Briton Stabbed By Tuk-tuk Driver

[george]

Tuk-tuk driver stabs Welshman

PATONG: -- A Welsh tourist is expected to be discharged from Phuket International Hospital today after being stabbed in the chest following a dispute over a tuk-tuk fare early yesterday morning.

Kathu Deputy Inspector for Crime Suppression, Pol Capt Leucha Polkarn, confirmed that Julien Bennett, 31, was stabbed on Nanai Rd about 3:30 am, following an altercation with Patong tuk-tuk driver Wisut Jampa, 40.

The stabbing occurred in front of the Royal Crown Hotel, where Bennett was staying.

Wisut stabbed the victim, then fled in his tuk-tuk, Capt Leucha confirmed. Police later arrested him near his vehicle, parked in a queue at one end of Soi Bangla.

During questioning by police, Wisut said that he had negotiated a fare of 200 baht to take Bennett back to his hotel. Upon arriving there, Bennett, who Wisut said was drunk, began arguing about the fare, saying the normal rate was 100 baht.

Bennett then took o ut 120 baht and threw it in his face, then began throwing punches at him, the tuk-tuk driver told police.

Unable to fight back, Wisut went to the glove compartment of the tuk-tuk and grabbed a folding knife, which he used to stab Bennett. As Bennett ran to the hotel to seek assistance, Wisut fled the scene.

Wisut now faces criminal charges for the stabbing, Capt Leucha said.

--Phuket Gazette 2006-11-26

[cdnvic]

Drunken yob rips off driver, then assaults him. Driver fights back and gets charged.

[taxexile]

lets hear the welshmans side to all this first.

but ........however you look at this , going back to your vehicle , and getting a knife and then stabbing someone , is not right.

he deserves to be prosecuted. he is a menace. he should go to gaol .

Edited November 26, 2006 by taxexile

[michael804]

Fighting back is one thing... stabbing is another.

I don't care how much of a "little-man complex" you may have, or who started it.

Of course the tuk-tuk driver should go away for a while!

[cdnvic]

lets hear the welshmans side to all this first.

Fair enough. Though it should have been covered in the story in the first place.

[John_Rambo]

More likely the Welshman thought he had agreed a fee, then gets charged double for some spurious reason and refuses to pay, the tuk tuk driver draws a knife and issues a threat after he is only offered a slight increase (120bht), plus probable disrespect of having it thrown in his face, and a scuffle then ensues as the welshman tries to get away.

The exact same thing happened to a good friend of mine with a taxi driver, only it was the taxi guy who ended up hurt. Picked on the wrong guy.

Edited November 26, 2006 by John_Rambo

[Mighty Mouse]

It was accent confusion.

Can you imagine trying to negotiate a fare between a drunken Welshman and a tuk tuk driver who can't speak English.

I can't understand a sober Welshman, let alone a drunken one...so what hope did the tuk tuk driver have????

[taxexile]

if these lowlife extertionists that call themselves phuket taxi drivers want to have western tourists as their customer base then they should start to organise themselves and show some professionalism , they could start by publicising and having fare charts in their vehicles , so that customers dont have to go through the demeaning and one sided bargaing charade every time.

fares should be standardised. they are just fleecing the tourists for every single baht they can , they are often aggressive and unhelpful , and see foriegners as cash cows.

its pathetic , its third world and it seriously diminishes thailands reputation around the world.

all the while that phukets "big cheeses" are creaming off the take from these sleazy operations people are returning home from trips here with stories about being ripped off , cheated and scammed.

welcome to thailand .

[ray23]

You know if the guy was in fact drunk we may never hear the truth, but you really think about what your doing when you take a Thai on. Saving face really does mean something here, you may not live through it no matter who is right. The guy should have let the hotel handle the problem but if he was intoxicated probably never crossed his mind. All conjecture at this point but, don't get yourself killed over three dollars.

[Lotusbluete]

And not to forget, the Tuk Tuk driver got back to his car, got the knive and - apparently very consciously - stabbed his passenger.

And then... well, Thai way, fled the scene! And - maybe patiently - put himself in a Tuk Tuk row at Soi Bangla. No care for his - most probably - bleeding opponent, no call for the police. What state of mind does this show?

[Dakhar]

Not to mention this was a folding knife. The fellow had to show some meditated effort here. He had to search through his box, find the knife, open it (probably required 2 hands) and then stab.

It was not a quick one motion self defence action.

I once had a Thai breach a contract on me in America. I did what was necessary on a legal level.... The Thai's reaction was full bore, and SHE tried her best to destroy my carreer. Luckily I survived the episode. But in the end, I think she lost face, due to the scale of her reaction.

[Heng]

And not to forget, the Tuk Tuk driver got back to his car, got the knive and - apparently very consciously - stabbed his passenger.

And then... well, Thai way, fled the scene! And - maybe patiently - put himself in a Tuk Tuk row at Soi Bangla. No care for his - most probably - bleeding opponent, no call for the police. What state of mind does this show?

It's yet another case of a foreigner not understanding the local environment or hierarchy and the local unable to place the foreigner within the local hierarchy. For the foreigner: mixing it up with someone from the 'nothing to lose' lower classes... while drunk. For the local: having no hierarchical reference on the foreigner; and thus putting him in the default same plane as himself (can be assaulted).

From another point of view... what the passenger did was assault and robbery, not so different from snatching a chain or gun out of a gold shop or pawnshop. The end result would likely be similar.

[mongoose]

Tuk-tuk driver stabs Welshman

about 3:30 am

Bennett, who Wisut said was drunk, began arguing about the fare, saying the normal rate was 100 baht.

Bennett then took out 120 baht and threw it in his face, then began throwing punches at him, the tuk-tuk driver told police.

--Phuket Gazette 2006-11-26

Yes, we do not know Bennett's side but

3:30 am

Arguing about 100 baht after spending how much prior to that for his evening's activities?

He had to have done some sh-t to get stabbed in front of a hotel.

Drunks get into all kinds of troubles and the troubles start with them being drunk.

Charging them double is compensation for the extra hastle they create.

Getting stabbed was a result of his not knowing about the place/people he chose to visit or if he knew, failing to behave appropriately.

I hope he recovers quickly.

[aka_jack]

Very bad thing to happen ! Tuk Tuk drivers just dont seem that pleasent ! After being ripped of by tuk tuk, motorbike, taxi meter taxis at one point or another i to get annoyed with it but if drunk will just pay up and let it be, as your judgement and instincts get blurred, he probaly did not think it was going to go south!! I bet he wished he had paid that extra pound now!!

[BlackJack]

Based on whats been reported here.

I just love the Thai's - the Tuk Tuk driver went back to work

to think that he could just melt back into the scene and not be noticed

He just stabbed someone and he went back to work - unbelievable.

Low IQ people so watch out

[john b good]

More likely the Welshman thought he had agreed a fee, then gets charged double for some spurious reason and refuses to pay, the tuk tuk driver draws a knife and issues a threat after he is only offered a slight increase (120bht), plus probable disrespect of having it thrown in his face, and a scuffle then ensues as the welshman tries to get away.

This sounds very much as the most likely summary of the events. (based on the way in which these tuk tuk drivers operate)

"at this point it is only the tuk tuk driver who has said that the welshman was drunk" (this may or may not have been the case)

[tectronic]

whatever happened, put a knife in anothers chest is a little bit hardcore for a disput about 80 baht difference

[Kaojai]

its pathetic , its third world and it seriously diminishes thailands reputation around the world.

Considering the reputation that drunken Brits and British football hooligans have around the world, I would say Thailand is still ahead.

As usual, someone has fabricated a one-sided explanation of what "must"have happened and the message board court has weighed this "evidence" and found the Thai guilty and the white man a blameless innocent victim.

Of course, if a farang kills or injures a Thai, it's immediately assumed the farang was provoked and his reaction was reasonable.

It's pathetic, it's British and it seriously confirms Britain's reputation around the world.

[jbsears]

Since no one knows what happened except for the two and maybe just the tuk-tuk driver since the Welshman may have been too inebriated to remember, I don't really want to comment on the specific situation. But in general, Phuket needs to find more tolerant tuk-tuk drivers. They work in a tourist town so they should expect to pick up drunks and maybe bad drunks. It comes with the job. They should also have posted prices like one poster mentioned. Most tourists come from places where negotiating prices is not accepted and even looked down upon as not being equal for all. Since the goal is to make money through servicing tourists, they should adapt to their customers.

I went there with my partner last year and she hated Patong the most due to the majority of people just trying to take advantage of the tourists. We travel to island often during Thai holidays but never again to Patong until it gets cleaned up.

[dotcom]

If the tuk tuk driver had time to run to his cab & get a knife - he had time to flee the scene. Undersized Thai escalates verbal abuse to attempted murder.

5 years sounds about right for GBH.

[aussimike]

One of the main problems seems to be language in most cases -- and I cant begin to imagine what a drunk Welshman sounds like - bad enough to understand them when sober - same as the English - amazing they can get themselves understood anywhere --

this driver seemed to survive the onslaught seeing he had time to go and rummage thru his glove box and get his knife out - and then drive off to find another fare -- haha amazing but after all this is Thailand - TIT -

but i get really pissed off with reading these stories about farangs- from all over the place - who visit the Kingdom and treat the place like a giant fun/sex park for their own satisfaction and for things that they would not think of doing back in their own countries - and would possibly be arrested if they did behave like this - ok -so I feel bad for him - and condem the tuk tuk driver -but this seems to be the Thai way of solving conflicts -- but violence begets violence -- But when in rome do as the romans do - treat this place with a little respect and the locals just might respect you back ---

[garysdth]

PHUKET INTERNATIONAL HOSPITAL-

I was at PIH Thursday when an ambulance arrived with a farang from Wachira Hospital. He was a mess. Face looked like hamburger. He was accompanied by friends who told me that this was the result of an altercation with a tuk tuk driver. They did not know where it had happened as they were contacted by police to come get him from the hospital. They chose to move him to PIH to intensive care for restoration surgery. I saw nothing about this incident in the Phuket Gazette. I am wondering how often this happens.

[chris2155]

who said he was drunk, the tuk driver, who said he threw the money in the tuk tuk drivers face, the tuk tuk driver, one side of a story I havent heard the welsh person side so i cannot judge and nor can a lot of people here.

[JacknDanny]

its pathetic , its third world and it seriously diminishes thailands reputation around the world.

Considering the reputation that drunken Brits and British football hooligans have around the world, I would say Thailand is still ahead.

As usual, someone has fabricated a one-sided explanation of what "must"have happened and the message board court has weighed this "evidence" and found the Thai guilty and the white man a blameless innocent victim.

Of course, if a farang kills or injures a Thai, it's immediately assumed the farang was provoked and his reaction was reasonable.

It's pathetic, it's British and it seriously confirms Britain's reputation around the world.

I think your reply is pathetic, mind you having read previous posts of yours, the word racist is probably not strong enough for you.What is your problem with white people, particularly English?

Someone gets stabbed...fact

The 'stabber' has to get his knife from his tuk tuk. NOT self defence....fact

Yet you witter on about Britains reputation????

Grow up . Whatever the provocation, stabbing somebody is uncalled for, immaterial of colour, creed or religion

[dotcom]

3:30 AM. Good arguement for closing the bars at 1 am. Drunken yabbo gets stabbed. Som Nom Na.

[aussimike]

whatever happened, put a knife in anothers chest is a little bit hardcore for a disput about 80 baht difference

GOOD AND FAIR COMMENT -- I was in Pattaya recently with a tour group and I could not believe the drunken behaviour for many BRITISH tourists there -- they do here what the do at the overseas football games - pathetic - but the only thing they dont do is bash the police here --at least the British and EU police now have a data base for these thugs but they come here and carry on just the same ---- the Immigration Police should get a list of these guys for the UK and black list them --

This is not excusing the tuk tuk driver -- but at a guess he was smaller and oh well who knows what really happened --- drunk Welshman vs crazy Thai tuk tuk driver -- no contest --

[Macx]

Generally ...

If a tuk-tuk starts out from Soi Bangla or the beach road, he charges a minimum of 100bhat to go to the second road (Rat-U-Thit). It seems to be the minimum all the tuk-tuk drivers agree on. Doesn't matter if you want to go 100meter or 1km.

If you go up to Nanai, it's definitely 200bhat or more. And if it's late at night (after midnight), it could be even higher than that since these are the "fleecing hours".

And, tuk-tuks are not as safe as most people think. I've personally seen one go around a corner (at night without any traffic) at such a ridiculous speed that it flipped over on its side and set four rather large senior farrangs (2 men, 2 women) on to the pavement. Lots of blood. This was at the south end of Nanai road.

[ourmanflint]

whatever happened, put a knife in anothers chest is a little bit hardcore for a disput about 80 baht difference

GOOD AND FAIR COMMENT -- I was in Pattaya recently with a tour group and I could not believe the drunken behaviour for many BRITISH tourists there -- they do here what the do at the overseas football games - pathetic - but the only thing they dont do is bash the police here --at least the British and EU police now have a data base for these thugs but they come here and carry on just the same ---- the Immigration Police should get a list of these guys for the UK and black list them --

This is not excusing the tuk tuk driver -- but at a guess he was smaller and oh well who knows what really happened --- drunk Welshman vs crazy Thai tuk tuk driver -- no contest --

Well I was in Phuket recently too and there were far more drunken ozzies than there were drunks of any nation... just goes to show how we each see things doesn't it??

And if anyone has actually been to Phuket, there is little doubt why such trouble occurs, the Tuk-tuk mafia and their stranglehold on everybeach!!!

[terry57]

if these lowlife extertionists that call themselves phuket taxi drivers want to have western tourists as their customer base then they should start to organise themselves and show some professionalism , they could start by publicising and having fare charts in their vehicles , so that customers dont have to go through the demeaning and one sided bargaing charade every time.

fares should be standardised. they are just fleecing the tourists for every single baht they can , they are often aggressive and unhelpful , and see foriegners as cash cows.

its pathetic , its third world and it seriously diminishes thailands reputation around the world.

all the while that phukets "big cheeses" are creaming off the take from these sleazy operations people are returning home from trips here with stories about being ripped off , cheated and scammed.

welcome to thailand .

ok,

so whats changed in the last 15 years. ?

absolutely nothing and it never will because its the nature of the beast.

rich falang gets ripped of by poor tuk tuk driver.

may pen rai.

[BigSnake]

and GREED a bad combination.