Local Expat Beaten Down By The Tukmaf

[LivinLOS]

How many tuk tuk drivers are there in Phuket? Are there so many that the powers that be cant give them a slap now and then when stuff like this happens?

Seems 'the powers' own the noddy cart leasing.. Hence the red menace always gets it way..

[faultytower]

Phuket is fast getting a reputation as a place where violence is becoming the norm. These acts of violence

are happening all over the island and with increased frequency

[qualtrough]

Not in any way wishing to defend the Tuk Tuk scum, but from the details presented by the OP another scenario could explain what happened:

1. Friend is shit-faced, walks down soi and hails Tuk Tuk. (according to OP)

2. Passes out in Tuk Tuk and and is woken up by driver. (According to OP)

3. Friend realizes wallet is missing, blames Tuk Tuk driver. (According to OP)

4. Friend is beaten by Tuk Tuk driver.

Here is what is what easily could have happened:

Friend gets drunk, loses wallet, hails Tuk Tuk. Cannot find wallet, blames Tuk Tuk driver, curses him out, and refuses to pay. Tuk Tuk driver and friends proceed to beat shit out of said friend.

I think the fact that the Tuk Tuk driver demanded payment adds to the possibility that he might not have been involved in the theft, since the Tuk Tuk driver probably would have cared less if he had stolen a wallet with lots of money.

It certainly is not right for Tuk Tuk drivers to bash people, but in many parts of the world you would not fare much better if you stiff a taxi or similar driver. I used to know a cab driver in Canada, and one of the stories he told me was about being stiffed by a customer one night. He got out of the cab, slammed the guy face first against a wall, and took the fare out of his wallet. Out of character, but sometimes people ask for it. Not saying this is necessarily the case here, but when someone gets so drunk they pass out you have to wonder if their recollection matches what really happened.

[lazeeboy]

We need to find a friendly foriegn journo and get every incident into a tabloid.

Now this may sound wierd but........

I bet we could find a journo for the sun or news of world that would put this in for a small fee (corruption Thai style), if we club together, put a quid or two in each, I bet we can get a few stories in print.

things will change very quickly when it gets into the international media!

we are getting enough bad press what with rapes murder and the likes the thai police should sort this out otherwise our resorts and bar will be empty and then they will be layed off and finding new jobs picking coconuts as there parents not that long ago

[khall64au]

We need to find a friendly foriegn journo and get every incident into a tabloid.

Now this may sound wierd but........

I bet we could find a journo for the sun or news of world that would put this in for a small fee (corruption Thai style), if we club together, put a quid or two in each, I bet we can get a few stories in print.

things will change very quickly when it gets into the international media!

we are getting enough bad press what with rapes murder and the likes the thai police should sort this out otherwise our resorts and bar will be empty and then they will be layed off and finding new jobs picking coconuts as there parents not that long ago

Thai journos who report the truth are, at best - sacked- at worst, laid to rest. Foreign journos, in residence, who know the truth dare not report that truth in fear of being expelled never to return.

One could pass on the 'truth' tho to any number of newspapers around the globe!

[DrDweeb]

Can someone explain to me what the crack is over there in Phuket? I browse this forum now and then, and often find posts about tuk tuk guys kicking of or local Thais going mental for no reason.

Seriously - i realy want to know.

<deleted> is going on over there? I lived in Samui for over two years, we also had a taxi mafia. The difference was, that the only mafia activity they employ is to stick together to ensure none of them use meters. Thats as far as it goes. It would be a cold day in hel_l before a Samui taxi driver so much as shouted at you, let alone beet the fark out of you. Never in my two years there did i hear of one taxi driver getting tasty with anyone. Never.

We also had a proper mafia there - but they had jack <deleted> to do with tourists or ex-pats. Never did i hear a story of mafia bullying bar owners, business etc.

And whats the deal with the references to lady boys over in Phuket? Cant walk on the beach at night and all that? Again, in samui they pester you a little but if you tell them to piss off, they do.

So why is it so crazy over there? They are both simmilar islands - phuket is just bigger. I dont get it.

How many tuk tuk drivers are there in Phuket? Are there so many that the powers that be cant give them a slap now and then when stuff like this happens?

I hope the poor bloke gets well. And to the guys here that have said 'must be more to it', im sorry but thats bang out of order.... a poor bloke got beat to hel_l. He may have gave them a bit of lip but did not deserve 4 blokes battering him.

There are so many TukTuks (not really tuk-tuks actually, they are small. 4 wheeled Diahatsu trucks that are possibly even more uncomfortable to ride in than a real TukTuk - but I digress), around the tourist areas of Phuket, that they are like a plague of locusts.

They are hideously expensive by any reasonable standard. One ride in a TukTuk over anything but a trivial distance would probably pay for bike rental for a week.

The TukTuks are a law unto themselves, they consume vast amounts of street space that they have assigned to themselves, and protect it with a high level og agression. The TukTuk mafia pricing structure "fixed fee plus". They have a monopoly and defend it.

I have not met even one TukTuk driver whodid not have an "attitude". Most of them I have wished to terminate.

So, I avoid the TukTuks on Phuket, because they are expensive and the drivers are aggressive ignorant a-holes, however I mostly avoid them for fear of my life. I ride motor bike taxis in VKK all the time and have had zero problems with them - ever - and they sure do know how to negotiate the traffic. The Phuket TukTuk drivers are maniacs who respect no other user of the roads. Using a TukTuk puts your life, and that of every other road user at risk. Not using them is a benefit to public safety.

I do not go and get drunk anymore, unless I have alternate means of transport home. I like my life too much.

Didn't Samui get taken over by some danish biker gang? It's a few years since I was there last.

[Jimjim]

I am sure that if say, I wanted to buy a Tuk-Tuk, and get a work permit and taxi tourists around the island that there would be some red tape, and maybe a license fee or something, but I imagine it would be more. For instance, I am sure I would get threatened, and scolded by the local tuk-tuks. I would be forced to pay or "kick-up" as Tony Soprano has said. I am sure there would be unwritten fines, and fees that would be applicable. Police would get some and so would the Street Bosses. But I could never get them to accept me as one of them. I would have to fight like the first woman in combat.

Foreigners cannot be taxi drivers in Thailand. It is a banned occupation for foreigners according to Thai law. This ain't New York City.

[Dupont]

I am sure that if say, I wanted to buy a Tuk-Tuk, and get a work permit and taxi tourists around the island that there would be some red tape, and maybe a license fee or something, but I imagine it would be more. For instance, I am sure I would get threatened, and scolded by the local tuk-tuks. I would be forced to pay or "kick-up" as Tony Soprano has said. I am sure there would be unwritten fines, and fees that would be applicable. Police would get some and so would the Street Bosses. But I could never get them to accept me as one of them. I would have to fight like the first woman in combat.

Foreigners cannot be taxi drivers in Thailand. It is a banned occupation for foreigners according to Thai law. This ain't New York City.

Being dead would circumvent most of the red tape anyway, so don't worry about it

[womble]

We need to find a friendly foriegn journo and get every incident into a tabloid.

Now this may sound wierd but........

I bet we could find a journo for the sun or news of world that would put this in for a small fee (corruption Thai style), if we club together, put a quid or two in each, I bet we can get a few stories in print.

things will change very quickly when it gets into the international media!

we are getting enough bad press what with rapes murder and the likes the thai police should sort this out otherwise our resorts and bar will be empty and then they will be layed off and finding new jobs picking coconuts as there parents not that long ago

Perhaps if the country was shamed by the international press and pressure was put on them to clean up Phuket, Samui, Pattaya and other beach resorts, it might be better for everyone in the long run.

No?

[DaiilyLlama]

I am a regular visitor to Phuket ( 8-10 times a year ) contemplating a property purchase there

Its sweet that all the well meaning types here are looking for an explanation of the increasing violence in Phuket .....

But it just doesnt wash ;

Last weekend i was with my family ( 2 kids ) in a tuk tuk and the driver refused to take us where he had originally agreed ( it was Kata beach - not an "unknown" for the tuk tuk driver )

I went around to pay him and he said the fare had increased - i said that was unreasonable - he pulled a knife !

I threw him the money and got out of his way - he backed up the tuk tuk , screaming in full view of the busy street, he continued waving the knife around , threatening death, disembowlement and other attrocities ;

I admit i could ignore the general feeling of rising tension, until this happened - it has really kind of put me off the place

[smartecosse]

its is a shame that they are allowed to get away with it but "they" simply hold too much ssway over the powers that be for anything to be done

its a joke in patong now, try to find a parking space on beach road you have half of it coned off by tuk tuk drivers and the rest by the bike / car rental guys. Where are you meant to park? Been using the Junceylon one and walking but i can see them putting a stop to that

[ToTheBeach]

I am pretty sure that most Phuket expat residents know stories of abuse by tuk-tuk drivers and associates.

As for myself.....

Last 4 weeks 2 times issues with them. First one was a tuk that hit me full with a mirror in the back whilst standing on the side of the road. He kept driving and in a rush I smashed a small dent into the back. The guy stopped and yelled abuse. Photos made by bystanders showed his broken en twisted side mirror and the situation. Faced with that he finally moved out quickly, knowing that he was in the photo in rather compromising position.

Second time was when I was looking for a parking space for my motocycle on Rat-U-Thit road close to Jungceylon. To my surprise I found an open spot within moto cycle parking area. After parking confronted by one of the tuks stating tuk tuks only. Showed him my unwillingness and the reason why. After this he pushed his tuk against my bike. Told him I would ripp his head off if he continued and proceeded into the shop. The driver followed me into the shop but backed off when he realised that all staff knew me by name. Coming outside he continued his tirade. As his tuk was now parked against my bike I pushed his cart (or tuk tuk) away and told him that he did not set the law for me before riding away.

Just 2 simple instances where they think that the law does not apply to them. I will never, ever use them and will stand up against them if needed. I hope everybody will do the same....

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

In all seriousness, as 'EX-Spec-Ops US Navy' i would hope you'd have a touch more intelligence than to come here and kick off some kind of war.

But then maybe that oxymoron "military intelligence" thing holds true

Authentic "special ops" are easy to spot. They're the ones not telling anyone about it.

that is SOOOOO true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[faultytower]

I am a regular visitor to Phuket ( 8-10 times a year ) contemplating a property purchase there

Its sweet that all the well meaning types here are looking for an explanation of the increasing violence in Phuket .....

But it just doesnt wash ;

Last weekend i was with my family ( 2 kids ) in a tuk tuk and the driver refused to take us where he had originally agreed ( it was Kata beach - not an "unknown" for the tuk tuk driver )

I went around to pay him and he said the fare had increased - i said that was unreasonable - he pulled a knife !

I threw him the money and got out of his way - he backed up the tuk tuk , screaming in full view of the busy street, he continued waving the knife around , threatening death, disembowlement and other attrocities ;

I admit i could ignore the general feeling of rising tension, until this happened - it has really kind of put me off the place

DaiilyLlama....Sorry to hear about your bad experience but unfortunately it is a trend that is happening to many people phuket on a worryingly all too frequent basis. The number of violent or threatening attacks has been increasing dramatically over the last couple of years in phuket and i fear it will only get much worse until their is another horrific beating that makes it into the media or the death of a tourist.

Sad but probably rtue

[PCA]

Sad story, really though I think that there was something else that caused the incident to develop that tragic.

I am using the tuk tuks in Patong regularly since years, basically 3 to 5 times a week when I go out. I know many of them and cant state that they are more rude than the crowd in the nighlife scene in Patong. Since this is probably not commonly known there are many policemen driving Tuk Tuks in their free time and I have (had) more than a handfull of businesscards with their name and police rankings on it. So you dont need to involve the police in any of those things when you think that you are the first or only one witnessing it. Those actions are all backed up by the bigger guys.

The situation in particular is just suspicious to me due to the fact that the driver who did the fare to Chalong had to assemble help from the spot. If this all would have been planned as either theft, beating up or both then he would have been accompanied right away from starting in Patong.

Best way is to always pay in advance no matter where the trip goes when chosing a Tuk Tuk for the ride. There is no meter to determine the price and there cannot be misunderstandings accordingly. This is all business and they are making the rules. Deal with them or let it be.

All Thais when brought to the boiling spot are ready to kill you instantly, also those with almond eyes and big t..s. But whom am I telling this.

[DrDweeb]

Sad story, really though I think that there was something else that caused the incident to develop that tragic.

I am using the tuk tuks in Patong regularly since years, basically 3 to 5 times a week when I go out. I know many of them and cant state that they are more rude than the crowd in the nighlife scene in Patong. Since this is probably not commonly known there are many policemen driving Tuk Tuks in their free time and I have (had) more than a handfull of businesscards with their name and police rankings on it. So you dont need to involve the police in any of those things when you think that you are the first or only one witnessing it. Those actions are all backed up by the bigger guys.

The situation in particular is just suspicious to me due to the fact that the driver who did the fare to Chalong had to assemble help from the spot. If this all would have been planned as either theft, beating up or both then he would have been accompanied right away from starting in Patong.

Best way is to always pay in advance no matter where the trip goes when chosing a Tuk Tuk for the ride. There is no meter to determine the price and there cannot be misunderstandings accordingly. This is all business and they are making the rules. Deal with them or let it be.

All Thais when brought to the boiling spot are ready to kill you instantly, also those with almond eyes and big t..s. But whom am I telling this.

Sad but true. I simply do not use Tuk-Tuks - EVER on Phuket. I ride my bike, or have alternate arrangements. These people are criminals and termination of a few is the only solution I see to as viable path to stop their encorachment on the public space and their powerful criminal position.

But, hey - we all knew that - this is Wonderful Thailand - LOS. Yeah right.