3 foreign men attack Phuket tuk tuk driver over parking dispute
Three foreign men attacked a Thai tuk tuk driver in a gang assault on Sunday, February 2, following a parking dispute on a road in Phuket, leaving the victim with serious injuries.
The injured tuk tuk driver, Narin, filed a complaint against the three foreign attackers at Patong Police Station and shared details of the incident with the Facebook news page Newshawk Phuket yesterday, February 3. The attack occurred at around 3am outside Jungceylon Mall in the Patong area of Phuket.
Narin told the media that he noticed a foreign motorcyclist parked his vehicle behind his tuk tuk. As he needed to reverse, he approached the foreign man and asked him to move his motorcycle.
However, the foreign man refused and became enraged, revving his engine and provoking Narin to fight him. Narin stated that he ignored the foreigner’s actions and remained parked, waiting for him to leave.
The situation escalated when the foreigner called two friends to the scene, and together they attacked Narin. They strangled him and struck his head and face with a glass bottle. Narin’s colleague intervened, engaging in a brief altercation before the three foreigners fled the scene.
Narin suffered a serious head wound, requiring six stitches. His nasal bone was reportedly broken after being hit with the glass bottle. He remains in hospital, while the three attackers remain at large.
Dashcam footage and pictures of the suspects were shared on Thai social media. Narin urged anyone who encountered the three foreigners to report their whereabouts to the police or contact him at 098-213-1332 with any useful information.
Many Thai netizens expressed concern over Narin’s condition and called for Thai police to closely monitor the behaviour of foreign tourists and enforce strict laws against them.
However, some netizens pointed out that tuk tuk and taxi drivers frequently contribute to traffic congestion by parking outside the mall while waiting for passengers, often blocking other vehicles. They were therefore unsurprised that a physical altercation had occurred.
Others claimed that tuk tuk drivers had previously ganged up on foreign tourists in similar incidents, arguing that a sustainable solution to the ongoing parking issues outside the mall was necessary.
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