Thuggish Phuket Taxis Targeted After 12 Hotels Complain

[Lite Beer]

Thuggish Phuket taxis targeted after 12 hotels complain

Tanyaluk Sakoot

PHUKET: A meeting of all concerned is to be convened in Karon later this month to attempt to address the problem of unpleasant – in some cases thuggish – behaviour by local taxi groups.



By no means a new problem: In September 2011 three Kamala taxi drivers were arrested for taking an iron bar to an ‘invading’ car (pictured). The case was eventually settled out of court.

Twelve hotels in Karon, Kata and Kamala have complained en masse to the Damrongtham Centre – twice – that they have been threatened by “Taxi Mafia” who sit at the entrances to the hotels and regard guests as their “property”.

The original complaint was lodged as long ago as December last year, and was reiterated on April 22, said Praphan Kanprasang, Chief of the Centre today (June 3).

The complaint came from six hotels in Karon, five in Kata and one in Kamala, acting in concert.

The hotels complained that taxi drivers:

Blocked hotel transportation and threaten the drivers of hotels limousines or minivans;

Tout their services aggressively to guests walking out of the hotels;

Use foul language when guests choose to hire a car from a rival group of taxis;

Block the entrance to the hotel to bar “invaders”;

Drag “invading” drivers from their vehicles;

Drag customer from taxis that do not belong to their group;

Follow guests who walk out of the hotels to meet with a tour guide or tour group who have come to pick them up;

Threaten tour businesses to extort money from them; and

Use guns and sticks to threaten tour company drivers.

An official at the Centre explained that the six-month wait for action was because of the complexity of the complaint, and the fact that it involved three areas of the island.

The chief investigator in Karon, Pol Lt Narong Laksanawimon has reported to the Centre that he and his men have already interviewed 15 businesses – hotels and tourism companies – that have had trouble from taxi drivers.

One hotel complained that local taxi drivers had set up a sales counter in front of the hotel and always stopped and checked cars coming to the hotel. This frightened hotel guests.

The hotel also told police that the taxi drivers shouted obscenities at guests when they checked prices of other taxi services.

The hotel staff, too, were abused by the taxi drivers to the point where the staff were terrified of them. The hotel begged the police to “find the right man” to fix these issues.

The Damrongtham Centre file shows that Phuket’s Police Chief, Maj Gen Choti Chavalviwat, reported back in January that he had met that month with five hotels in the Karon area.

He recommended that a special committee of all concerned officials should be convened as the problem might affect tourism in Karon, Kata and Kamala.

A committee – the members have not been made public – has since been formed and will meet later this month in Karon.

With the “low” season started, tourists are becoming more scarce, aggravating the situation.

Last months, taxi and tuk-tuk drivers so frightened tour counter operators near Dino Park that they closed down and went away.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/thuggish-phuket-taxis-targeted-after-12-hotels-complain-39877.php?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

-- Phuket News 2013-06-03

[JetsetBkk]

I know what I would do.

[britpop]

In the animal kingdom, it's survival of the fittest, if these reports are true of how the taxis drivers are acting, it's simply disgusting, simple!!!!!, take there taxis licence away, oh in Thailand is there such a thing, take there car and crush it, what!!!!! he's a friend of the head of the police and the crushing machine is ka-poot, behead him, wow!!!!! it's the beheader guys day off, f,,, it, reward him for being over abusive with international tourists. it seem these taxis companies are so well connected there staff can get away with anything, you have to hit the big boss man, whoever he is!!!!, a villain out of a James Bond movie, but if he's at the top of the food chain, who will take him down

[Salapoo]

Ahh, beautiful, moral, superior buddhist Thais.

Don't worry, the problem will be gone in 10 or so years as there won't be any tourists left visiting there.

[manarak]

Salapoo, on 03 Jun 2013 - 23:14, said:

Ahh, beautiful, moral, superior buddhist Thais.

Don't worry, the problem will be gone in 10 or so years as there won't be any tourists left visiting there.

what makes you believe they are buddhist - the island is 50% muslim

[Jimi007]

Interesting that this has been brought yet up again. I know the guy in the photo whose car was bashed as well as his boss. I hope this crap gets dealt with! Turf wars over taxis is so third world in a place that wants to be a top international "tourist destination." Yet it gets worse every year! When is the Phuket governor going to take this ridiculous situation on? I know, never... How many past governors have run away from it as well? Most people, except the taxi scum are fed up with it! Ying soon to be out of Luck seems to be as deaf and dumb as the rest of the Thai government. Good job by the local news to keep up the pressure on the never ending greed and stupidity of the locals! I hope the consulates and embassies that are coming here in the next few weeks give these idiots another good verbal lashing as the ambassador from China did last week....

[wellred]

Salapoo, on 03 Jun 2013 - 23:14, said:

Ahh, beautiful, moral, superior buddhist Thais.

Don't worry, the problem will be gone in 10 or so years as there won't be any tourists left visiting there.

what makes you believe they are buddhist - the island is 50% muslim

What makes you think most of the taxi and tuk tuk drivers are genuine locals?

[chiang mai]

I agree, many are imports from Issan.

[Soupdragon]

I don't think it matters what religion these people claim to belong to, they all bow down to the almighty $$$$$$$$

[Payboy]

I could bet my last bottom dollar, Buddhist or Muslim they're all controlled by the local influential figure(s).

[benalibina]

This taxi and tuk tuk business proves to show that the lawenforcers and makers are not in control and most likely never will be. Fear is in the eye of the beholder. Correct that they are !

Same stories for more than 15 years. Nothing will change.

[bearpolar]

Dominican republic is so third world inefficient that the police will only arrest you if you don't run away(literally, if you walk faster than them they just give up)

yet no taxi problem

whats up with that?

Edited June 3, 2013 by bearpolar

[theblether]

I don't care how "Influential" these local figures think they are, they're p*ssing in the wind if they think that the Chinese government will stand for this crap. There will be a collective collapsing of *rses in the Thai government directly when Beijing comes calling on this ( and related ) subjects.

Then you'll see Thai army police on the streets of Phuket for a while, and that will be that........and the local "influential" figures will be wondering what hit them.

It's only a question of time.

[chiang mai]

Chiang Mai has its tuk tuk mafia equivelent in that nearly all of them are owned by one man, he even provides the drivers who rent the tuk tuks from him with cheap(ish) accomodation. Interesting that we don't see the same problems here in CM in respect of charging and competition, here it's all run as a competitve business that exists side by side with taxi and bus services, I wonder why the big difference in attitude an behaviour, culture perhaps, dunno.

[Salapoo]

This taxi and tuk tuk business proves to show that the lawenforcers and makers are not in control and most likely never will be.

Of course they are in control... of the envelopes that climb steadily upwards every month.

[eddie61]

you have to hit the big boss man, whoever he is!!!!,

He probably is BIB

[brfsa2]

you have to hit the big boss man, whoever he is!!!!,

He probably is BIB

There will always be BIG BOSS, one goes down, soon a new one will be up. Most likely the BIB is in charge.

In Thailand because of people mentality to accept things just as they happen to be, there will always be mafia... until people wake up and do something about it themselves. Mafia is there because it's allowed by population.

[brfsa2]

what needs to be done, is that all hotels van drivers, and business affected need to gather together with sticks, then go after all those mafia taxi drivers and beat them up. that's how you solve things with those animals...

[steelepulse]

you have to hit the big boss man, whoever he is!!!!,

He probably is BIB

Look to see who is running the "co-ops", "federations", and "associations". Case closed!

[eezergood]

Interesting that this has been brought yet up again. I know the guy in the photo whose car was bashed as well as his boss. I hope this crap gets dealt with! Turf wars over taxis is so third world in a place that wants to be a top international "tourist destination." Yet it gets worse every year! When is the Phuket governor going to take this ridiculous situation on? I know, never... How many past governors have run away from it as well? Most people, except the taxi scum are fed up with it! Ying soon to be out of Luck seems to be as deaf and dumb as the rest of the Thai government. Good job by the local news to keep up the pressure on the never ending greed and stupidity of the locals! I hope the consulates and embassies that are coming here in the next few weeks give these idiots another good verbal lashing as the ambassador from China did last week....

The Govnenor wont do anything, after I reported an incident where a taxi driver(illegal) tried to ram me & my pregnant wife of the road, they said to us in Thai - what do you want me to do?? I replied, nothing I can fix myself, they laugh called me *****farang end of story.

[Soupdragon]

you have to hit the big boss man, whoever he is!!!!,

He probably is BIB

Look to see who is running the "co-ops", "federations", and "associations". Case closed!

Would they be the ones living the 5* lifestyle on a 1* salary ?

[featography]

I know what I would do.

[upena]

Committee formed, problem solved. Back to business as usual

[eezergood]

Lets hope they can do the same for Patong, Panwa, Laguna etc.......

[andreandre]

what needs to be done, is that all hotels van drivers, and business affected need to gather together with sticks, then go after all those mafia taxi drivers and beat them up. that's how you solve things with those animals...

Are you prepared to 'lead by example'?

[QualityTouristNumberOne]

The Tuk Tuk chase scene from Ong Bak being enacted for real,

followed by a few RPG's aimed at the right "wrong" Taxi's spring to mind...but only as a mental image of course.

[joeaverage]

its all just a misunderstanding.

[yoslim]

all those cheap charlie tourists making a big deal of less than 100$, I mean they hardly charge more than 20-30$ for a ride around the island,that is less than a simple lunch back home

Edited June 4, 2013 by yoslim

[Businessman]

Bring in the army with buses and transport everyone for free until the roaches die starvation.

[starkey_rich]

all those cheap charlie tourists making a big deal of less than 100$, I mean they hardly charge more than 20-30$ for a ride around the island,that is less than a simple lunch back home

Not only tourist's have to put up with these scum.

Local Thai's live here as well you know and I bet they would just love to be able to spend 20-30$ on lunch