Koh Siray taxis protest against Phuket reorganisation

[webfact]

Koh Siray taxis protest against Phuket reorganisation
Suthicha Sirirat


Siray Taxi drivers making a complaint.

PHUKET: -- More than 50 taxis drivers filed a complaint on Friday (August 1) with the Damrongtham Centre, urging Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut to help them after they were ordered to take down their taxi sala in front of the Westin Siray Bay Resort.

Sinchai Rooprowjean, coordinator of the taxi group, asked that officials investigate whether police who gave the order were within their rights to tell them to knock down their taxi stand and go away.

He said the taxi drivers had received a visit from a group of police led by an officer, who said he was under instructions from Police Region 8 in Surat Thani to get the sala removed. The police officer also allegedly told the Westin staff they should no longer use the drivers’ services.

The drivers were upset, they said, because they had been working outside the hotel since it opened five years ago, and there have never been any problems.

They had only been out of work for two days, they said, but they have no other source of income and are worried about their families.

They made a plea for government officials to resolve their problem and to be more considerate about their livelihood.

In a drive backed by the might of the Royal Thai Army and Navy, local officials and police have been knocking down taxi ranks built illegally on public land and breaking up the taxi groups. The Westin group, it seems, have not been keeping up with the news.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/koh-siray-taxis-protest-against-phuket-reorganisation-47685.php

[pn]2014-08-04[/pn]

[CiaranO]

They were well within in their rights as the order came from the army - I think these people forget that the country is under military rule. 

[lovetotravel]

They were well within in their rights as the order came from the army - I think these people forget that the country is under military rule. 

 

And they have no right to put up a sala on private property and operate a "monopoly" taxi business outside a resort.  Often enforced violently.  I truly support these people in their efforts to earn a living, but it can't be done at the detriment of tourists nor in violation of the law.

[stevenl]

 

They were well within in their rights as the order came from the army - I think these people forget that the country is under military rule. 

 

And they have no right to put up a sala on private property and operate a "monopoly" taxi business outside a resort.  Often enforced violently.  I truly support these people in their efforts to earn a living, but it can't be done at the detriment of tourists nor in violation of the law.

 

If the owner agrees they have every right to put up a sala on private property.

 

[VocalNeal]

Get taxis in Phuket to operate with grabtaxi.com. Easy?

 

Whilst I agree that volume of business in Phuket is less than Bangkok, operating a system which intimidates tourists is not good for tourism.

[lovetotravel]

 

 

They were well within in their rights as the order came from the army - I think these people forget that the country is under military rule. 

 

And they have no right to put up a sala on private property and operate a "monopoly" taxi business outside a resort.  Often enforced violently.  I truly support these people in their efforts to earn a living, but it can't be done at the detriment of tourists nor in violation of the law.

 

If the owner agrees they have every right to put up a sala on private property.

 

 

Yes, but not to the violent exclusion of other taxis nearby.  Which we know has happened in the past.  Plus, according to this article:

 

In a drive backed by the might of the Royal Thai Army and Navy, local officials and police have been knocking down taxi ranks built illegally on public land and breaking up the taxi groups. The Westin group, it seems, have not been keeping up with the news.

 

 

Does anybody know if this sala was on public or private property???

[Jimi007]

Does anybody know if this sala was on public or private property???

I don't know, but I've never seen an International Hotel here allow a taxi sala on their land. Have you? Maybe at an information desk inside the hotel they will call you a taxi in most places in Thailand. Only in Phuket it seems the taxi mafia can take over the public access to hotels and intimidate anyone that doesn't want to use their "service."

[Jimi007]

 

 

They made a plea for government officials to resolve their problem and to be more considerate about their livelihood.

 

No problem, register you car as a meter cab by the end of the month with PLTO and you'll be good to go. But no, I'd rather look like an unprofessional thug and hang out in a sala all day so I can get one fare to rip off a farang for as much as possible. I think that's what the government is trying to change. 

[FireMedic]

Right! Because who wants to drive around and look for work? It's way better to sit in an illegal bamboo hut watching thai tv from stolen power, shirt half up and rubbing fat belly with one hand, while the other hand is either knuckle deep in the nose, or holding the man bits pissing on the side of said bamboo hut.......

[NamKangMan]

 

 

 

They made a plea for government officials to resolve their problem and to be more considerate about their livelihood.

 

No problem, register you car as a meter cab by the end of the month with PLTO and you'll be good to go. But no, I'd rather look like an unprofessional thug and hang out in a sala all day so I can get one fare to rip off a farang for as much as possible. I think that's what the government is trying to change. 

 

 

I agree. 

 

These guys are going to have to adjust to the fact that their days of self entitlement, through the Phuket transport fiasco, are coming to an end.

 

No longer will uneducated and unskilled motor vehicle drivers, calling themselves a taxi, and belonging to a criminal enterprize called an "association" earn more money than a university degree qualified Thai, who is doing an honest days work, for an honest days pay.

 

They will have to work, for a change, like everyone else.

[stevenl]

[quote name="lovetotravel" post="8197414" timestamp="1407148544"]

[quote name="stevenl" post="8197213" timestamp="1407146357"]

 [quote name="lovetotravel" post="8197174" timestamp="1407145807"]

 [quote name="CiaranO" post="8197044" timestamp="1407144415"]

They were well within in their rights as the order came from the army - I think these people forget that the country is under military rule. [/quote]
 
And they have no right to put up a sala on private property and operate a "monopoly" taxi business outside a resort.  Often enforced violently.  I truly support these people in their efforts to earn a living, but it can't be done at the detriment of tourists nor in violation of the law.
 [/quote]
If the owner agrees they have every right to put up a sala on private property.
 
 [/quote]
Yes, but not to the violent exclusion of other taxis nearby.  Which we know has happened in the past.  Plus, according to this article:
 

In a drive backed by the might of the Royal Thai Army and Navy, local officials and police have been knocking down taxi ranks built illegally on public land and breaking up the taxi groups. The Westin group, it seems, have not been keeping up with the news.
 

 
Does anybody know if this sala was on public or private property???[/quote]
Glad to see your earlier statement salas were not allowed on private land has been corrected.

[lovetotravel]

Glad to see your earlier statement salas were not allowed on private land has been corrected.

Yes, sorry about that. But even then, setting up a mafia operation on public property shouldn't be allowed either, right?

I guess that would be OK if they didn't intimidate and threaten other drivers. Nor charge exorbitant prices.

[starkey_rich]

 

Glad to see your earlier statement salas were not allowed on private land has been corrected.

Yes, sorry about that. But even then, setting up a mafia operation on public property shouldn't be allowed either, right?

I guess that would be OK if they didn't intimidate and threaten other drivers. Nor charge exorbitant prices.

 

 

According to PW it's public land.

[oldsailor35]

 

Does anybody know if this sala was on public or private property???

I don't know, but I've never seen an International Hotel here allow a taxi sala on their land. Have you? Maybe at an information desk inside the hotel they will call you a taxi in most places in Thailand. Only in Phuket it seems the taxi mafia can take over the public access to hotels and intimidate anyone that doesn't want to use their "service."

 

Methinks, they have had their own way for to long and that things have to change ! 

[KarenBravo]

School-yard bullies that have been stealing the other kid's lunch money for years.

A new bigger, tougher kid arrives in the playground and stops the thieving.

The bullies complain to the teachers that "it's not fair".

[steelepulse]

You've got to wonder how it came to be that they set up their illegal sala 5 years ago.  Did they go up to the Westin management and ask politely if they could sit outside of the resort and harass customers? Did they go to the local politicians and ask nicely if they could set up on public land?  I have a feeling that neither of the aforementioned happened, instead they passed over an envelope to local politicians and built said sala and have felt it's their right to control "their" resort.

[stevenl]

 

Glad to see your earlier statement salas were not allowed on private land has been corrected.

Yes, sorry about that. But even then, setting up a mafia operation on public property shouldn't be allowed either, right?

I guess that would be OK if they didn't intimidate and threaten other drivers. Nor charge exorbitant prices.

 

Even on private property mafia operations should not be allowed :)

[stevenl]

You've got to wonder how it came to be that they set up their illegal sala 5 years ago.  Did they go up to the Westin management and ask politely if they could sit outside of the resort and harass customers? Did they go to the local politicians and ask nicely if they could set up on public land?  I have a feeling that neither of the aforementioned happened, instead they passed over an envelope to local politicians and built said sala and have felt it's their right to control "their" resort.

Short of memory?

 

http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Westin-Siray-Bay-reaches-agreement-Phuket-taxi/9402

[steelepulse]

Never read that article, but reading the story and looking at the comments it seems they were pretty much forced to make an agreement, which is what I said in the statement above. Seriously, do you think any resort wants these uneducated, dirty ruffians hanging around the entrance to their five star resort, when they already have an agreement with another company.  This "agreement" was made under duress, guaranteed.

[stevenl]

Never read that article, but reading the story and looking at the comments it seems they were pretty much forced to make an agreement, which is what I said in the statement above. Seriously, do you think any resort wants these uneducated, dirty ruffians hanging around the entrance to their five star resort, when they already have an agreement with another company.  This "agreement" was made under duress, guaranteed.

Yes, it for sure was.

 

Funny to see those commentor's names as a blast from the past BTW.