The blockade on August 1 followed an incident in which three Dutch tourists were assaulted by a group of tuk-tuk drivers after one of the tourists allegedly damaged a tuk-tuk. In the melée one of the tourists received a head injury that required 18 stitches.
The tuk-tuk drivers responsible for the subsequent blockading of Rat-U-Tit 200 Pi Road, whose names were not released by police, surrendered to Kathu Police Station on Monday (August 29).
They claimed the blockade was in response to actions taken by a Kathu police officer who, they alleged, drew and fired his gun into the air in an attempt to stop the brawl between the drivers and the tourists. The drivers apparently found this offensive.
Each was fined B1,000 for blocking a public street, an act illegal under Thai law.
Kathu Police Lt Col Kittpong Klaikeaw said officers were now searching for the drivers responsible for the assault.
More than 10 tuk-tuk drivers were involved in the fight, he said, which was recorded by nearby CCTV cameras. However, he said the video is not clear enough to identify those responsible.
“We’re now working on tracking them down.”