Patong Police were unaware of the event until someone recorded a video of the incident and posted it online, which the usual crowd of commenters claiming it fell under the umbrella of ‘foreigners taking jobs from Thais’.
Following the attention on social media, officers summoned the female tuk-tuk driver to Patong Police Station for questioning.
Officers confirmed that the incident occurred at about 1:20am last Thursday (Feb 20).
The driver, not named in the brief report by Patong Police posted online, explained that the tourist, who claimed to be a taxi driver in his home country, asked to take the wheel.
She allowed him to drive for a short distance ‒ less than a kilometre ‒ before switching back to driving herself.
However, a police investigation revealed that the tourist was not employed as a driver and had no proper license, Patong Police reported.
As a result, the tuk-tuk driver was fined B2,000 for the offense of allowing an unlicensed person to operate the vehicle.
Patong Police repeated their warning to vehicle owners, emphasising the legal risks of permitting unqualified individuals to drive on public roads.
Patong Police made no mention of any legal action against the tourist.