The complaint was filed at Cherng Talay Police Station, and received by Pol Lt Khajonkiat Khamwichairat, Deputy Inspector (Investigation) at the Cherng Talay Police.
The Grab driver explained that he received an order to pick up passengers outside the Maya Beach Club at 11:30pm on Saturday night (Dec 2).
He arrived to pick up the passengers, who he said were tourists, but was confronted by local taxi drivers operating from a queue there.
One of the taxi queue drivers asked if he received money from an app to pick up passengers along the road.
The Grab driver said he just moved on to park so the passengers could get in his car.
However, just as his passengers were about to enter his vehicle, he objects were thrown at his car.
Two men holding sticks then approached. One of them said, “Didn’t you listen?”
The Grab driver tried to explain, but one of the men punched him once and slapped him once. The other man struck his back with a stick four times and pushed him.
The Grab driver drove immediately to Cherng Talay Police Station, where the complaint was filed at 12:01am Sunday (Dec 3).
The Grab driver was later admitted to Thalang Hospital for treatment of his injuries. He suffered pain to his right ribs and apparently a “leak in his lungs”.
Afraid for his safety, the Grab driver has since returned to Trang province to continue to receive hospital treatment there.
Cherng Talay Police and Phuket Provincial Police have yet to comment on the attack, which came just one day after Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin visited Phuket to witness tourism safety demonstrations in Patong, which the prime minister were vital for Phuket’s tourism image.