Samui "song thaew" driver agrees to pay foreigner's 6,000 baht hospital bill after fare "misunderstanding"

[NobbyClarke]

I am astonished with the posts.

I have been ripped off by taxi drivers in London(I am a Brit), New York, Paris and every other major tourist hub I have visited.It happens!!!!

Thailand is a  wonderful Kingdom with kind, caring, polite and respectful people which is why many choose to live in the amazement and excitement of everything.

 

[The Theory]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Wanchai Phoonsawat, 47, gave a different story. 

I already have an experience on this one.

[marquis22]

I'm going with the more sober one ( i think) on this,,, the "song thaew" driver 

[Different]

Normal young men journey to become mature men.

[marqus12]

1 hour ago, Sydebolle said:

Oncemore again - for the Tourism Authority of Thailand:

The internet can be accessed worldwide and this story will make the round. Get your fellow countrymen to abide by the law, get the police to book the culprit and breathe down his neck properly. 
The hospital bill of B 6000 is one thing; Somchai has not learnt a lesson. Anywhere else he would be booked, license (if any at all) withdrawn and an official apology to the damaged parties. 

It amazes me how hopelessly stupid Khon Thai can be; after all it is their country and the customer has the choice. 

They are all related on these small islands. How uncle policeman 

can put a cousin in jail ? ....  his cousin's daughter would stop

meeting with him for splashy splashy .

 

 

[Spock]

28 minutes ago, NobbyClarke said:

I am astonished with the posts.

I have been ripped off by taxi drivers in London(I am a Brit), New York, Paris and every other major tourist hub I have visited.It happens!!!!

Thailand is a  wonderful Kingdom with kind, caring, polite and respectful people which is why many choose to live in the amazement and excitement of everything.

 

Amazement and excitement! You make Thailand sound like Disneyland rather than a country run by a draconian military junta. And the songthaew mafia in places like Samui and Phuket could be called many things, but 'kind, caring, polite and respectful' is stretching the truth quite a bit. 

[helloagain]

9 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Another instance of those in the tourism service industry looking to fleece its customers, then getting angry and aggressive when their outrageous demands are not met. And of course another instance of a wai and a small fine to allow this shitty behaviour to go relatively unpunished. Given several drivers were involved, one wonders why they too were not dragged to the police station over the matter. Having got clean away with it, you can see this will happen again and again.

How about a group of forieners going to errr talk to these taxi drivers and show them the error of their ways

[TonyClifton]

1 hour ago, NobbyClarke said:

Thailand is a  wonderful Kingdom with kind, caring, polite and respectful people which is why many choose to live in the amazement and excitement of everything.

You didn't say that you live or lived here.  With this statement, I have to ask if you have ever been to Thailand and hailed a Taxi.

[Shiver]

7 hours ago, SkyNets said:

And......Que story of helpful taxi driver returning an unusually large amount of cash left in his cab to a tourist!

"Disaster: person does the right thing and makes headline news".

One of the less attractive facets of some societies, and I'm not just Thai bashing.  It's all over the globe.

[Caine]

9 hours ago, metisdead said:

A post containing an offensive comment toward Thais has been removed:

 

11) You will not post slurs, degrading or overly negative comments directed towards Thailand, specific locations, Thai institutions such as the judicial or law enforcement system, Thai culture, Thai people or any other group on the basis of race, nationality, religion, gender or sexual orientation.
 

We all know they are such wonderful people

[evadgib]

23 minutes ago, TonyClifton said:

You didn't say that you live or lived here.  With this statement, I have to ask if you have ever been to Thailand and hailed a Taxi.

If he'd ever been to Samui he'd know that;

- Taxis hail the punters &

- Drunks are thrown in to pubs! ????

[hotchilli]

9 hours ago, Darcula said:

This should be tattooed on every Somchai's chest as a reminder of brotherly love.

 

 

 

 

Thick as thieves !!!

[chocolatesound1]

No CCTV on Chaweng Road???

[sambum]

14 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Another instance of those in the tourism service industry looking to fleece its customers, then getting angry and aggressive when their outrageous demands are not met. And of course another instance of a wai and a small fine to allow this shitty behaviour to go relatively unpunished. Given several drivers were involved, one wonders why they too were not dragged to the police station over the matter. Having got clean away with it, you can see this will happen again and again.

I found it quite bemusing that " two Thai women then grabbed him by the arms so that the "farangs" could punch him"! That's got to be a first!. 

[sambum]

5 hours ago, Spock said:

Amazement and excitement! You make Thailand sound like Disneyland rather than a country run by a draconian military junta. And the songthaew mafia in places like Samui and Phuket could be called many things, but 'kind, caring, polite and respectful' is stretching the truth quite a bit. 

He's a newbie, but even so I think he's being just a tad sarcastic!

[Bartman1369]

6000 baht. Sounds like a very guilty conscience to me. Especially after fleeing the scene with his accomplices. Too save face?  If he was in the right why would he offer to pay the money if lodging a counter complaint. Also why did it take him so long to report to police station. Probably needed a quiet phone call from his uncle, cousin, etc.... from the police station.

[cheapcanuck]

12 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

It is highly doubtful the tourists were lying about the fare. This kind of fleecing is so common on Samui. And the driver deserves whatever beating he got. It is all about face. And how do I feel about face, the single greatest form of human weakness there is?

 

Face is no doubt, the greatest form of weakness, a human can engage in. Many will say it is societal, cultural, etc. No matter. It is the absolute and complete lack of the ability to introspect, and look within for the source of any problem, shortcoming, conflict, or issue. It is the polar opposite of spirituality, and therefore an absolute scourge on Buddha, and all of the precepts he taught. By practicing face, you are denying your spiritual heritage. You are refusing to man up. To take responsibility for your actions. If a man or a woman cannot, and will not take responsibility for their actions, the problems they create, the mistakes they make, and the issues they involve themselves in, what are they? Are they still an adult? Are they a complete individual, if they allow themselves to be limited by such infinitely small social convention? 

 

Who cares what people think of you? For those of us with high self esteem, it just does not matter. Sure, close friends and family. But strangers on the street? Who gives a rat's butt about this? It means nothing what they think, nor what they say about you. They count for nothing. They are just people, and people you do not know, nor will ever see again. Face is rife with self doubt, and by subscribing to this weakness, and man or woman is made a far lesser person. For those of us with high self esteem, we know who we are. What others think, what society thinks, what a guy or gal thinks, means less than zero.

Real men or women, simply own a situation, and take responsibility for their errors or mistakes. Small men, social deviants, or emotional adolescents deflect, obfuscate, attempt to confuse, and do everything in their power to deny that they made a mistake, or that they are responsible in any way, or on any level. They make up narratives about fake news, or alternative facts. Anything to avoid looking within, for the source of the problem. Anything.

What you say is "Face" i sum up to "Thainess." 

[JMSIII]

Anyone can be ripped off in any country, but I think Thailand leads the way with assaults on both Thai's and tourists...

[RickG16]

He might actually have offered 800 baht all in and been misunderstood... whose story do you believes... 2 drunk exchange students or a songthaew driver... it's anyone's guess. 

[Ducking and]

 

It seems to me the result of his complaint to the police was that he was fined an unspecified sum for affray and he can say to the hospital that the Thai man, Wanchai, must pay their bill because the police say so!  

The hospital will surely never ask a Thai man to pay a foreigner's bill, even if he had the money.  My bet is the bill is already paid by the foreigner or he will be pursued for it as being the only person legally liable.

 

So, for arguing with the driver he has suffered significant injuries, is 6,000 baht worse off and also has to pay a fine for affray (of an unspecified amount). Truly T.I.T.

[sydneyjed]

Why would you even bother going there now?..It costs a arm and a leg to fly there direct for starters and Chaweng is a shadow of its former self with expensive beach bars replacing the older original Arc Bar and others.The shopping mall is just like any other you'd find in a Western country and the beach's there are filthy with waste if you look hard enough(eg the bridge area going into Lamai).Thailand is s..tting into its own nest unfortunately especially with the currency exchange being so strong!

[Fairynuff]

16 hours ago, NobbyClarke said:

I am astonished with the posts.

I have been ripped off by taxi drivers in London(I am a Brit), New York, Paris and every other major tourist hub I have visited.It happens!!!!

Thailand is a  wonderful Kingdom with kind, caring, polite and respectful people which is why many choose to live in the amazement and excitement of everything.

 

British sarcasm at its best ????????

[ParadiseLost]

Perhaps some of these (inscribed with love from us farangs):

[bristolgeoff]

he must have been over a barrell to pay out that money no choice or the monkey house.nice to see the thai having to fork out the cash for a mistake

[marqus12]

2 hours ago, bristolgeoff said:

he must have been over a barrell to pay out that money no choice or the monkey house.nice to see the thai having to fork out the cash for a mistake

In your country when you beat a tourist, the only punishment

is to pay the hospital bill for the beaten up?
and beating a tourist is just a mistake?

Is it only about Chinese tourists or everyone?

[fouryesrs]

On Thu Jan 03 2019 at 7:18 AM, spidermike007 said:

It is highly doubtful the tourists were lying about the fare. This kind of fleecing is so common on Samui. And the driver deserves whatever beating he got. It is all about face. And how do I feel about face, the single greatest form of human weakness there is?

 

Face is no doubt, the greatest form of weakness, a human can engage in. Many will say it is societal, cultural, etc. No matter. It is the absolute and complete lack of the ability to introspect, and look within for the source of any problem, shortcoming, conflict, or issue. It is the polar opposite of spirituality, and therefore an absolute scourge on Buddha, and all of the precepts he taught. By practicing face, you are denying your spiritual heritage. You are refusing to man up. To take responsibility for your actions. If a man or a woman cannot, and will not take responsibility for their actions, the problems they create, the mistakes they make, and the issues they involve themselves in, what are they? Are they still an adult? Are they a complete individual, if they allow themselves to be limited by such infinitely small social convention? 

 

Who cares what people think of you? For those of us with high self esteem, it just does not matter. Sure, close friends and family. But strangers on the street? Who gives a rat's butt about this? It means nothing what they think, nor what they say about you. They count for nothing. They are just people, and people you do not know, nor will ever see again. Face is rife with self doubt, and by subscribing to this weakness, and man or woman is made a far lesser person. For those of us with high self esteem, we know who we are. What others think, what society thinks, what a guy or gal thinks, means less than zero.

Real men or women, simply own a situation, and take responsibility for their errors or mistakes. Small men, social deviants, or emotional adolescents deflect, obfuscate, attempt to confuse, and do everything in their power to deny that they made a mistake, or that they are responsible in any way, or on any level. They make up narratives about fake news, or alternative facts. Anything to avoid looking within, for the source of the problem. Anything.

well certainly you deeply explained

the thai peoples character...its all what people think about you and how you appear in the eyes of the others.. people who geared this way have a weak inner self etc...BUT this are the facts ...so we always need  to he careful intetacting with them...usualy I let them look good let them be the hero....that way I move around easy...

[Galactus]

at least he manned up and paid the hospital bill.

was in samui this new year and man, it was almost empty so can understand the aggressiveness of people making business there still it is not an excuse of course, not my problem too.

i just want a good service.

I also believe that tuk tuk guys didnt attack the tourists for nothing. maybe they act in an arrogant manner.

[Jazz5555]

On 1/3/2019 at 5:18 PM, spidermike007 said:

It is highly doubtful the tourists were lying about the fare. This kind of fleecing is so common on Samui. And the driver deserves whatever beating he got. It is all about face. And how do I feel about face, the single greatest form of human weakness there is?

 

Face is no doubt, the greatest form of weakness, a human can engage in. Many will say it is societal, cultural, etc. No matter. It is the absolute and complete lack of the ability to introspect, and look within for the source of any problem, shortcoming, conflict, or issue. It is the polar opposite of spirituality, and therefore an absolute scourge on Buddha, and all of the precepts he taught. By practicing face, you are denying your spiritual heritage. You are refusing to man up. To take responsibility for your actions. If a man or a woman cannot, and will not take responsibility for their actions, the problems they create, the mistakes they make, and the issues they involve themselves in, what are they? Are they still an adult? Are they a complete individual, if they allow themselves to be limited by such infinitely small social convention? 

 

Who cares what people think of you? For those of us with high self esteem, it just does not matter. Sure, close friends and family. But strangers on the street? Who gives a rat's butt about this? It means nothing what they think, nor what they say about you. They count for nothing. They are just people, and people you do not know, nor will ever see again. Face is rife with self doubt, and by subscribing to this weakness, and man or woman is made a far lesser person. For those of us with high self esteem, we know who we are. What others think, what society thinks, what a guy or gal thinks, means less than zero.

Real men or women, simply own a situation, and take responsibility for their errors or mistakes. Small men, social deviants, or emotional adolescents deflect, obfuscate, attempt to confuse, and do everything in their power to deny that they made a mistake, or that they are responsible in any way, or on any level. They make up narratives about fake news, or alternative facts. Anything to avoid looking within, for the source of the problem. Anything.

Blah Blah Blah

 

[Just Weird]

On ‎1‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 10:47 AM, Justgrazing said:

Only 6 to 1 ratio .. Unusually low geared this one .. 

There were four tourists involved, not one.  It's all there in the OP for you to read but that wouldn't be as much fun as inventing garbage, would it?

[Just Weird]

On ‎1‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 1:11 PM, seahorse said:

The reporting leaves a lot to be desired as usual. 

First it says Mr Fagin went to the police and then it says that the police arrived at the scene. 

Which is it? 

It's not too difficult, he went to the police station after he had been treated in hospital?  The police arrived at the fight scene before he went to hospital?