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Tuk-Tuk Drivers in Patong and all over LOS |
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There have been so many incidents lately that are coming into the forums, the newspapers, and passed around by word of mouth that something needs said about it here at ThaiPulse as well. The problem is REALLY pervasive in Phuket - Patong beach seems to be the center of it. Tuk-Tuk drivers are notoriously violent there when it looks like they'll be stiffed for a 100baht fare or more. Recently a Western tourist fell asleep in the back of a tuk-tuk after negotiating for the driver to take him back home in the early hours. When he awoke he could not find his wallet and the tuk-tuk driver was having none of it. He called over some other guys and the 4 of them beat the guy senseless. As of this writing the man is in the hospital in Bangkok and is moving his family to Bangkok where he feels SAFER. I haven't been here in Thailand that long yet, but many times I've heard personal stories about the violence of Thai small business men when they fear they might get stiffed or cheated out of some baht. Usually it's the tuk-tuk drivers, but I've heard about a CD seller in Pattaya that beat the hell out of an older gentlemen (about 70 yrs) that wanted to return a CD that didn't work. The guy wanted a refund and the CD seller wouldn't give it - eventually the CD seller got violent and beat the hell out of the old guy - right there on beach road. Now, do you think tourists helped out? Typically, no. And, maybe rightfully so, who is to say? My own sense of responsibility - my own sense of justice and what is right - in this case - had I heard it - might have been to intervene on the old man's behalf. Quite possibly he was correct in wanting to get a refund for something that didn't work - but as we all know if we live here - there aren't many refunds given -even for bad merchandise. I've seen farangs get beat up in public and there is usually not one that will help him unless his friends happen to be around. Farangs are strangers to me as much as Thais. I don't know what all happened before I arrived and saw what was happening - so why would I step in? In fact, I believe that generally we reap what we sow. If I see a long-term expat getting beat up I would probably just watch since I know he should be much smart er than to ever let it get to that point. You MUST be smart here. Leave your ego in your own country because here it can get you killed - over something like a parking spot... a 100baht tuk-tuk fare... a bad CD. All it takes is a good hit in the head with a club or a knife to the groin, upper arm, chest, stomach or kidney to put you down. Farangs have to understand. The tuk-tuk drivers in Patong are no strangers to violence. They are not afraid to use it - since the mafia controls the whole area. I know bar owners that pay 30,000 baht per month - per bar they own - for police "leave me alone" money that they call "protection money". Until farangs UNITE in Patong - there's no sense talking about what we should do... individuals can do very little. There are enough farangs living in Patong that, if they joined together and held meetings about which problems to attack - MAYBE something would eventually be done. There would likely be violence before it was over - the mafia and police that are getting paid aren't going to go empty handed too many times without fighting the change. BUT, what other way is there? Continue as we are and have random beatings by tuk-tuk drivers and others? We tend to ignore it until it affects us. Some advice: always have extra money in your sock, shoe, ass, wherever you need to keep it so that you can pay what you owe to someone. Now, keep in mind that if a Thai sees you pull the kings money out of your ass you're going to get beat down anyway. Pull it out of your ass and shoe and back pocket in a way that shields their view. More advice: why would you ever care enough about 100 baht to yell at someone in Thailand - when yelling can get you killed here? Often times when it escalates to yelling - that's when the Thai's flip and set about to beating you. There might be ONE Thai you are arguing with - but others are watching. IF it turns violent the guy you're arguing with WILL have help. And, you WON'T. That's what happens here. It won't be different in your case. Unless you're good at fighting - really good - you won't have a chance. Thai's generally can't fight at all - and in a fair fight - can be beat down with one bad arm... but, the fight is NEVER fair - and the Thai may have a knife, club, Tazer, stun gun, or chair to the back of your head before you even know there is danger. They tend to hit when the back is turned. I've seen that so many times. The first hit might be a heavy Beer Singha bottle to the 1st cervical vertibrae... and there's not much you're going to do to stop the REAL beating that follows as you lay on the ground and they kick your head and face. Even in laid back places like Ubon Ratchathani there are fights at the sports park just like this... a guy loses face playing soccer with his high school friends at the park. Later, he and his friends go looking for the one that disrespected him during the game. They find him eating at the night market - back to them. Never saying a word, they hit him in the back of the head with a metal pipe and beat the hell out of him as he lay there unconscious. He died. He was in Mathyom 3 (15 years old). At SongKran two years ago I was riding in the back of a pickup truck in Ubon. I was with 3 prathom 2 students and their father and other relatives. We had been throwing water all day and it was about 4 pm and we were on the way back home, trying to get through traffic. The part y was in full swing. We were on the main road - Chayangkul (Chayangkun) going very slowly in bumper to bumper traffic - music blaring from 6 different groups' speakers. And I hear a bottle break against a wall. It was thrown at someone and missed. I then see a guy break another bottle on the ground and go over to a young guy that was drunk and fighting with his fists - and cut the guy in the stomach and the face with the bottle. There was instantly a LOT of blood all over the boy, sidewalk, and then everyone's shoes as they kicked him unconscious and bounced bottles of Leo off his face as he was passed out - they were WAILING the bottles at his face and the sound of bottles and bone breaking was easily heard over the music, traffic, and yelling. The entire song kran procession was stopped and watching. I got lower in the pickup not wanting anyone to see a farang in the middle of all of it and declare open season on anyone different. The doctor I was with was thinking the same thing, as he pushed my head down into the truck after putting his kids and neice up in the front of the truck so they wouldn't see how brutal it was. The cut guy died. Others were in the hospital. Thai fights are for keeps. When a Thai is fighting - it's to wipe you off the face of the earth because they just flip out. If you get INTO a fight - best to fight to your last breath because it just might be. Once the fight starts, there's probably no amount of KArt old Kup and wai-ing that will make it stop - just fight like they're trying to kill your kids or whatever gets your blood boiling...
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