Phuket Airport Director yesterday at 6pm responsded to the post, still images and a video clip documenting the incident went viral.
“We’re aware of this incident, and all of the commentary that’s resulted on social media has caused much damage ...
“We’ve notified Admiral Pongchak Araimaan, the commander of the Naval Air Task Unit of the Third Naval Area Command, who as acting as chief of the unit tasked with airport order and security,” she said.
The incident in question, revealed initially through 13 still images and text account by Facebook user Woratat Wuttikorn, shows a taxi driver sending off a foreign passenger at the airport before grabbing an ax and appearing to flash it to the car recording him with a dash cam.
At 8.38am on Saturday morning, Woratat’s posted 13 still images,reporting, that the incident happened at 6:45am, at Phuket Airport, Departures, while sending off family.
The taxi driver, aparently dissatisfied because Mr Woratat would not move up to the next available parking spot in front of him.
“My family had already started getting out of the car to unload, and the space ahead of me had just became available. Then the driver of the White Toyota Altis with green Krabi plates drove and parked in front of me, blocking me off and sent off his foreign passenger.”
His post continues, “Then he opened his passenger door and retrieved an ax, before getting back in his car and moving forward to park.”
“The car sending off the family then moved car, to leave the airport, and the taxi with Krabi plates followed for a ways. The car sending off the family signaled left to let the taxi to pass. The car sending off family followed for one kilometre until the taxi with Krabi plates moved to the left, allowing the car sending off family to pass. End”.
Admiral Pongchak confirmed that he has worked with Sakoo Police ito track down the owner of the Krabi car in question.
“We are in the process of finding out if it is the same guy in the video. If it is, we’ll invite him for further questioning, because these images have really done damage to the tourism image.”
Meanwhile, the original poster of the video clip, still images and text posted a comment that he had been contacted at 7.10pm last night by Sakoo Police asking to be questioned further about the incident.