2 Foreigners Assaulted In Phuket

[Flashermac]

Bangkok Post

1 August 2011

 

 

 

Two Dutch tourists were reported to have been assaulted by minibus drivers after they refused to pay 1,000 baht in damages after one of them walked into a parked, small minibus at Patong beach in Phuket province early this morning.

 

Unubovd Alcawbimel, 19, and Bootaman Frans Jelle, 20, were attacked about 2.45 am shortly after they left Soi Bang La, a popular nightspot venue on Patong beach, the report said.

 

While walking back to their accommodation the two young men were fooling around and Mr Alcawabimel accidentally walked into a parked minibus, the report said. The minibus was slightly dented.

 

The driver demanded 1,000 baht for damage, but the two men refused to pay.

 

The two tourists said the damages claim was exaggerated. This annoyed the minibus driver and his friends. As the two tourists walked away, the disgruntled drivers physically assaulted them.

 

A police officer passing by saw the incident and tried to intervene, but he was forcefully kept away by the assailants. The policeman fired a warning shot into the air.

 

The tourists were later admitted to a nearby hospital. Mr Alcawbimel needed 10 stitches in his left eyebrow, while Mr Jelle sustained bruising to his body, the report said.

 

After the incident, the drivers blocked the road in front of Soi Bang La with at least 10 mini buses.

 

Pol Col Arayaphan Pukbuakhao, chief of Kathu district police, went to the scene to negotiate with the protesting drivers. After more than an hour of talks, the drivers agreed to disperse.

 

Pol Lt Col Kittipong Khlaikaew, deputy chief of Kathu police, said police will linvestigate the assault and examine footage from closed-circuit cameras before charges are laid against those involved in the attack.

 

 

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[sayjann]

difficult to comment on but sounds a bit fishy.

 

according to your post one man walked into a minibus and causing damage to it.

but the amount of damage seems very far-fetched,if i walked into a minibus i'm sure i would be the recipent of more damage.

but of course we don't know what sort of 'fooling around' was going on.

 

what i find funny is the idea of the drivers blocking bangla rd.

it's a traffic free zone after dark(or was)so therefore easy for the punters and locals to walk around/through it.

the main disruption i can see is when the road reopened would be to the thai traders going about their daily business.

buses/drink/ice deliveries etc.

 

while the blockade was going on the punters were either shagging or sleeping.

[WorldFun]

basically what this shows is another cultural clash - foreigners are used to getting away with 'stuff' when drunk fooling around in public areas, private property etc as usually damages if any to be taken care of by insurance.

here however often not so as minibus drivers may be personally liable as with the cashier responsible for miscalculations whatever!

 

of course as always there's room for nuances such as an 'unreasonable' 1k bath to avoid being beaten up far away from your hometurf?

ah well....

[Coss]

I've only ever paid two "safety fees" - one was 500 bht for driving the wrong way down a one way street, the other was for having a rental motorbike "stolen" - the rental guy accepted 1K because he "knew" where it was....

[Bangkoktraveler]

I've only ever paid two "safety fees" - one was 500 bht for driving the wrong way down a one way street, the other was for having a rental motorbike "stolen" - the rental guy accepted 1K because he "knew" where it was....

 

 

If you were going only one way on a one way street, how could you get fined? Thai logic.

[sayjann]

maybe foreigners do get away with many things,but................

 

according to the original post he accidently walked into a minibus causing 1000bt damage,i cannot imagine many men doing that.

much more to the story than it seems.

[Guest Poom Rak Seh Deang]

difficult to comment on but sounds a bit fishy.

 

according to your post one man walked into a minibus and causing damage to it.

but the amount of damage seems very far-fetched,if i walked into a minibus i'm sure i would be the recipent of more damage.

but of course we don't know what sort of 'fooling around' was going on.

 

what i find funny is the idea of the drivers blocking bangla rd.

it's a traffic free zone after dark(or was)so therefore easy for the punters and locals to walk around/through it.

the main disruption i can see is when the road reopened would be to the thai traders going about their daily business.

buses/drink/ice deliveries etc.

 

while the blockade was going on the punters were either shagging or sleeping.

 

I drive over to Patong at least once a week and things are getting worse. I parked in a legal stall in the same block as Christens and some Taxi Maffi guy say it was a private stall. I just took a pick of him and his taxi with my phone and went on about my business. I would even msay the blokes were a bit meow and the T-Maffia figured them to be a good makrd for a rip off! Block the road.

 

I was on Bangla the night it became a walking street. the Tuk tuk blocked off the Song Pee end so you could not pass on foot. The police Cage Truck showd with about 200 BIB and the used a tow truck to move a tuk tuk off the side walk. Odd, the sould of reving Tuk Tuk engines was heard right away..

 

 

this bull about the van damage is just like to Jet Ski guys.... BIB, hook'em up!