Bangkok taxi driver arrested a 7th time for random knife attacks

A motorbike taxi driver in Bangkok was arrested for criminal damage, again, with the police claiming it was due to their favourite new scapegoat, marijuana. He was taken into custody yesterday along with his Honda Wave motorbike, a 60 centimetre piece of wood, and a 16 centimetre long Sparta knife, both of which the taxi driver had been wielding in attacks on random cars.

The incident took place under the Airport Link train line between the stations of Klong Tan and Asoke, where Phayathai police say they started receiving reports on Saturday afternoon that the 29 year old motorbike taxi driver was threatening people with his knife and attacking cars with the block of wood.

Police were familiar with the story. This was not the first time the motorbike taxi driver had been taken into custody for these sorts of attacks. In fact, this was the seventh time the police have been called for similar incidents involving the man. He had been the aggressor in attacks in the Makkasan and Phayathai districts before.

According to the motorbike taxi driver who often works nearby in the taxi queue by a BTS station, the fits were caused by paranoia that he claims is caused by his bong which he used frequently for smoking marijuana. After cannabis was decriminalised on June 9, there’s been a flood of sellers and smokers, which seems to have panicked the government into racing to put rules and regulations on the newly decriminalised drug.

There’s also been a flood of reports blaming cannabis for accidents, crimes, hospitalisation, and even death, despite scientific consensus that overdose symptoms are mild and fatalities are exceedingly rare.

Still, media reports state that the man blamed his violent outburst on the newly-legal marijuana, which he says he purchases regularly with money from his mom. He has been charged at the downtown Phayathai station with having a knife in public and criminal damage.

SOURCE: ASEAN Now