Pattaya motorcycle taxi rider threatens to kill 2 foreigners over fare dispute
Pattaya Police yesterday arrested a Thai motorcycle taxi rider after he turned into a knife-wielding thug after a row with two foreign passengers over fare prices. According to reports, the taxi driver threatened to kill both foreigners during the altercation.
The incident kicked off on Pattaya Second Road near Soi 6/1 early yesterday evening. Pattaya Police received a call about a motorcycle taxi rider waving a knife at foreign tourists. The man, who was around 50-60 years old and wearing an orange motorcycle taxi uniform, was captured on camera by passersby attempting to assault two unidentified foreign men with a knife. Several individuals, both Thai and foreign, tried to intervene to stop him.
Following the report, the Pattaya Police quickly arrested the suspect, identified as Worapol Naroj, who operates as a motorbike taxi driver near the Pattaya Night Bazaar, reported Pattaya Mail.
In his statement to the police, Worapol claimed that the passengers attempted to lower his fare to 40 baht per person, half of the originally agreed upon fare of 80 baht per person. The identity of the foreign passengers is currently unknown.
An eyewitness, 31 year old Alessandro Somsaen, who was present at the scene, said that a fight broke out between the suspect and the foreigners while he was celebrating Songkran near the road.
Somsaen told police how the suspect chased the foreigners around and attempted to stab them with a knife, but fortunately, several people came to the foreigners’ rescue and helped to defuse the situation. The suspect then fled the scene and was later apprehended by the police.
The police have confirmed that legal action will be taken against the suspect, and his license and ability to operate as a motorbike taxi driver will also be affected.
Taxi riders are never far from the news in Pattaya, whether it is part of a taxi mafia dispute or another misdemeanor.
Late last year a motorcycle taxi rider in Pattaya was arrested after he allegedly sexually harassed his passenger, a Thai singer named Yanawut “Pearja” Jarearnartiput. The taxi rider denied the allegation claiming he touched the woman in an attempt to keep her from falling off his motorcycle.
In January, a group of taxi mafias allegedly assaulted two Pattaya Bolt drivers while only last week concerns were raised about speeding vehicles on Beach Road in Pattaya following an accident involving a motorcyclist.
The incidents serve as a reminder to all passengers to try and resolve disputes peacefully and not resort to violence.
