BKK Taxi driver fined 2,000 baht for watching porn whilst driving

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Yesterday a passenger filed an official complaint with the land office saying that a taxi driver was acting inappropriately by watching ‘porn’ whilst he was driving and taking his shirt off (which was a football shirt and not a proper uniform).

Today, the taxi driver was fined 2,000 baht for watching a video disc and dressing improperly while transporting the passenger.

Wirat Promthai reported himself to the Land Transport Department at 10am this morning after a female passenger filed a complaint with the department against him.

The passenger alleged that Wirat had watched a pornographic movie and had also removed his shirt in a suspicious gesture. After Wirat reported to the department, inspection division head Sukree Jaruphum, took him to check whether he had porn video discs in his car. (The rumour that they spent three hours inspecting the discs is untrue)

The driver told Sukree that he had not watched pornography but rather a legal erotic movie ‘Mae Bia’ which had been screened in theatres.

Wirat said he was about to finish driving for the day and had taken off his blue shirt and left it on the back seat while he watched the movie.

The movie was not pornography, he insisted, explaining that he had bought it just two days prior to the event. Wirat said that when the female passenger waved him to stop, he hesitated to pick her up but feared a complaint if he rejected a passenger.

He says he did not intend to do anything illegal as he loves driving taxi and he had been in the job for 15 years. Sukree said the taxi driver came to meet the officials as summoned and has a clean record. The driver was fined 1,000 baht for dressing improperly and another 1,000 baht for causing nuisance to a passenger.

STORY: The Nation