The following are incidents as reported in the local press.
Above is the phuket tuk tuk driver that assaulted a Canadian man after the man refused to pay the extortionate price for a 1 minute ride. The tuk tuk driver ended up punching and assaulting the customer. End result, the above Canadian man ended up going to the police station and paying a fine, or else risked being detained along with his passport until his court case was to be heard one month later.
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Another cowardly tuktuk driver assaulted a French family in Kata Beach for parking in "their" spot, even though this spot is for a government building. This drunken, insane and cowardly driver attacked this French family which consisted of a husband and wife along with children, along with the grandparents of the children. The tuk tuk thug beat these people with a hardened wood umbrella stick and ended up breaking the almost 70 year old grandfather. Of course the culprit fled and his fellow brethren all agree and say that maybe this one bad driver was a little bit crazy............Sure, we'll believe these guys that this one bad apple was an exception to otherwise outstanding and upstanding citizens of the community.
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In related incidents just a couple days apart which involves the tuk tuk mafia's fellow thugs, the "black plate" taxis.
The first incident took place at Cape Sienna Hotel in Kamala where a tour driver for an elephant safari camp was attacked when trying to pick up customers at this Kamala resort. The black plate taxi driving thugs attacked not only the driver with a metal crow bar, but they did extensive damage to the vehicle. In most countries a mob attacking someone with a weapon would result in serious charges, but according to published reports, the police have asked the two named suspects to voluntarily come forward and turn themselves in, suffering up to a 1000 baht fine.
A day later black plate taxis block the entrance to the Evason Resort due to the resort calling an outside taxi for one of it's guests to use. The local black plate taxi thugs weren't happy about this so the police were called in to "negotiate". Both of these above black plate taxi incidents show how powerless the police are and how powerful the tuktuk black plate taxi cartel is. Something must be done before there is an actual murder as there already have been attempted murders in the eyes of the law in most countries.
September 2nd.
And yet another incident of thuggery. These tuk tuk dirivers are Pieces Of Shit and should have their pieces of shite wanna be vehicles flattened by the Army. FO tuk tuks!!!!!!!!!!!!
PHUKET: Phuket taxi drivers beat up a tour driver when he tried to pick up tourists at well-known five-star resort in Kamala this afternoon.
Police are investigating the assault in which an iron bar was used to break
a windscreen and the driver was punched and beaten.
The tourists in the vehicle at the time, Glenn Dawson and his wife Deidre, were
shaken and shocked by the attack. The drivers swore at the couple, saying: "F@#@
off tourist."
Mr and Mrs Dawson were staying inside the Cape Sienna Resort in Kamala this evening, and will leave tomorrow on a flight to Bali. They run a small hotel on the neighboring island of Lombok.
''We will probably never come back to Thailand after this,''Mr Dawson, 45, an Australian from Melbourne, said this evening.
He gave a complete account of the attack.
''We were going elephant trekking but when the driver arrived at the resort, we were advised that we'd have to meet him a bit further down the street.
''As he did a u-turn, drivers from the taxi rank at the resort attacked him.
''We couldn't believe what was happening. When we got out of the taxi the drivers swore and abused us.
''The poor driver got back into his car and as he was driving off, another driver threw an iron bar that broke his windscreen.
''We were shaken, and we are still shaking.''
Mr Dawson said he and his wife had had a week's holiday at Cape Panwa and six days at Cape Sienna.
The assault is likely to sharpen focus on the power that local tuk-tuk and taxi drivers hold over Phuket resorts.
Almost all resorts on Phuket are obliged to kow-tow to the local drivers for fear of blockades, or risk assaults on their staff or their guests.
Today's incident follows an attack in Patong, believed to be by tuk-tuk drivers, that left a German expat resident in a Phuket City's hospital's intensive care unit.
Australia and a group of European countries have threatened video warnings on You Tube and travel advisories about tuk-tuks on Phuket unless the Governor or the new government of Thailand takes rapid action to safeguard all tourists.
Mr Dawson said that Cape Sienna arranged a replacement tour in a resort car. He said he stopped off in Kamala village to pick up some garments and asked the tailor to drop the garments off at Cape Sienna later.
''The driver said he wasn't prepared to go near Cape Sienna because of the taxi drivers,'' Mr Dawson said.
''This shocks me. To think that they can do this on Phuket.''
Mr Dawson said the drivers appeared to sit around all day in part of the resort's driveway, watching television and doing nothing.
''It had been quite a nice holiday on Phuket until this afternoon. I don't think we will be coming back.''
The driver went to Kamala police station to report the attack. Lieutenant Aneak Mongkoln took a statement from Preecha Choowong, 38, who said a group of taxi drivers had attacked him outside Cape Sienna.
Khun Preecha, punched in the face, went to Patong Hospital for treatment after leaving Kamala Police Station.
A duty manager at Cape Sienna said he suspected the problem was caused because of ''taxi zoning'' and the lack of appropriate paperwork that taxi drivers demanded from outside vehicles picking up guests.
''We are caught in the middle,'' he said.
Sinlapachai Choosen, the manager of the elephant trekking group involved, Kok Chang Kata Safari, said tonight: ''This situation has existed for a long time now.
''We and other businesses do all the marketing for Phuket and the taxi drivers have no understanding of how the tourism business works.
''These people have booked and paid online, as many do.
''This group is a mafia. We understand local people want local jobs, but to have this kind of hold over Phuket is a tragedy.''
He said he wanted to see these perpetrators punished, but it was also time that resorts all over Phuket did something to end the nightmare.
Phuket
Tuk-tuk Driver Attacks French Family for parking in 'wrong place
Thaivisa:
Tuk Tuks clearly a bane to Phuket tourism
Tourist Belted By Tuk Tuk Driver
Tuk
tuk driver questioned over sexual assault of British girl.
Swedish
Tourist Punched by Tuk Tuk driver.
Tuk
Tuk Violence
Local
expat gets major beatdown by 4 tuk tuk drivers.
Crazy
tuk tuk driver tries to run me off the road.
Tuk
tuk driver stabs Welshman
4
Aussie tourists beaten and stabbed by gang of tuk tuk drivers
Tuk
Tuks in Patong
Tuk-tuks
warned: ‘improve or die’
Tuk
Tuk fares still to high: Consuls
PM
turns spotlight on Phuket problems
Taxi
driver charged with rape
Phuket
Cruise ship passengers blockaded
Tuk
tuk driver assaults a Canadian man after the man refused to pay the extortionate
price for a 1 minute ride
Tuk-tuks
blockade US military in Phuket.
Governor lays out strategy for war on ‘taxi mafia’
Tuk-tuk drivers in protest over access to port
Eco-tour firms protest tuk tuk ‘bullies’
Issues
and Answers: Why aren't parking rules enforced (on tuk tuks) in Karon?
Issues
and Answers: Tuk-tuks in Kata-Karon
Issues
and Answers: Action on tuk-tuk rip-offs
Issuea
and Answers: Why no bus between Kata/Karon and Patong? Answer: Bus driver was
pulled from his bus and beaten by "competition."
Issues
and Answers: "Government intervention will be needed to create a new taxi
service in Phuket." - Pol Lt Col Teeraphol Thipjaroen, Deputy Traffic Superintendent
of Phuket Town Police Station
"Stay
away from tuk tuks and ladyboys" Says Phuket Governor
The
Sydney Morning Herald: Phuket rip-off: the trouble with tuk-tuks
Fodor's
Travel Guide: Phuket Tuk Tuks and exorbitant charges.
Lonely
Planet Travel Guide: Phuket tuk tuk warning
Tripadvisor:
Phuket's Tuk Tuks are still at it.
iPetition:
Governor Wichai - ban the Phuket tuk-tuks!
Making
Phukets Tuk Tuks, Taxi's Fair
Phukets
tuk tuks shared among top officials
Tuk
tuk problems solved soon: Phuket Governor
Tat
'worried' About Phuket Tuk-tuk Gangs
Tuk
Tuk standoff in Karoni
War
on taxi mafia
Tuk
tuks no good
Time
for action
A
recent visitors comments about the taxi mafia
Phuket
Taxi: Primitive transport
Would
you believe it..Police citing the taxi mafia?
Beating
the taxi fares/
Phuket
Public Transport: Cartels continue in the driver's seat
Honorary
Consuls Meet In Phuket To Discuss Jetskis, Pollution And Tuk Tuk Mafia
Phuket
consuls keep pressure on tuk-tuk, jet-ski scams
Phuket
tuk tuk fares in the firing line
Paradise
Lost
Phuket
officials tackle tuk tuk blockades
Good
old Phuket tuk tuks at it again
Phukets
must do's and don'ts
How
do you get around Phuket cheaply?
Click here for page one of phuket tuk tuk and black plate taxi stories.
October 1st, Tuk tuk thugs at it again. This time they chase down and beat some Danish students that supposedly pushed a lady working in a bar. This thugs just don't know when to stop!!!
The following is taken from the Phuket Gazette:
PHUKET: A group of young foreigners out celebrating their graduation from the European Bartender School in Patong received a lesson in Phuket bar etiquette this week when one man was chased down and “vigorously apprehended” by tuk-tuk and motorcycle taxi drivers.
The objection among the drivers was the rough treatment given to a Thai barmaid following a disagreement late Thursday night over the bill at the Ice Bar, off Soi Bangla.
Following the altercation, the Thai woman involved was taken to Patong Hospital to receive treatment for injuries, and a doorman at the Tai Pan nightclub saw two foreign men running into Soi Sunset, at about midnight.
“They ran into the soi, which is a dead end, chased by more than 10 Thais, including police and a few Thai girls. After about half an hour, one of the two men was led away by police. He had blood on his face,” the doorman told the Phuket Gazette.
The man, from Denmark, was arrested and held overnight at Patong Police Station.
Police Duty Officer Teerasuk Boonsang said the man, whom he declined to name, was released the next day.
“They were really drunk at that time. The Dane didn’t want any problems with this as he and his friends had just finished the course and are supposed to leave soon,” he said.
“Mediation between the parties at the police station was successful and finished at about midday [yesterday], so the case will not go to court. It was agreed [the Dane] would pay for the girl’s medical treatment and damages to the bar,” the policeman said.
The Danish man also reportedly needed treatment for minor injuries sustained in the “citizen’s arrest,” he added.
However, a staff member at the school told the Gazette, “I have heard different stories. I was told that the foreigners did not hit the ladies. They wanted to get out of the bar so they pushed them.
“But one lady was pushed onto the floor and they ran out of there – and then later one of the guys was caught in a dark alley and beaten up by some Thai guys. That’s all I know,” he said.
Happy New Year 2012 from the Phuket tuk tuks::
( Info was posted at thaivisa):
I've just finished talking to a guest who was assaulted last night by a tuk
tuk driver at Karon Circle.
A small group took a tuk tuk from Patong after celebrating New Year. They had asked the driver to drop at Karon Circle and then go onto Karon Plaza at the southern end. The driver went as far as Karon Circle and refused to go any further. they argued, as they had asked previously to go on, and the driver took a baton with a blade out of the compartment and slashed my guest under the bottom of his left ear.
>>Extortion at it’s very best last night. Tried to get a Tuk Tuk to take me from Patong to Chalong and was quoted as high as 4000 BHT one way! Walked around and asked about 20 different Tuk Tuks, all the fares quoted were no lower than 2000 BHT. I also had some Thai staff with me and asked one of them to try, one girl came back and told me that the driver said they only wanted Farang money and would not help her. He told her to go home by motorbike.