Taxi turmoil: Thonglor Road assault leaves three passengers shaken in Bangkok

A group of taxi drivers physically assaulted three passengers on Thonglor Road in Bangkok on Saturday night.

A Thai man, Chatchanan Chantajinda, shared the story and videos of the assault on him and his friends, another man and a woman, on Facebook yesterday, Sunday, July 30. One of the videos even showed two police officers present at the scene but they seemed unable to control a man in a dark blue shirt who was responsible for assaulting two of the victims.

Chatchanan admitted that he and his two friends had been drinking alcohol before the incident, which might have led to some impulsive actions on their part towards the drivers.

The conflict arose when Chatchanan and his friends tried to hail a taxi with the registration plate number 7กท 2376 to take them from Thonglor Soi 12 to Sukhumvit Soi 14. However, the driver, who lacked a taxi license, refused to take them.

While Chatchanan was inquiring about the reason, he noticed the car’s registration plate indicated it was a personal vehicle, not an official taxi. Angered by the refusal and the apparent violation of regulations, Chatchanan confronted the driver by saying…

“Why do you refuse us? Wait, is your car illegal, huh?”

Chatchanan’s friends, not wanting to escalate the situation, hailed another taxi and left the scene. Nevertheless, the original taxi driver and five to six other drivers followed them. Chatchanan admitted to expressing his frustration by raising a middle finger at the illegal driver.

As they reached Thonglor Road, the illegal taxi driver cut them off, forcing them to stop. Chatchanan and his friends urged their driver to continue but five to six other taxi drivers emerged from another vehicle and blocked their path.

Chatchanan said he and his friends immediately reported the issue to Thonlor Police Station and officers swiftly responded to their complaints. Two officers arrived at the scene but did not do much.

Chatchanan stated that one taxi driver punched his ear while another attempted to pull his friend out of the car and punched the woman’s body. After the successful attack, the taxi group fled the scene.

One of the victims told Channel 7 that this was one of the most traumatic incidents of his life. Illegal taxi drivers were everywhere but no one took this issue seriously, allowing them to work illegally, overcharge passengers, and behave violently.

The legal taxi driver involved in the altercation visited the police station and cooperated with questioning. He admitted to being fearful of the taxi group and feeling unsure of how to handle the situation at that moment.

The illegal taxi driver, who initially refused service to the passengers, was also summoned by the police for questioning. He was questioned for two hours before giving an interview with Channel 7.

According to the driver’s account, he did not refuse the passengers at all. Instead, he was waiting for a passenger who had booked his services through a mobile application. He also emphasised that he was an illegal taxi driver on the app.

Moreover, the driver asserted that the group of passengers did not tell the whole truth. He claimed they raised a middle finger at him first and refused to apologise. He followed them seeking an apology, and his friends came to assist him upon hearing the incident through a phone call.

Thonglor Police Station reported that they will summon both parties for further questioning next week, and appropriate charges will be filed following the conclusion of the investigation.