Angry Phuket tuk-tuk drivers blockade Patong

[webfact]

Angry Phuket tuk-tuk drivers blockade Patong
Suthicha Sirirat


A row of tuk-tuks block Patong last night.

PHUKET: -- Hundreds of tuk-tuk drivers closed down traffic right across Patong last night (March 3), blocking the three main gateways into the city from Kathu, Kamala and Karon in protest against what they believe were the unjust arrests of four of their colleagues.

The tuk-tuk drivers appealed to Governor Maitri Inthusut and Provincial Police Chief Pol Maj Gen Ong-art Phiewruangnont to step in a resolve the dispute.

The blockade began at around 8pm when more than 200 tuk-tuks blocked Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd at the intersections with Sai Nam Yen Rd and Bangla Rd, and on the beach road, the intersection with Soi Haad Patong.

Sakol Srisompotch, Director of the Patong Small Four-Wheel Club, explained, “Yesterday four [yellow-plate] tuk-tuk operators were arrested while preventing green-plate tuk-tuks from parking in public parking [provided for tuk-tuks].”

This infuriated yellow-plate drivers who feel that the police – instead of tackling the large numbers of illegal “black” plate vehicles on the streets of Patong, along with the green-plate vehicles which are sort of probationary yellow-plate vehicles – had been concentrating on giving yellow-plate drivers grief.

The angry yellow-plate drivers made three demands before they would lift their blockade: that the problem of illegal “black plate” tuk-tuks be seriously tackled; that no charges be brought against those joining the blockade; and that Kathu Police Chief Col Jirapat Phochanapan be transferred out of Patong.

Col Jirapat earlier met with the protesters to ask them to open the roads. They refused, telling him that they had already talked with him many times and he had failed to solve their problems.

After 20 minutes of fruitless debate, Col Jirapat gave up and went back to the police station.

As the yellow-plate drivers grew more frustrated they extended the siege, blocking the three gateways into Patong, parking their vehicles across the road near the Sea Pearl Villas on Patong Hill, the road in from Karon in front of Simon Cabaret and the road in from Kamala near the circle at the north end of the beach road, near the Novotel.

In front of Sea Pearl Villa, tourists had to walk down the hill in order to get transport on the other side of the road block, and traffic going east towards Kathu was blocked entirely.

This morning, the yellow-plate drivers opened the roads again, but warned the lifting of the siege was temporary and they will continue closing the roads without warning until they receive satisfactory answers to their grievances.

A Phuket News reader, asking not to be identified, told the newspaper, “At 5am there was no way in or out of Patong for vehicles. People were rolling their luggage from two kilometres outside Patong hoping to find their hotel after a 30-to-45-minute walk into town.

“Most of the police seemed to gather in groups away from the tuk-tuks, in well-lit areas, minding their own business and looking helpless.

“I talked to three officers who all said they feel “powerless against the tuk-tuk mafia” and tired of the grey areas of the law. I suggested they call in the Royal Thai Army and their expressions indicated they wished they could.

“On my way home, two kilometres past the last blockade, police were stopping motorbikes and searching people for drugs. I guess they decided to get away from those they fear and perform other duties.”

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/angry-phuket-tuk-tuk-drivers-blockade-patong-44950.php


-- Phuket News 2014-03-04

[TVGerry]

Green, yellow, black! Wow I didn't know driving a tuk tuk was such a complicated business!

[LivinginKata]

And these guys expect the tourists to keep on rolling in to Patong ... doh. No brain engaged, no thought that they are killing their golden goose.

[eezergood]

Col Jirapat earlier met with the protesters to ask them to open the roads. They refused, telling him that they had already talked with him many times and he had failed to solve their problems.

After 20 minutes of fruitless debate, Col Jirapat gave up and went back to the police station.

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[aTomsLife]

At this point, I enjoy seeing these stories. I hope they decimate their tourist industry there. Sorry if that sounds bitter, but I want to believe some form of justice exists in this country.

[slipperx]

Glad I don't live in that <deleted> hole anymore!

[Sharp]

After 20 minutes of fruitless debate, Col Jirapat gave up and went back to the police station.

OMG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[eezergood]

As i mentioned before - total embarrassment to the nation

[Brevity]

Reload gun...aim at foot...pull trigger.

Now, repeat that again and again and again, and you have a picture of Phuket greed and mismanagement.

Can regulating taxis in the core of Phket really be that difficult? Just decide on one legitimate license type and limit the <deleted>' number of them so that drivers can make a decent living without turf wars always going on.

Cripes! C'mon children. It is not brain surgery.

[bino]

Col Jirapat earlier met with the protesters to ask them to open the roads. They refused, telling him that they had already talked with him many times and he had failed to solve their problems.

After 20 minutes of fruitless debate, Col Jirapat gave up and went back to the police station.

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not difficult to figure out the logic here. Kathu Police Chief Col Jirapat Phochanapan went to show a little face and give the impression of trying to do the right thing, but do you really think he is going to take a hard-line stance and action against the organizations that have him in their pocket?

People were rolling their luggage from two kilometres outside Patong hoping to find their hotel after a 30-to-45-minute walk into town.

If I was a tourist on my first visit to Thailand, I would be seriously freaked out by this and making a u-turn back to the airport!

As it happens that I am a Thailand veteran, I would still be making a u-turn back to the airport!

[eezergood]

Total joke, such endless petulant behaviour is the MO of the uneducated & scared.

Edited March 4, 2014 by eezergood

[YaiJung]

There is very little hope for this country. The police are a pathetic joke. The people in charge have the mental development of children.

Laughable to see government officals from phuket supporting the anti-corruption campaign in bangkok. Who do they think they are fooling?

Oh well, if they actually had their act together, the whole country would be much wealthier and Thailand would be too expensive for most of us farang who spend so much time here.

[Patje]

Wow, what will they come up next ? Red shirt, yellow shirt, black shirt, yellow plate, green plate, black plate ? Next up : shoes, belts, flowers and teeth ?

Thailand : it starts with the color !!!

[thailiketoo]

The tourists should show some muscle and go somewhere else. One group of crooks running the town is awful. If all of the tourists got up and moved to Pattaya for a week things would change. The Russians have some muscle down there; maybe they should get together with the Chinese and evacuate everyone.

[robertthebruce]

If i was the Police,i would charge them all,

still amazes me who goes to ''Patong'' on vacation...., definetly not my preferred destination...

but, each to there own, but situations like this just comes across as ''Primative''..

2014 this is , not 1914...

[alant]

Shocked I am, shocked!

[CiaranO]

be more shocked - apparently the police as per request of tuk tuk drivers have transferred the Police Superintendent out of Patong. What a joke of a place.

[Lupatria]

Mob rule seems to became the new fashion over here

[NamKangMan]

Transport = The Shame of Phuket.

[NamKangMan]

At this point, I enjoy seeing these stories. I hope they decimate their tourist industry there. Sorry if that sounds bitter, but I want to believe some form of justice exists in this country.

"but I want to believe some form of justice exists in this country" - justice, you mean "kharma" - don't you?.

[drand11]

Ummm arrest the tuk tuk bastards and open up the roads?? Ummm that takes real police I guess!! Pathetic

[NamKangMan]

Ummm arrest the tuk tuk bastards and open up the roads?? Ummm that takes real police I guess!! Pathetic

"Ummm that takes real police I guess!!" - no, that would actually take the Thai Army.

[FireMedic]

Well the Col has no choice. He was given an order last year to clean up or be transferred. He has no room to negotiate with terrorists. I would keep a large tracked vehicle on standby at the police station to run over and "remove" all blocking traffic. It would shatter the high hopes of a strong mafia in one day or less.

[eezergood]

Well the Col has no choice. He was given an order last year to clean up or be transferred. He has no room to negotiate with terrorists. I would keep a large tracked vehicle on standby at the police station to run over and "remove" all blocking traffic. It would shatter the high hopes of a strong mafia in one day or less.

Already lurking in the background is the Mayors son...... just waiting for the adoration to come, after he fixed the problem

[poohy]

Thailand....... The land of petulant people!

[Dave 74]

Observing Thais being Thais.

Funny.

[thepool]

Oh dear !

Seems the Police have made an error.

Next time this happens can someone tell the Police that a front end loader would clear the road of tuk-tucks easily and quickly, with the added bonus of inflicting severe, un-repairable damage which in turn would reduce the population of these abominations.

[Phuketboy]

Well the Col has no choice. He was given an order last year to clean up or be transferred. He has no room to negotiate with terrorists. I would keep a large tracked vehicle on standby at the police station to run over and "remove" all blocking traffic. It would shatter the high hopes of a strong mafia in one day or less.

Already lurking in the background is the Mayors son...... just waiting for the adoration to come, after he fixed the problem

The tuk tuks are run by the mayors son. It's an absolute joke. The police should fine them all and take their tuk tuks off them for a month for blocking the public roads, being a public nuisance, causing businesses to loose money that night. Actually all those businesses who lost money because of this should be compensated by the tuk tuks .

[Dogmatix]

They should scrap the lot of the them like Jakarta did iwith pedicabs - dumped them at sea to create artificial coral reefs. Better chain the drivers into them first.

[Peterphuket]

Glad I don't live in that <deleted> hole anymore!

Yeh, for me too, what a unbelievable shit and maffia are these Tuktuk drivers, but indeed let them go, soon or late the tourists stay away.