Bangkok driver warns of aggressive young windscreen washer

A Thai driver issued a warning to other motorists after a young windscreen washer showed violent behaviour and threatened him for refusing his windscreen washing service at Asoke Intersection in Bangkok.

Anyone driving cars in Bangkok may be familiar with young boys or girls selling garlands or offering car window wiping services on roads. They seized opportunities of the heavy traffic in the city to do the job, and they mostly disappeared at each intersection across the city.

Some of the children started offering window washing services without asking the permission of the drivers. So, some drivers chose to turn their eyes away from them to avoid the services, and others tried to be busy with their phones or something else when the children approached.

However, this Thai man decided to record the video of the boy washing his windscreen without permission at the Asoke intersection, and this action made the windscreen washer show his aggressive behaviour.

In the video shared on the Facebook account on December 23, the boy was seen banging on the car, pointing his finger in the driver’s face and saying…

“What is your problem, staring like that?”

The boy also splashed the water on the car as the driver left.

The driver later told Channel 7 that he saw the boy washing the car’s windscreen in front of him and the driver did not give him the money. So, the boy smashed the car window with his fist until the driver gave him 20 baht.

The young windscreen washer then went to his car and performed the service, although he denied it. He decided to record the video, which made him angry and showed abusive acts as seen in the video.

Ongoing issue

Channel 7 searched for the windscreen washer in the video but did not find him at Asoke Intersection. Vendors in the area reported that the boy usually offered his services at the Asoke and Khlong Toei Intersections and that he was not alone. There were other boys in the gang and they all showed similar behaviour.

According to the vendors, the children were not afraid of the police. They also scolded the officers and returned to the intersections to do the same.

The Minister of Social Development and Human Security, Varawut Silpa-archa, reported that officials visited the children’s homes and talked to their parents a few times before but could not solve the problem. He said it was time to impose a more severe punishment to resolve the matter.

Netizens urged the relevant departments to find a solution to this as soon as possible. The boys’ abusive behaviour could develop, and they could pose a danger to motorists if they had weapons.

Some stated that they also faced this aggressive incident and praised the driver for sharing the video and warning other motorists, while others blamed the driver for defaming the boy, who was innocent and did not know what was right or wrong. They said the boy needed proper care and education to become a better person.