that GDMA owes his company around B5.5 million – B3.5 million
>>>from last October when the aircraft carrier USS Stennis stopped in
>>>Phuket, and another B2 million so far for the current visit of the
>>>Stennis’s sister ship, the USS Nimitz.

Someone is making out like a bandit. In my country, you can rent a 40 pax bus with driver for the day for less than 30K baht. I can't believe that a shuttle service can charge as much as mentioned above, especially seeing how the drivers are paid peanuts and the busses are not necessarily brand new and in perfect working conditions. There's some serious curruption in these prices! So nearly 200K USD for a few days of shuttle service.

[Jimi007]

Sorry but if you want cheap taxis then go to Bangkok and you can enjoy all that city has to offer. Smog, traffic, Soi Cowboy, views of other buildings...grinding poverty. Its a hole and I wouldnt live there for all the tea in China.

How has 400baht tuk tuks affected your life in Phuket?

It affects these sailors on leave as the US Navy already paid in advance for their transportation. Everything here is not about you or me believe it or not... And guess what, I've lived here a hell of a lot longer than you and have not seen any improvement in transportation....

[Jimi007]

it looks like the naval base will be full of discharged seamen, and there wont be the planned liquidity injection in patong

What a lame comment! There isn't a US Navy base in Phuket and if you bothered to read you would be a bit more informed...

[NamKangMan]

Picture the Phuket Government shutting the water off all over Phuket and then a "private association" charging 10,000 baht for a water truck delivery, with some of that 10,000 baht going to the Phuket Government to keep the water turned off. Then, you might have some idea what is going on here.

Transport is alongside electricity, water, roads, medical, education etc - it's an essential service for a functional community.

[Lancelot]

I just shake my head at the stupidity/greed of these so called taxi drivers. I'm surprised the US navy came back after last time ....

Thats my question as well, why does the US Navy continue to return to be subjected to the same old scam?

[andreandre]

..;;Tuk tuks being generous and taking navy personel back to the ship....cheap prices..

''With hundreds of unhappy people standing around, things could certainly have gotten worse,'' one source said. ''The tuk-tuks were charging 4000, 5000, 6000 baht to take people back to the port.''

Edited May 30, 2013 by andreandre

[NamKangMan]

Sorry but if you want cheap taxis then go to Bangkok and you can enjoy all that city has to offer. Smog, traffic, Soi Cowboy, views of other buildings...grinding poverty. Its a hole and I wouldnt live there for all the tea in China.

How has 400baht tuk tuks affected your life in Phuket?

It affects these sailors on leave as the US Navy already paid in advance for their transportation. Everything here is not about you or me believe it or not... And guess what, I've lived here a hell of a lot longer than you and have not seen any improvement in transportation....

I agree Jimi007.

The expats that continually post, "It doesn't effect me, so I don't care" or similar, really don't understand that the next drunk driver coming the other way could crash into them.

The roads we ALL use here are less safe because of the lack of transport here.

As for "improvement" - I've asked many many times, and not just in relation to transport, "Name one postive thing that has been implemented for the benefit of expats, tourists, or locals on Phuket, in recent times?" To date, no one has posted a reply.

In this day and age, the failure to move forward, means, in fact, you are going backwards.

[eezergood]

Again are we really so suprised?????

[JetsetBkk]

Ah, now illegal taxis are in charge. When is the lame assed governor of Phuket going to do something about the turf wars and taxi gangs on Phuket. This is just ridiculous. I hope the US Navy doesn't send another ship here until they are guaranteed this won't happen again. Which will be never!

I think you answered your own question. Something to do with "lame assed".

[bigbamboo]

personally i would up anchor and sail for the phillipines

That was apparently one of the options seriously considered last night.

I think they went to Singapore last time.

The Yanks have probably heard that in Singapore you've only got to fart to end up in jail whereas in Thailand you can get away with murder.......

Edited May 30, 2013 by bigbamboo

[Briggsy]

Again!!!! Incredible. Didn't they learn the first time?

I suppose that is what happens when you appease organised crime outfits, they come back and ask for double.

[Jimi007]

Ah, now illegal taxis are in charge. When is the lame assed governor of Phuket going to do something about the turf wars and taxi gangs on Phuket. This is just ridiculous. I hope the US Navy doesn't send another ship here until they are guaranteed this won't happen again. Which will be never!

I think you answered your own question. Something to do with "lame assed".

I just read what the Chinese Ambassador had to say today about Phuket. It was a rather hash criticism that was very true and to the point. Of course the lame assed governor was in Europe and didn't meet with the governor as he seeing how a real tourist seaport is run, unlike the joke port he is "in charge of." I guess ignorance is truly bliss...

[toenail]

I wish the navy guys would smash the brown papya out of the tuk tuk taxi drivers. And of course, the goverment is too weak to do anything...no balls at all.

[Briggsy]

Hope no aggressive neighbour decides to attack Thailand at 6 am., coming in through Phuket. Everybody will still be standing around argueing a couple of hours later.

.... at which point the locals will surrender and set up brothels.

[sgtsabai]

_{An entirely different military from my time, and the better for it. Back in the '60's with the knowledge that this type of thing had happened time and time again an unofficial 'dungaree liberty' would have probably ensued, with the Navy and the Marines actually fighting side by side instead of each other for a change.}

[dezeure]

Get an apache from the ACC and shoot all those mother f#%£s of mafia crap. Everyone is sick and tire of this maffia crap which is just supported by all the police and govt for bribes.

Last visits were great organised with the busses and organized transportation.

Dissapointed once again in the system in phuket

[Joe Mamma]

Gangsters run the transport system and have government officials in their pockets apparently, so tourists and locals alike are held to ransom on this issue ALL the time, its only when a big boat turns up and it becomes newsworthy does the rest of the world find out about the extortionate manner of transport operations on Phuket. Lets just smile, say Mai Pen Rai and let the locals take us for all we are worth as usual... My friend in China said to me that the difference between Chinese and Thai is that Chinese will find the goose laying the golden egg and keep it until it can lay no more eggs then bake it up and eat it, Thai would just eat it and not worry that they lost all the eggs that might have come from it... same way they treat tourists, expecting that the ones they rip off today will be replaced by new marks tomorrow. Always enjoyable to observe the amazing Thailand experience, after 23 years it hasn't changed much

Total short term thinking.

[thaigold]

Actually, this whole kerfuffle is a secret joint Thai / US training exercise. So you Euro aliens and British - do not repeat this eyes-only dispatch.

The reason is; the US is soon to deploy a Navy Task Force to the Middle East, where they expect a REAL BLOCKADE. These taxi drivers are all going to receive the US National Extinguished Service Award, with "V" for valor.

Remember, you heard in here first, confidentially, on the QT, and very hush hush. Whoops (National Secrets Act) that's a British crime. Pass the word folks ... the cat's out of the bag.

[thaigold]

I wish the navy guys would smash the brown papya out of the tuk tuk taxi drivers. And of course, the goverment is too weak to do anything...no balls at all.

So go to Subic. Whoops, forgot the Filipinos wanted too much rent.

[jbrain]

The armada of local transport vehicles were called in after the regular bus organized to transport the sailors to popular tourist areas across the island failed to show up.

“Just because there are a lot of taxis here doesn’t mean we are blocking the port. We are actually just trying to help out,” said local village headman Narong Kumban.

“I found out that the Blue Sea Tour bus wasn’t going to be running at about 6:30am, so I called in about 100 taxis to ensure sailors had transportation from the port,” he said.

Any reports yet about a busdriver being held at gunpoint.

Edited May 30, 2013 by jbrain

[LivinginKata]

A number of the off topic, obscene, and nonsense posts removed.

[NamKangMan]

Ah, now illegal taxis are in charge. When is the lame assed governor of Phuket going to do something about the turf wars and taxi gangs on Phuket. This is just ridiculous. I hope the US Navy doesn't send another ship here until they are guaranteed this won't happen again. Which will be never!

I think you answered your own question. Something to do with "lame assed".

I just read what the Chinese Ambassador had to say today about Phuket. It was a rather hash criticism that was very true and to the point. Of course the lame assed governor was in Europe and didn't meet with the governor as he seeing how a real tourist seaport is run, unlike the joke port he is "in charge of." I guess ignorance is truly bliss...

Maybe he is in Europe to ask, "Why your country tourists not come Phuket anymore?" :) :)

[Suradit69]

An easy fix would be for the US Navy to politely explaing that if it should happen one more time the will be NO MORE visits from any US Navy ship to Phuket.

Cut your own throats by arrogance, greed and stupidity.

"the US Navy to politely explain"

Who exactly would do the explaining?

I would think there are enough places in Asia that already wish the US Military would go away. Politely telling the locals not to tolerate labor disputes or instructing them in how to manage disputes tends to generate ruffled feathers and accusations of meddling, especially when the military is supposed to leave policy statements & foreign affairs to the civilian government and the State Dept.

TOKYO (AP) — A U.S. airman is suspected of assaulting a young boy Friday on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, authorities said. The incident comes just two weeks after a curfew was imposed on all 52,000 U.S. troops in Japan after the arrest of two Navy sailors for allegedly raping a local woman.

[tragickingdom]

Maybe the distinguished sailors can do what the Phuket political mafia is unwilling to do. Beat them up let's see who is the boss.

[tezzainoz]

Tell me if I am wrong. but these boats and ships all have high speed rescue craft

why not just by pass the blockade and go to Patong on the water

[Joe Mamma]

Driving our own car to Phuket is worth it to avoid these hungry wolves.