Phuket taxi drivers charged for assaulting security guard over access to hotel guests

PHUKET: Three Phuket taxi drivers have been issued an official warning and charged for assaulting a hotel security guard who prevented them from entering the resort’s grounds to pick up customers earlier today (Sept 21).

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By The Phuket News

Thursday 21 September 2017, 05:15PM

The three taxi drivers were charged with assault after they attacked a hotel security guard who prevented them from entering the resort's grounds. Image: Screengrab via Col Santi Sakuntanark, Commander of the Royal Thai Army 25th Infantry Regiment

Soldiers from the Royal Thai Army’s 25th Infantry Regiment, based in Phuket, were called in to support police as they responded to the incident, at a high-end resort in Mai Khao at about 10:30am.

Col Santi Sakuntanark, Commander of the 25th Infantry Regiment, identified the drivers as Seksak Chanpakdee, Sathiti Srisamut and Lersak Chupak.

The Phuket Land Transportation Office (PLTO) had been notified of the names all three taxi drivers so that the charges could be marked on their records, Col Santi told The Phuket News.

In the first of three videos of the incident obtained by The Phuket News a woman can be heard trying to calm down the drivers and asking, in Thai, “Can we talk about it?”

However, one of the taxi drivers responded, “There is nothing to f**king talk about. What the f**k. It’s too late for that.”

In second video, hotel staff tried to intervene to prevent the taxi drivers from continuing to punch the security guard in the face, to which one taxi driver said, “I’m not scared of you.” The other moved in from the side and punched the security guard in the head while he was not looking.

Col Santi told The Phuket News, “I went to the resort with officers from the Thachatchai Police and the Chief of the Phuket Land Transportation Office [Banyat Kantha].

“We identified the drivers as Seksak Chanpakdee, Sathiti Srisamut and Lersak Chupak, who said that the reason for the fight was that they were not happy that the security guard had stopped them from going inside the resort to pick up passengers.

“They were angry, they [said they] pushed the security guard at the front of hotel,” he added.

However, the video shows their behaviour was much more violent than just pushing.

“Thachatchai Police have charged them for causing harm to other people, and Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) Chief Banyat Kantha has issued them an official warning that this behaviour must not happen again, otherwise they might have their commercial driver’s licences revoked.

“And we are checking the backgrounds of all three drivers to see if they are wanted for any other crimes,” Col Santi added.