Patong Police reported late last night that the three drivers involved in the incident had been charged.
The report noted that a video of the assault, right in front of a resort on Rath-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd, was posted online yesterday.
Patong Police said they had tracked down the primary tuk-tuk driver involved in the incident, named in the report only as “Mr Anuson”, 29, through CCTV.
Anuson was brought to Patong Police Station, where he named two other tuk-tuk drivers involved in the physical attack: named by police as “Mr Apisid”, 26, and “Mr Nasrulloh”, 28
* The three men were later fully identified as Anuson Sansathan, 28, from Krabi; Apisid Suwanno, 24, from Surat Thani; and Nasrulloh Smuhasenito, 27, from Hat Yai.
Anuson picked up a Saudi tourist at the corner of Soi Sansabai and Rath-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd at about 6:15am, police explained.
The tourist asked to be taken to a hotel located near Kalim Circle. The agreed fare was B200.
However, when reaching the destination the tourist said it was the wrong hotel and asked to be taken to another hotel, on Rath-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd.
On arriving at the hotel on Rath-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd, Anuson said the fare was B400. The tourist paid only B300, police said.
Anuson called his two friends and fellow tuk-tuk drivers, Apisid and Nasrulloh, to help. When they arrived, “the negotiations were not fruitful”, Patong Police explained.
During the argument the tourist took the tuk-tuk keys by force, leading to the three tuk-tuk drivers, Anuson, Apisid and Nasrulloh, to assault him, police said.
The video of the incident posted online showed the tourist being assisted away from the tuk-tuk by what appeared to be hotel staff.
While the hotel staff were holding the tourist up and attempting to move him away from the scene of the altercation, two of the tuk-tuk drivers can be seen kicking the tourist. The first kick landed high near the face, the second kick was to the stomach.
All three were charged with “jointly causing physical harm to another person”, Patong Police confirmed.
Patong Police has also coordinated with the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) regarding the suspension of the tuk-tuk drivers’ driving licenses, police noted in their report.