Briton Stabbed By Tuk-tuk Driver

[austallia_1980]

you have to be a complete idiot to manage to get in a physical fight with a tuk tuk driver. of course, idiot describes 2/3 of the farang in this country.

[Ch4co]

I cant understand the racism on this thread. I'm sure there is violence in every society, british hooliganism just fits another misinformed stereotype. Some of the comments here demonstrate a high level of ignorance and bigotry.

The reality is the welsh guy could have been killed. There's no excuse for pulling a knife unless your life depends upon it.. Why, I ask, did the tuk-tuk driver have one in the first place, if not with an intention of using it? If the tuk-tuk driver had been assaultled he knew where the westerner was staying, why didn't he report it to the police, and follow the process of law? There's just no excuse for it. There's a dangerous message being sent to thais here.. its okay for you to knife a westerner, you'll get away with it.

I've had problems with taxi drivers and tuk-tuks before and it always occurs because they try to rip me off. Ko Samui has similar problems with mafia monopolies, and I swear never to return to that place. Sounds like Phuket has similar issues. Thailand really needs to clean up its act.

[austallia_1980]

I cant understand the racism on this thread. I'm sure there is violence in every society, british hooliganism just fits another misinformed stereotype. Some of the comments here demonstrate a high level of ignorance and bigotry.

The reality is the welsh guy could have been killed. There's no excuse for pulling a knife unless your life depends upon it.. Why, I ask, did the tuk-tuk driver have one in the first place, if not with an intention of using it? If the tuk-tuk driver had been assaultled he knew where the westerner was staying, why didn't he report it to the police, and follow the process of law? There's just no excuse for it. There's a dangerous message being sent to thais here.. its okay for you to knife a westerner, you'll get away with it.

I've had problems with taxi drivers and tuk-tuks before and it always occurs because they try to rip me off. Ko Samui has similar problems with mafia monopolies, and I swear never to return to that place. Sounds like Phuket has similar issues. Thailand really needs to clean up its act.

I think Thailand shoud require all Tuk Tuk drivers have a clean record, are kind hearted, do not rip off farang, and have attended college level courses on the practive of tuk tuking.

these guys are the poorest of the poor. there education is maybe that of an 8 year old. If you manage to get into a fight with one of them over 200 baht, then you have no business being in Thailand.

Drunk idiot was lucky he didnt get him in the throat.

[Mid]

these guys are the poorest of the poor. there education is maybe that of an 8 year old. If you manage to get into a fight with one of them over 200 baht, then you have no business being in Thailand.

BS whichever way you look .........

no way are they the poorest of the poor ,

as for education level , we're talking phuket , guys most probally multi lingual .......

200 bhat is MORE than the average daily wage , no small amount .......

so your saying we should just pay whatever ??

[austallia_1980]

these guys are the poorest of the poor. there education is maybe that of an 8 year old. If you manage to get into a fight with one of them over 200 baht, then you have no business being in Thailand.

BS whichever way you look .........

no way are they the poorest of the poor ,

as for education level , we're talking phuket , guys most probally multi lingual .......

200 bhat is MORE than the average daily wage , no small amount .......

so your saying we should just pay whatever ??

I am not saying pay whatever, but if it is between getting into a fist fight, and getting skimmed for 100 baht, anyone who is not an idiot would perfer to lose the 100 baht. This is common sense, but only in Thailand is debatable.

"no small amount"

LOL. Did you just say 200baht is not a small amount?

Oh wait, he is a tuk tuk in Phuket and can speak some english? I take it back, he must have alot more education than an 8 year old. What english school do you think he studied at?

[Mid]

these guys are the poorest of the poor. there education is maybe that of an 8 year old. If you manage to get into a fight with one of them over 200 baht, then you have no business being in Thailand.

BS whichever way you look .........

no way are they the poorest of the poor ,

as for education level , we're talking phuket , guys most probally multi lingual .......

200 bhat is MORE than the average daily wage , no small amount .......

so your saying we should just pay whatever ??

I am not saying pay whatever, but if it is between getting into a fist fight, and getting skimmed for 100 baht, anyone who is not an idiot would perfer to lose the 100 baht. This is common sense, but only in Thailand is debatable.

"no small amount"

LOL. Did you just say 200baht is not a small amount?

Oh wait, he is a tuk tuk in Phuket and can speak some english? I take it back, he must have alot more education than an 8 year old. What english school do you think he studied at?

interesting that you immediately think english .......................

yes 200 baht is no small amount ,

for arguments sake equate it with the average daily wage ,

hence one days pay ,

would you be upset if someone tried that in your home country.

[Briggsy]

I have lived in both Thailand and the UK for over 10 years.

When it comes to fighting when drunk, the Brits come out near the top of my list and the weird thing is they don't grow out of it. Still brawling into their forties when other nationalities have long since moved on.

When it comes to taxi drivers in Thailand, the Phuket tuk-tuk drivers must be the most unpleasant, aggressive and overcharging bunch. The vast majority around the country, particularly in non-tourist areas, are helpful and embarassingly cheap.

Put the 2 together and what happens, sh*t! Let the cops sort this out.

[terry57]

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

Do you realy believe that, this is obviously a local trying to rip off a Farang who justifiably argues the point about the correct fare and comes off the worst - remember the young couple killed by the "Police officer" the Thai's tend to over react to a situation.

It would have been easier for "HIM" the Tuk Tuk driver to call the law and explain the situaton, he would have come off better without the assault charge as we all know the Thai's favour Thai's over a Farang

very good point you have made there mate and also very true.

" thai's tend to over react to a situation"

thats why one must negotiate with them and not treat them like you would someone in our own country.

i know it really sucks big time. but i cant see another way around it unless you are prepared to fight them.

now its ok to fight them if you are prepared to be attacked with weapons but thats up to the person involved.

what about that other dude that took a wooden bat to the face for 50 frigging baht.

thats down right stupid.

[brahmburgers]

thanks 'Tombarr' for sharing that story. real life stories are more powerful than speculation. It gives me pause to ever visit Phuket again - or any other overly touristed places south of where my home is in sleepy Chiang Rai. In my line of biz, I meet a lot of first time farang visitors to Thailand and I am inclined to advise them to be extremely careful if they venture forth to touristy beach resorts in southern Thailand. The 'powers that be' (governors, etc) down there are essentially powerless to clean up their backyards. Either that, or they're simply too lazy or dumb to make the effort.

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.

[gazzz]

I couldn't disagree with you more, and thats just from personal experience. As a general rule now I never drink with English people. Of the experiences I've had, the way the English act when drunk truly warrants not only a stabbing, but a long and painful torture session as well. Luckily I'm not of the disposition to dish out this sort of punishment, but the only punch i've thrown since I was 13 years old has been at an soused Englishman. Never before have I seen a group of people willing to come into your house, drink your alcohol, eat your food and then begin to insult and berate you for absolutely no reason. This is not an isolated incident, this has happened to me with 4 different people and I have heard similar stories from others. What I find even more amazing is that the next day they act as if nothing had happened. When confronted they just say "oh, I was drunk, I don't even remember what I said" like thats a reasonable excuse.

Wake up Brits; lay of the sauce if you can't avoid being an as#hole on it.

this has got to be the most pathetic responce on this subject !!!! ive worked all round the world and ive had good ,bad people from all over but for this guy to single out brits alone is just pathetic

so because hes a brit he deserves to be killed ??????because he resisted being ripped off he deserves to be stabbed ??? because he stood up for himself he deserves to be slapped ?????? if you have ever spent time in phuket you will know that the tuk tuk drivers there take the pi%^ often after coming home (drunk) they will increase the price as if we didnt know you can either give in or tell the guy to F%^k off as im sure the guy who got stabbed did this happens in every culture not just british it seems to me the people you allow into your house are the low life of society so what kind of a person entertains these people ???????? no balls to stand up and tell them to pack it in ?? maybe you should be the person being ripped off by a tuk tuk driver its seems you are an easy target ohh maybe thats a brits fault too

it seems to me that you need to lay off the sauce you r talking out of your ass*&^%

[hansco]

I couldn't disagree with you more, and thats just from personal experience. As a general rule now I never drink with English people. Of the experiences I've had, the way the English act when drunk truly warrants not only a stabbing, but a long and painful torture session as well. Luckily I'm not of the disposition to dish out this sort of punishment, but the only punch i've thrown since I was 13 years old has been at an soused Englishman. Never before have I seen a group of people willing to come into your house, drink your alcohol, eat your food and then begin to insult and berate you for absolutely no reason. This is not an isolated incident, this has happened to me with 4 different people and I have heard similar stories from others. What I find even more amazing is that the next day they act as if nothing had happened. When confronted they just say "oh, I was drunk, I don't even remember what I said" like thats a reasonable excuse.

Wake up Brits; lay of the sauce if you can't avoid being an as#hole on it.

What nationality are you? I am sure I can find some insulting stereotype about you but I am not so narrow minded!

To say all the English people are violent drunks is an insult to me and my whole nation. I am not surprised your house guest berated you if that is the sort of racist drivel that comes out of your mouth! Maybe the other guests just didn't have the balls to stand up to you.

Unless you forgot you are judging a Welshman (Not English, British would have been more accurate) on the word of a taxi driver that attempted to murder him. Get a grip man!

[hansco]

Some are saying why argue about the price but if a taxi driver over here tried to overcharge you here by the equivilent of half the local average days wage you would query it. If he gets away with it this time he will try treble next time and so on. It happens here too, some of the british cabbies have a reputation of ripping off tourists by driving around in circles to get the meter charge up but that doesn't make it alright, if people don't stand up to them it will continue to happen.

Personally I have had Tuk-Tuk drivers try it on for allot more than that but I have just politely offered a reasonable price and thrown a bit of Thai in so they realise I am not some stupid farang straight off the plane and we have parted without a problem but I have also had some major problems with other lazy Thai's that just see farangs as a way to make a quick days wage without working for it and using threats to try and extract it from you. I worked for my money and I am not just going to give it away to some lowlife.

[niagarekoja]

Some are saying why argue about the price but if a taxi driver over here tried to overcharge you here by the equivilent of half the local average days wage you would query it. If he gets away with it this time he will try treble next time and so on. It happens here too, some of the british cabbies have a reputation of ripping off tourists by driving around in circles to get the meter charge up but that doesn't make it alright, if people don't stand up to them it will continue to happen.

Personally I have had Tuk-Tuk drivers try it on for allot more than that but I have just politely offered a reasonable price and thrown a bit of Thai in so they realise I am not some stupid farang straight off the plane and we have parted without a problem but I have also had some major problems with other lazy Thai's that just see farangs as a way to make a quick days wage without working for it and using threats to try and extract it from you. I worked for my money and I am not just going to give it away to some lowlife.

As an ex UK Taxi prop. I couldn`t agree more.

"I have tried to put this point over many times to new tourists to Thailand with too much money .

quote/ Why argue about the price but if a taxi driver over here tried to overcharge you here by the equivilent of half the local average days wage you would query it. If he gets away with it this time he will try treble next time and so on./quote

I bet many of my friends would be happy to do one small job and make an average days pay!!!

It`s all relative !

PS;

I really do not know of any taxi driver ripping off tourists by driving around in circles to get the meter charge up. In my part of the world.

Actually you make more money getting rid of a customer and getting another one as quick as possible.

[hansco]

As an ex UK Taxi prop. I couldn`t agree more.

"I have tried to put this point over many times to new tourists to Thailand with too much money .

quote/ Why argue about the price but if a taxi driver over here tried to overcharge you here by the equivilent of half the local average days wage you would query it. If he gets away with it this time he will try treble next time and so on./quote

I bet many of my friends would be happy to do one small job and make an average days pay!!!

It`s all relative !

PS;

I really do not know of any taxi driver ripping off tourists by driving around in circles to get the meter charge up. In my part of the world.

Actually you make more money getting rid of a customer and getting another one as quick as possible.

Specifically I was talking a report on the TV lately about a small majority of Heathrow taxi drivers that have to queue in a rank for a long time so try to extract every bit out of a few fares. It happens at Bangkok too when they try and not use the meter and quote you a price saying it will be cheaper, I politely say I do this trip regularly and ask them to turn on the meter.

The point is that people like to pay a fare price for a service provided. Though 200baht as quoted for a trip at 3am doesn't sound extortunate in reallity he probably tried more like 500 and the guy got pissed off. I too have got to a point after being ripped off every day that I have just couldn't be bothered to negotiate any more and moved on.

The first time you do it just pay and learn from your mistake and next time negotiate first. "Trick me once shame on you, Trick me twice shame on me"

Edited November 27, 2006 by hansco

[opothai]

well this thread is 50-50

i can only draw my own conclusions with my experiences with tuk tuk drivers,

been to los too many times to mention and with that in mind, i would most definately come out on the side of the welsh chap.

all you lads and lasses that are defending the tuk tuk driver imho have not had many dealings with them or have been ripped off without any knowledge of it.

we Never use tuk tuks any more at all

1. because i end up argueing

2. i've never had a good experience, either driving like maniacs or trying it on and taking you to the wrong place.

obviously i along with my mates may just be unlucky, but me thinks not.

the clever dickies that they are will in time put themselves out of work, hip hip hooray

[chuchok]

well this thread is 50-50

i can only draw my own conclusions with my experiences with tuk tuk drivers,

been to los too many times to mention and with that in mind, i would most definately come out on the side of the welsh chap.

all you lads and lasses that are defending the tuk tuk driver imho have not had many dealings with them or have been ripped off without any knowledge of it.

we Never use tuk tuks any more at all

1. because i end up argueing

2. i've never had a good experience, either driving like maniacs or trying it on and taking you to the wrong place.

obviously i along with my mates may just be unlucky, but me thinks not.

the clever dickies that they are will in time put themselves out of work, hip hip hooray

It's a pity that the dick heads that post <deleted> don't take notice of common sense posts like this.

[konangrit]

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.

According to your highly scientific analysis on the prevalence of football hooliganism amongst the British, we actually come out below Canada.

British football fans riot = 649,000 google hits

UK population = 60,530,000 (Wikipedia)

= 0.0107 hits per person

Canadian football fans riot = 440,000 google hits

Canadian population = 32,760,000 (Wikipedia)

= 0.0134 hits per person.

Therefore football hooliganism is 25% more prevalent amongst Canadians than British.

[The Skipper]

I'd say, 20% of the British go on Holiday, looking for a fight.

Just my opinion from my personal experiences.

[farang prince]

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.

Yes I would go help the farang, you gutless wonder. And I'd help a Thai if he was getting the crap pounded out of him by a farang. But then, I also can look at myself in the mirror in the morning Thug. What do you do?

[hansco]

I'd say, 20% of the British go on Holiday, looking for a fight.

Just my opinion from my personal experiences.

What do you base that on? Can you elaborate?

How many brits do you see on a typical day and how many of them are fighting?

How do you know they were brits, Did you ask them?

Was it because they were speaking English?

If you can't answer all those questions you are talking through your backside!

[Bagwan]

Read the reports of an incident in two different local papers and you wonder whether the reporters were pissed or not. Often the accounts contradict each other. So much for relying on the Thai press.

The Thai police who investigated the incident took into custody, and presumably charged, the tuk tuk driver. Doesn't that fact ring any bells? If not, consult a proctologist and get a brain transplant.

[somchai jones]

What a lot of sad bastards there are on this forum.

An article about a man getting stabbed in the chest is seen as an opportunity by folk with huge chips on their shoulders to have a racist rant.

We've even got people condoning the use of a knife as a weapon. Very, very sad.

[davidjtayler]

What a lot of sad bastards there are on this forum.

An article about a man getting stabbed in the chest is seen as an opportunity by folk with huge chips on their shoulders to have a racist rant.

We've even got people condoning the use of a knife as a weapon. Very, very sad.

I have to agree with Somchai on this one ...

[kmart]

What a lot of sad bastards there are on this forum.

An article about a man getting stabbed in the chest is seen as an opportunity by folk with huge chips on their shoulders to have a racist rant.

We've even got people condoning the use of a knife as a weapon. Very, very sad.

hehe. Its always great to know where to come if you want to find bicycle clips / puncture repair kits in Nakorn Noname.

And people with all the attractive social skills of phlegm, just wanting to have a go at someone else.

[somchai jones]

What a lot of sad bastards there are on this forum.

An article about a man getting stabbed in the chest is seen as an opportunity by folk with huge chips on their shoulders to have a racist rant.

We've even got people condoning the use of a knife as a weapon. Very, very sad.

hehe. Its always great to know where to come if you want to find bicycle clips / puncture repair kits in Nakorn Noname.

And people with all the attractive social skills of phlegm, just wanting to have a go at someone else.

Very, very sad.

[Tolley]

Tuk tuk drivers, songtaew drivers and the like have a very bad reputation in Thailand.

Most Thais i have spoken to would not argue with these people and would probably pay whatever they asked because they know what they are capable of.

In Phuket the tuk tuk drivers are the worst i have experienced in all Thailand. They want 100 baht minimum to drive up the road 2 mins and they will extract more if they can get away with it.

I refuse to use them in Phuket and will walk instead of feeding these people. Unfortunately Phuket is not on my list of places to go these days as it just way too expensive for what you get.

As for the case in point a guy was stabbed and could have died over a few hundred baht. Whatever the Welshman did doesn't deserve what happened to him and it is about time that a tuk tuk driver was forced to pay a penalty commensurate with the crime.

Phuket is supposed to be an international tourist hub yet it cannot even organise a basic transport system. Pathetic really!

[MyPenRye]

Although I have found most tuk-tuk drivers duplicitous in applying budhism philosophy, most accidents of this sort do occur because of the rampant scale of alcoholism brought upon by unbearable living conditions of Thai males and Western males (slaves of women [sic]), corporations, materialistic brainwashing, and greed AND tuk-tuk drivers --at the end of the day-- having ALSO to pay for having sex with Thai girls!

As long as woman will continue to charge men for having sex with them and men be stupid enough to pay, this and other events of the sort will occur. I think it is important to dig a bit deeper to find the real causes of these and other issues. However, I do think also that a fair system for all for charging for fares would be to the benefit of all, except the tukl-tuk drivers who scam new tourists, of course. If one is happy for the service (no scamming), then it would be a good idea to reward the tuk-tuk driver with a bit of a tip.

PS: I have had as good and positive experiences with Thai people as I have with other people of other cultures as I have had bad experiences. People are people. Let's remember that +/- 10% of the population of any country does own +/- 50% of the wealth of a country. Most of them are men. And most are men because most women tell all men that sex has a cost and most women have outrageous and dysfunctional needs. (Of course, things are more complex than this, but I am not going to write a book here.)

Are you real? "tuk-tuk drivers duplicitous in applying budhism philosophy". <deleted> are you talking about?

I respect budhism as a philosophy, but it has to go beyond the nice FAKE smiles and the accompanied lie that most foreigners have to endure. That's the duplicity I am talking about. True! Not all Thais lie. Poverty/greed/showing off might be a reason for some of them to lie. Paying for their sexual gratification --considering how frigid most Thai (normal) women are-- might be a reason why they feel a need to oversell and over-represent themselves (lie). Many tuk-tuk drivers, especially in the South seem to have a propensity for lying (the place you are travelling to is always 2 km no matter where you are) and harassing people. Do we need to have to respond to their "tuktuk, Sir" (like we have to endure the "you handsome"" lies from the greedy bar-girls from Patong)? We are not all stupid.

[terry57]

I'd say, 20% of the British go on Holiday, looking for a fight.

Just my opinion from my personal experiences.

yes,

they go gilligan hunting so they can kick his arse into outerspace.

got to tell you skip,

that maryanne still gives me a woody.

[moskito]

A few nationality bashing posts was removed. Please keep on topic!

Thanks

@ George,

thanks u removed mine too

To be a german makes me not automatically a NAZI and my post was just a story I have here in Phuket by myself one night. 100,-Baht (some years ago) to the disco but 400,-baht for the way back. And the tuk tuk driver transported not only me, he took another 4 idiot farangs and charged them each 400,- what to do at nighttime? Like he said, piss of and walk to karon. These tuk tuk drivers are Mafia here, it is not a story, these are facts.

The only way to solve these constant problems with these sh.....heads is to make stories like that popular to the media in Europe, Australia and US

Phuket is not a usual spot in Thailand like Mallorca for Spain, but they HAVE TO REALIZE that their money come out of our s..t farang pockets and TAT have to do something about it.

And for sure there are always some drunken brits around and germans and americans and aussies.....etc. but who want to prove that this welsh was drunk and violent. There will be no charge at all for the tuk tuk guy........

[pheonix]

to some money is everything if he negotiated and agreed to the price then why did he not pay i think he was just trying to take a chance and hope for a fight ....... looks like he got more than he bargained for.............!