Russian fined 5,000 baht after driving dangerously on Koh Samui
A Russian man yesterday faced a 5,000 baht fine after dangerous driving on Koh Samui, an island in the southern province of Surat Thani. Locals were impressed by the police’s swift action, though some felt the punishment was too lenient.
A Thai woman took to a Facebook group called รวมพลคนสมุย (meaning Samui locals gathering) to expose the dangerous behaviour of the foreign driver, later identified as 30 year old Russian man Aleksandr Sharygo. The woman shared a picture of Sharygo’s yellow luxury car with a caption.
“Foreign driver drove very dangerously and almost hit me. I saw him on the Fisherman-Bor Phut Road at about 7.30pm. Be careful, everyone.”
She also included a video of Sharygo’s reckless driving in the comments section. The video showed the yellow Nissan car speeding and cutting off a truck in a narrow alley. The car was also seen parked in a prohibited spot on the road.
Officers from Bor Phut Police Station conducted their investigation and discovered the luxury car parked outside a hotel in the area. The police checked the registration details and found that the Russian man failed to report the change of the car’s colour to the officials and had not paid the vehicle tax.
The officers confiscated the car, prompting Sharygo to meet them later at the police station. Sharygo insisted that he obtained the car legally and had paid the required taxes. However, the records had not yet appeared in the system as the showroom had not finished preparing the ownership documents.
Nevertheless, the failure to report the change in the car’s colour violated the Land Transport Act, resulting in a 5,000-baht fine. The police also warned the foreigner not to drive recklessly, as shown in the video, again.
Sharygo admitted to his inappropriate actions and issued an apology to local motorists and pedestrians.
Many Thai netizens were impressed with the police’s swift action, while others wanted the foreigner punished more severely. Some even urged police to confiscate the car to prevent him from repeating his dangerous driving on the island and possible accidents.
