The assault occurred in full view of tourists at the front of the terminal building. A video clip of the incident has since gone viral on local social media channels.
Pol Capt Kornphumphot Pongpaiboon of the Sakhu Police confirmed that he was informed of the incident at 8:39pm on Tuesday (Jan 16).
Officers arrived and found the two drivers, Songsak Gasman, 34, and Kiattisak Tharaporn, 40.
Both were sent to Thalang Hospital for physical examination while police are continuing their investigation, Capt Kornphumphot said.
The video clip shows one white passenger van pulling up in front of the departures terminal, with the driver, Mr Songsak, exiting the vehicle to remove luggage from the back of the van.
A second passenger van, silver in colour, pulls up in the next lane, with the driver, Kiattisak, exiting the van and directly approaching Mr Songsak.
Following a brief exchange of words, Kiattisak kicks Mr Songsak in the stomach. He kicks Mr Songsak a second time, knocking Mr Songsak backward and onto the ground. A third kick is blocked as Mr Songsak backs away.
Kiattisak continues to follow Mr Songsak, with one kick missing his target and landing Kiattisak on the ground by his own efforts, giving Mr Songsak the chance to flee into the terminal building.
Meanwhile, tourists in front of the terminal witnessed the entire assault.
Mr Songsak explained yesterday that the incident originated from when the two vans were travelling along in Soi Bang Ma Lao Soi 6, near the entrance to The Slate Hotel.
Kiattisak accused Mr Songsak of cutting him off. Mr Songsak strongly denied the accusation. Kiattisak then followed Mr Songsak as he drove to the airport.
When Songsak saw Kiattisak pull up at the airport, he thought Kiattisak wanted to continue to just talk about the incident, which was obviously not the case.
Meanwhile, disparaging comments about the violent nature of Phuket’s taxi and van drivers continue, with yet another incident reported by Phuket Info Center this morning.
A fully legal app taxi dropped off a passenger at a “famous restaurant” in Pasak Soi 8, Cherng Talay, at about 10pm last night.
A passenger van then blocked the woman’s exit from the area while a man from the taxi queue nearby approached the woman’s car. The man, presumably a local taxi driver, saw the woman recording on video on her phone, prompting him to threaten her.
The man tried to open the door to the car, but the doors were locked, so the man snapped off a windshield wiper and walked away.
The woman said a formal complaint had been filed with Cherng Talay Police.