Briton Stabbed By Tuk-tuk Driver

[Steph1012]

In Patong there is no where that a 200 Baht fair is warranted! From Soi Bangla to Soi Nanai should be a 100 Baht fare. If it was in Bangkok the taxi meter fare would be less than 50 baht for sure!

The Thai Tuk Tuk drivers in Phuket have always been the worst for tourism. Survey after survey taken by TOT, hotels and the cities, show tourists always say they are the worst thing they come across in Phuket!

The previous Governor said at one time he would do away with them altogether, didn't happen! When the police went to one way traffic and then wanted Soi Bangla as pedestrian street, the Tuk Tuk drivers revolted. Some are reasonable, most are terrible and detrimental to Phuket and Thailand’s image. When taxi meters were introduced, the Tuk Tuk drivers again intervened treating their lives!

What to do, the answer is so easy, yet so far away!! Maybe more stories like this and then something will happen!

This guy has nailed it.

The Tuk tuks take all the parking places they need and you better not park your car anywhere near them. They tell you point blank that your car will be damaged. I was told this outside the boxing staduim in the middle of the day, even though there is a fully manned police box less than 10 meteres away from them,

They are complete scum and a blight on Patong. They ran the bus company out of business and attacked the drivers when they set up a route that ran down the coast road. anytime the governor tries to do anything, they block the road, riot and descend on phuket Town offices. Bus fare was about 20 baht from memory... Tuk Tuk charge starts at 500 baht if you are local, ask them in thai or get the missus to ask them. If you are a tourist they start off asking around 5,000 baht for travel 10kms from Patong to Kata and the sunset point.

The only remedy would be for the army to sort them out at gunpoint and catapult the tuk tuks into the sea for divers to explore. They would be heartily cheered for this as well, believe me.

The guy must have been a tourist as NO expats EVER take a tuk tuk how ever pissed they might get. this trip in Pattaya would cost 10 baht! (5 baht if you were Thai). My wife asked how much for one once at Tesco. He said 200 Baht. When he later saw that we had a lot of shopping he doubled it on the spot to 400 baht as he thought we were stuck. Result, I did two trips on my motor bike as we had gone there on it, and he got 000000000000000000000 baht and had to go back and park his rip off mobile back where his mates were!

The drivers here can make a good living off one fare per week at the rates they charge tourists, so they just sit around all day. For the posters who don't know and sympathise with them, 200 baht a day is a good wage in thailand, and 300 baht exceptional.

There are people worthy of sympathy and support in Thailand and these people are not amongst them.

[mitrapaap]

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.

Your right, the welsh drunk guy had all the time to get into his hotel and be safe.

[Nam Kao]

>>>Your right, the welsh drunk guy had all the time to get into his hotel and be safe

so its ok he got stabbed? Could have died

[aussimike]

The whole world is very aware of the antics of drunk Brits, so give these Thais a break, they've got a long way to go to catch up when it comes to hooliganism.

And all canadians have flapping heads and beady eyes.

Come on, don't tar us all with the brush. I get drunk from time to time, and am never violent, or cause problems. I'm a happy drunk! Im English, and proud to be.

For the record, I am not a football fan, but the few games I have been to (Manchester United), I have never seen violence. I know it goes on, but it is very much in the minority.

Brits are hooligans? What next? Americans loud? Irish stupid?

Get a grip people. Stop being racist. Judge every human on their own merits.

Phil

What's racist about telling it the way it is, Phil? Here's the number of entries in Google for the term I used:

"Results 1 - 10 of about 673,000 for British football fans riot."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4789954.stm

http://www.umich.edu/~uac/threeweeks/Volume2.6/soccer.html

That's just 2 out of 673,000, the condition is so well known that books have been written on the subject.

Is that the part of being British you're proud of, Phil? Facts are facts, they have nothing to do with being racist, Irish or American. Suggest you plug the links into a browser and then tell us to get a grip.

Very good reply and poor poor Phil i think he has been here too long to remember what its like to go to the football but he did say - few matches -- oh well i guess he has not been reading the british press or watching CNN or BBC of late ------ guess he has his head stuck in the sand or some place and does not want to admit - but i am glad he is proud of being British --- hahaha RULE BRITINIA - hope he takes time out to read your links -- fact is fact but some people will not accept fact in black and white --- good luck Phil -- of course your not racist --- good to see --- !!!!!!!

[JacknDanny]

Hey take it easy ---- the comment about British behaviour is well known -- and its not racist -- and not difficult to see where your roots are --- Rule Britania -- the comment was directed at the stupid pommy tourists who come here and act like Thailand owes them something for coming here -- they would be better off going to Spain or other tourist destinations but perhaps they would not be allowed into these countries - already blacklisted -- so they come here and sow their oats and get pissed -- better they all stayed at home ----

Read his other posts............. I think not.

I am dead against drunken idiotic behaviour. I wish the police over here would put the idiots behind bars and leave them there a while. But it is NOT just British. I have seen mant Ozzy p#ss heads as well. In any case stabbing someone for bad behavior is not on.

[cutter007]

Tuk-tuk drivers are a disgrace to Thai society.

Probably 90% of them all pricks are trying every f****** way they can find to rip you off.

I have witnessed many times Tuk-tuk drivers manipulating drunk Farangs to withdraw money out of their ATM accounts, take all the money, kick him against the floor and speed away.

Wow how drunk were these people, that a person can manipulate them into withdrawling money out of an ATM for them. I've been really drunk before, but never that drunk.

[curber]

Tuk Tuk drivers in Phuket are a bunch of rip off artists....the thing that I always find interesting in these situations is the drunken tourist has probably been ripped off all night long ...by bar girls,food vendors ,flower sellers and every other for of scam artists.He probably spent a few thousand baht getting drunk and yet he starts a fight over an extra hundred for a ride home.....some people should stay at home as far as I`m concerned.I`m sure every tourist that has ever hit the LOS has lost much more than one hundred baht to scam artists and never started fighting over it,the driver should and will be prosecuted for stabbing him but none of this would have happened if the tourist hadn`t been a drunked idiot.

[JimsKnight]

Like everyones already been saying the tour operators, and travel agencies back home need to start warning tourists not to use these rip-off scum tuk-tuks, Theres absolutely little or no advantage using one than an ordinary motorbike. I never ever use one unless I'm stranded somewhere at a bus station. In Phuket they are a bad bunch, even here in Chang Mai I'm wary of them, although thankfully they are few in number.

A good friend of mine was parked up minding his own business when this lunatic tuk-tuk gimp slammed into him. The collision nearly tore off my buddies foot at the ankle, it was not a pretty sight. The low-life scum even had the nerve to come into my friends room at the hospital and demand money to release his tuk-tuk from the police station! The flower vase just missed his head!

The police shrugged and said the man was skint so could not get compensation from the driver. The tuk-tuk mobile was impounded and sold by the police who coined the profit!

And now the tuk tuk man has to pedal his way about town on a samlor!

[cutter007]

Put yourself in the Tuk Tuk driver's shoes.

How would you like to be driving around at 3am picking up drunken passengers?

Then you get some twit who argues over 3 lousy bucks!

A tough way to earn a living.

First I think how much would that fare be back in Perth?

Nothing under $20 at 3am (if you could even find a taxi at that hour ..)

I always negotiate a fare with a Tuk Tuk or taxi driver, then give them a very good tip when we arrive,

give him a handshake and say "Thank you" in Thai and even complement him on his driving skill.

Treat them with respect (as you should any other human being)

It generates goodwill and hopefully gives them hope that not all Farang are mean spirited.

Ok, so I get "ripped off" sometimes but I'm on holidays and if my money buys his family

an improvement in their life - good luck to them!

We are guests in their country and we have the good fortune to be in a position to improve their lot, not put them down.

Very well said, I also like to think this way. If they try to rip me off a little bit, I just think of it as a contribution to the poor. And look at it this way, if you were to contribute to some charity that gives money to the poor, they would probably take 30% - 40% of your money and spend it on administration fees, where in this situation 100% of your money goes directly to the poor.

Please try to give these people (tuk tuk) drivers some respect. Some maybe liars and cheats, but most have grow up with no where near the opputunities that the average farang might have had, so give them some slack.

If for nothing else, give them some respect because as you can see in this case, they have very little to loss, and might react to a minor disagreement with deadly violence.

Actually though after reading all the posts, I have to say that I am only talking about the Bangkok tuk tuk drivers, sounds like the mafia system in Patong, basically has a strangle hold the transportation system, and forces you to take rides from drivers that are little more than human garbage.

Hope they are removed.

Edited November 26, 2006 by cutter007

[terry57]

I can say, from my own personal experience in Patong, that this kind of thing DOES happen.

A few years ago I got a Tuk Tuk about 10 am near the Royal Garden Hotel to go to the Doctor's office. I was going from the area just outside Paradise Complex to an area just about 100 meters from where the police box is at the entrance to the beach from the walking street ( i don't recall the name of the street and it's closed at night for walking traffic only)....

The normal fare for this ride was 50baht.. i had taken it many times..going to the beach, restaurants along the beach etc.

The driver demanded 100 Baht. I told him no, the normal fare is 50 baht. He kept insisting on 100 baht. I told him to call the security guard who was just about 50 meters away... he refused. I tried to give him 50 baht. i did not throw it in his face. I did not do anything offensive. He went over to his tuk tuk and grabbed a piece of wood and approached me with it. Thinking he was just being threatening I still held my ground. He swung and hit me in the head with the piece of wood, breaking my glasses. The security guard watched the whole thing and did nothing.

I then gave him the 100 baht. He put the wood back in his Tuk Tuk and drove off.

I went to the doctor and returned later. I was across the street about 20 yards from the tuk tuk que where my "driver" was in the que with his fellow drivers. I was talking to a tour guide operator and asking what the correct fare should have been, and she told me 50 baht.. The driver from earlier was standing with his coworker, or friend or boss, and they were acting out as if my driver had won a Boxing championship...holding up his arm as the champion... laughing.... the tour operator's husband saw it and went over to talk to them. Seems the tuk tuk driver told his boss that i had assaulted him, told him his mother was a cow and flipped him the bird finger and that was why he went and got the piece of wood and hit me.

I did nothing provocative at all except to firmly refuse to be extorted. I did not raise my voice, I did nothing physically threatening, i did not insult him or his mother... because in my mind all the rumors about the taxis in Patong being Mafia controlled kept swirling around...and I just know that any provocation from me and I would likely end up in a ditch somewhere...

anyway, I read this story and I know, from my similar experience, this does happen. The Tuk Tuk driver lied in my case to justify his agressiveness.... and it is possible this one has lied too.

you copped a piece of wood in the face to save 50 baht and your pride.

i fully appreciate your story but if he pulled the wood on you why not just give him the coin and walk away. ?

to me,it seems a bloody silly thing that you done and was it worth it.

of course not and your very lucky you did not end up in hospital.

and what for .? 50 frigging baht.

[Nam Kao]

>>>the driver should and will be prosecuted for stabbing him but none of this would have happened if the tourist hadn`t been a drunked idiot

So lets get this straight. The guy was drunk and it was OK to plunge a knife in his chest??

Nam asks the tough questions other networks wont

[Nam Kao]

>>>>Very well said, I also like to think this way. If they try to rip me off a little bit, I just think of it as a contribution to the poor

ROTFLMFAO!!!

[terry57]

Hey take it easy ---- the comment about British behaviour is well known -- and its not racist -- and not difficult to see where your roots are --- Rule Britania -- the comment was directed at the stupid pommy tourists who come here and act like Thailand owes them something for coming here -- they would be better off going to Spain or other tourist destinations but perhaps they would not be allowed into these countries - already blacklisted -- so they come here and sow their oats and get pissed -- better they all stayed at home ----

Read his other posts............. I think not.

I am dead against drunken idiotic behaviour. I wish the police over here would put the idiots behind bars and leave them there a while. But it is NOT just British. I have seen mant Ozzy p#ss heads as well. In any case stabbing someone for bad behavior is not on.

about time someone gave us bloody aussies a serve.

thanks mate.

just to be on topic, not all tuk tuk drivers are bad guys. its only the ones who service thefarangs that scam the dudes if they dont sort the price out first.

so answer to the problem is always sort the price first.

cricky's punters,

that aint to hard is it.

[mitrapaap]

Any of you farang who believe the Thai driver here must be drunk.

Try thinking.

If it was self defense, where are the marks on you--the diver-- from where you say the passenger struck you? There are none.

No reports of marks on him.

Also--the idiot had time enough to walk back to his Tuk Tuk--get the knife--and then walk back and stab the Farang. Does not sound like he was under attack to me. This sure is not self defense. Thai justice is simple here. A rich Thai man--would pay money and the problem would be over. A farang here should contack rich Thai friends and let them do the job. This is Thailand.

Any of you ever been in a taxi or whatever at night here in Thailand?

A number--not most--of the drivers are graduates of the prison system. Most Thais refuse to use the unsafe transportation at night if alone.

Thailand may be the land of smiles but it is all the land of thieves and robbers. Getting into any transportation with a drug crazed idiot at night is not a good thing to do.

Always call a friend or send a message after getting into a taxi. Give the taxi number.

Let the taxi driver know you just did this.

Better yet---Do not get in one.

This is just not safe.

I'm not saying you are wrong, but it sounds a bit dramatic. I'm living here since 11 years, have taken taxis and Tuk Tuks at night (in Bangkok, not in Patong) and never felt unsafe. Note that I hate Tuk Tuks because of their noise and exhaust. I also have to say that I speak Thai, behave like them as far as I can, and, am never drunk. Therefore I believe I just do not fall into the potential victim's group and therefore am safe. Now this does not resolve the problem of tourists not knowing the culture, the language, being often drunk and analphabets in this country, and therefore being a potential victim group. What I want to say is don't through the taxi industry of the whole country in one and the same pot because one group of people has a serious problem with it which absolutely should get resolved.

Aside the usual bashing on each other, there are many very interesting posts in this thread giving a lot of insight. Tourists will always be cash cows, but it sounds like in Phuket it has gone to an extent that is insane.

[terry57]

Tuk Tuk drivers in Phuket are a bunch of rip off artists....the thing that I always find interesting in these situations is the drunken tourist has probably been ripped off all night long ...by bar girls,food vendors ,flower sellers and every other for of scam artists.He probably spent a few thousand baht getting drunk and yet he starts a fight over an extra hundred for a ride home.....some people should stay at home as far as I`m concerned.I`m sure every tourist that has ever hit the LOS has lost much more than one hundred baht to scam artists and never started fighting over it,the driver should and will be prosecuted for stabbing him but none of this would have happened if the tourist hadn`t been a drunked idiot.

mate ,

you have hit the nail on the head there as these pissed idiots have spent fortunes getting that way and fight over 100 baht.

power to you mate and cheers.

[taxexile]

where in this situation 100% of your money goes directly to the poor.

grow up.

if any of those guys are "poor" , its because they have squandered their ill gotten gains on drink and gambling. few of them are poor in the sense of needing handouts from naive tourists for survival.

they are lazy scamsters seeking the maximum gain from the minimum of effort.

not an ounce of honesty in any of them.

[mitrapaap]

>>>Your right, the welsh drunk guy had all the time to get into his hotel and be safe

so its ok he got stabbed? Could have died

No, but it would have been intelligen to get into the hotel. So I wonder what he was waiting for...

[peterjohn]

one time it was they smilrd and took your money and you came back with more (the thai way) now the mexican way kill them and take the lot more will come

[kangeroo]

well its the old storie when drunk big mouth ,agressive forgets where he is .this just might save his life next time he drinks and thinks again .

[mitrapaap]

Put yourself in the Tuk Tuk driver's shoes.

How would you like to be driving around at 3am picking up drunken passengers?

Then you get some twit who argues over 3 lousy bucks!

A tough way to earn a living.

First I think how much would that fare be back in Perth?

Nothing under $20 at 3am (if you could even find a taxi at that hour ..)

I always negotiate a fare with a Tuk Tuk or taxi driver, then give them a very good tip when we arrive,

give him a handshake and say "Thank you" in Thai and even complement him on his driving skill.

Treat them with respect (as you should any other human being)

It generates goodwill and hopefully gives them hope that not all Farang are mean spirited.

Ok, so I get "ripped off" sometimes but I'm on holidays and if my money buys his family

an improvement in their life - good luck to them!

We are guests in their country and we have the good fortune to be in a position to improve their lot, not put them down.

Very well said, I also like to think this way. If they try to rip me off a little bit, I just think of it as a contribution to the poor. And look at it this way, if you were to contribute to some charity that gives money to the poor, they would probably take 30% - 40% of your money and spend it on administration fees, where in this situation 100% of your money goes directly to the poor.

Please try to give these people (tuk tuk) drivers some respect. Some maybe liars and cheats, but most have grow up with no where near the opputunities that the average farang might have had, so give them some slack.

If for nothing else, give them some respect because as you can see in this case, they have very little to loss, and might react to a minor disagreement with deadly violence.

Actually though after reading all the posts, I have to say that I am only talking about the Bangkok tuk tuk drivers, sounds like the mafia system in Patong, basically has a strangle hold the transportation system, and forces you to take rides from drivers that are little more than human garbage.

Hope they are removed.

Sure, please have some mercy with them and when they overcharge you only 150% round it up to 200% it's easier to count anyway. Really, we should support them and sponsor them however we can, so they have the funds to decorate and redecorate their vehicles, make them even more noisy than they already are and sit around the whole day and night doing nothing other than being in other's peoples way. I'm so sorry I'm not Thai. I would invest in the buy of a Tuk Tuk and share their easy life. At the rates I have read around here these guys make more money with 7-8 rides a night or maybe ten a day than I in 8 hours hard work. I certainly have the better education than them, but obviously they are much smarter than me.

[tolsti]

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????

Welshman man drunk to much they should not be allowed out of Welshland. In my country of Pakistan we will not served the bums alcohol.

He should be put in Jail for 10 years for starting the fight.

What a load of Pakistani tosh.... I'm Welsh and I have an official Pakistan Government alcohol permit stamped in my passport allowing me to puchase a set amount of alcohol each month from Goverment controlled alcohol bonded stores!!!!!!

[Zoltan]

There are good and bad in every crowd.....im sure the majority of tuk tuk drivers are very professional... ive never had a problem...yet........

[Thug]

Never, really?

I been around for a whille too and I have seen it several times.

The latest was around Petchaburi rd., at around 1.00 am I get out of the taxi for 7/11 to notice this Thai dude is calling me over to the ATM.

As I go there, a drunk farang is trying to withdraw money but he seems out of his mind.

Then it turned out the thieft wanted me to Help the Farang withdraw the money as he was so drunk.

After, I cross the road and just watch. The Thai scammer kicked him mercilessly after taking away his money.

...and you left him there went across the street stood, watched and did nothing? What a Thug you are.

BuaLoy

Yep, I did nothing. Because it's just not my business and it makes sense to me.

What would have YOU done in this situation? Go help the Farang?

I doubt it.

[coldcrush]

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 .

Where is gaol is it nice? Was the Welshman wearing a flag with a dragon on and talking in a weird language, because that may have brought offence or that may be why they thought he was pished!

[JacknDanny]

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 .

Where is gaol is it nice? Was the Welshman wearing a flag with a dragon on and talking in a weird language, because that may have brought offence or that may be why they thought he was pished!

Gaol is the old English word meaning legal detention. It is still used in NZ and OZ

[Nam Kao]

Jack, i find your avatar a little violent for my liberal outlook....

please appease me

[Nam Kao]

I am not feeling the love here, we need peace signs and group hugs

[ding]

I'm so sorry I'm not Thai. I would invest in the buy of a Tuk Tuk and share their easy life. At the rates I have read around here these guys make more money with 7-8 rides a night or maybe ten a day than I in 8 hours hard work.

I realize you were making a point here, but it got me wondering.

If he charges a 100% surcharge to drunks at 3AM then the Tuk Tuk driver gets $5.46US a ride.

If he gets 6 rides in this period, that's $32.75US

So if he cons a dozen more into rides during more reasonable hours that's $32.75

So $65.50 a day tops, minus gas and vehicle fees.

Does that sound right?

Anyone know what the fees are that they have to pay everyday?

I have no sympathy for a guy who attempted murder over 80B and some humiliation by a drunken guest in his country. Where he has to battle out a living in the midst of what seems to be foreigners with money to piss away. Well, I guess I see a little of his side -up to the point where he stabs a man.

[JacknDanny]

Jack, i find your avatar a little violent for my liberal outlook....

please appease me

I just found it!!

I will change it soon pal

[teddy_bare]

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 .

i lived in Patong for 2 years and the prices are supposed to be displayed on all Tuk Tuks. Not once did i see a price list. i knew the real price but i was always quoted an over inflated price. Tuk Tuks in Patong are run by the mafia. Some one tried to start up a cheaper bus service for routes along the coast. i believe after 2 days the bus driver was hauled out the cab (in front of tourists) and given a good beating. After that no one wanted to drive the bus!!!!!

Drunk tourists are part and parcel of holiday resorts like Patong. I guess the Tuk Tuk driver has seen it all before, and that night his scam never worked out. BTW The tourist probably only travelled from bangla road back to nani road. A journey of perhaps 1km maybe 1.5km max. So 200 baht is fairly steep.

It could of been worst, if he'd been in Samui he'd be dead.

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