The incident on Saturday saw metered taxi driver ‘Mr Dam’ (not his real name) verbally assaulted and threatened by a tuk-tuk “manager” in front of the mall.
The tuk-tuk boss accused Mr Dam of picking up passengers in front of the mall. The tuk-tuk boss explained to Mr Dam ‒ by threatening and yelling and swearing at him ‒ that picking up passengers in the area was the exclusive domain of local tuk-tuk drivers.
The tirade by the tuk-tuk boss and his verbal threats unfolded in full view of tourists in front of the mall.
Mr Dam explained that he had just dropped off a passenger at the mall. As soon as the passenger exited his taxi, two tourists jumped in. Apparently the explanation was not good enough for the tuk-tuk boss.
Frightened by what was happening right in front of them, the two tourists promptly exited the taxi.
Patong Police reported that the tuk-tuk boss and Mr Dam were called to Patong Police Station at 1pm yesterday (June 23) “to discuss and improve understanding of the matter that occurred on social media”.
“Both parties can reach an agreement. and admitted that they had used disrespectful language towards each other and were angry to the detriment of the image and atmosphere of the tourist city and apologised and adjusted understanding between both sides,” Patong Police said.
The name of the tuk-tuk boss, or the tuk-tuk cooperative he may represent, and the metered taxi driver were not included in the report.
“Police officers talked and consulted with Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO), who came to Patong Police Station to talk about the incident that happened and proceed in related areas further,” the report by Patong Police.
Comments posted under the Patong Police report criticised the lack of action taken by police over the incident.
One person asked, “Is the queue illegal? Use the footpath and highway areas to earn a living.”
Another asserted, “There is a widow’s nest basket.”
As is standard practice by the PLTO, the incident has not yet been publicly recognised. The PLTO is the government office responsible for regulating all public transport vehicles and drivers on the island.
The PLTO tends to recognise such incidents only when senior-level provincial officials, such as the Governor or the Vice Governors, are informed.
Patong Police made no mention of any charges against the tuk-tuk boss, who by video clips posted online is the plain aggressor in the incident.
Police and other officials have yet to make any public statement on the incident.
Additional reporting by Eakkapop Thongtub