Motorbike taxi rider 'assaults Arab tourists' in Phuket

A motorbike taxi rider allegedly assaulted two Arabian tourists in Thailand.

Hot-headed cabbie Patiwat Puengpitsawong, 30, reportedly honked at the UAE holidaymakers Mohamed Abdalla Hassan Mirak Alblooshi, 33, and Abdullah Mohammed Ali Ibrahim, 25, to move out of the way as he was speeding past them along a road in Phuket on July 29 evening.

The pair said they complied but Patiwat allegedly pulled over and attacked the two before driving away.

They filed a complaint with the Patong Police Station hoping to bring the rider to justice.

Police Major Channarong Prakongkua of the Patong Police said: 'The suspect was found to be living in Moo 6, Tambon Kathu. Officers are tracking him down.'

On July 15, three other motorcycle taxi drivers in Phuket reportedly beat a Kuwaiti tourist unconscious.

Chatupol Srirak, 37, Sayumphu Treerunpetch, 25, and Thanakorn Liikay, 25, were said to have punched the visitor, Turky Alazemi, 30, for allegedly rear-ending one of their vehicles.

They were taken to the Patong Police Station to be prosecuted.

Unscrupulous taxi drivers are among the leading complaints of foreign tourists in Thailand. They have become known for inflating prices, taking them to non-existent attractions or even threatening some holidaymakers

Citing a 2022 quarterly survey, the Tourism Council of Thailand had said that visitors rated taxi services poorly.

The tourists complained of 'unfair treatment' as cabbies reportedly tended to prefer passengers who agreed to pay a fare without using the taxi metre, or those who agree to pay an arbitrarily higher charge.

Officials said that tourists can use ride-hailing apps such as the NASDAQ listed company Grab, which provides taxis across Southeast Asia for the legal market rate.