A complaint was filed with Kamala Police after the incident on Wednesday night (May 15).
Metered taxi driver Chalermphon Kwanyuen, 40, had received an order through the Bolt app to pick up passengers from in front of Cafe del Mar.
However, when he arrived at about 7:50pm, Manasmee Poksakul, a driver from the taxi queue in front of Cafe del Mar, approached him to “talk” about picking up passengers at that particular location.
Considering previous incidents involving taxi drivers in front of Cafe del Mar, Mr Chalermphon was brave enough to lower the window and unlock the door so they could talk.
Through a long one-way conversation from Manasmee, Mr Chalermphon was told to park in front of a hotel further down the road.
Manasmee spoke in a “dissatisfied manner”, Mr Chalermphon said, without giving details of the language used.
While Manasmee was “explaining” to Mr Chalermphon the conditions of picking up any passengers in front of Cafe del Mar, the two tourists in the back of the taxi became concerned about how the situation was unfolding and exited the vehicle.
While the tourists were walking away in the rain, Manasmee is seen shouting at them in a rude manner. The exact words used were not reported.
The incident was recorded on video by foreign tourists across the street. The video was later posted on a popular local social media page, with many comments posted about how the taxi drivers in front of Cafe del Mar were tarnishing Phuket’s tourism image.
While the situation unfolded, foreign tourists in front of Cafe del Mar looked on from a distance.
Manasmee was called to meet the investigating officer at Kamala Police Station, where he was told he was facing a charge of using threats or intimidation to cause fear or fright in others.
However, Kamala Police negotiated a settlement whereby Manasmee paid B500 and the matter was dropped.
Mr Chalermphon later told reporters that he was happy to settle the issue. He just wanted to feel safe and not make a big issue out of it, he said.
The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO), still led by Chief Adcha Buachan, has yet to publicly recognise the incident. The PLTO is the government agency responsible for regulating all taxi drivers and taxi vehicles in Phuket.
The most recent report by the PLTO marks how officers are still cracking down on illegal taxi drivers at Phuket airport, a campaign that has been going on for months.