Farang murdered over 51 Baht.

[Lung Per]

My suspicion is that this man was killed due to how he dealt with the situation and not for 51 bt which is not that much even for a Thai taxi driver. Too many Westerners come to Asia thinking that ranting and raving and pushing your weight around is a good way of dealing with a dispute.

I agree. This was not a question of 50 baht but a question of the Thai losing face to a farang - which cannot happen. Also, the driver might well be on something like yaba which is known to give people a very short fuse. Sorry about the victim but he has lived in Thailand for three years and should have known better.

[MrPlum]

I don't think it's a myth that some meters run a little quicker than others. When I encountered this in Bangkok, I just accepted it without challenge. The fares are still cheap anyway.

Where I was more insistent is ensuring meters are switched on. At Don Muang, airport taxis were really ripping people off. During peak periods when you had a long line at the official rank, taxis would pull up and charge 500 thb for a 250-300 thb journey. No meter. If you insisted on the meter you stayed in the queue. Not sure how much better the new airport is?

Some foreigners walk around constantly thinking they are being ripped off. Or Thais are going to get them killed on the road. I had one last night. My fault. First time in 40 years of driving and I forgot to switch on the car lights, after pulling away from a 7-11. A 50-ish Brit driving toward me, absolutely exploded with rage. Yelling and cursing, instead of simply waving or flashing his lights to point out my error. I was amazed (happily, a few years of abuse on the forum hardens you to such reactions).

If he's reading this, sorry to have alarmed you and I hope you got home alright.

If it had been a Thai, who understood what he was saying, I can imagine a savage beating would have followed. There's been enough incidents of retaliation here to know foreigners take a huge risk abusing Thais.

[JW]

We all get ripped off sometimes.. put it down to experience, never get angry and walk away...RIP to the poor guy this was a brutal attack and he had no chance... Dont let his death be in vain, see this as a lesson as to what can happen when a circumstance like this arises... and it will to us all at some point, more than once for sure. Dont let it be you.

[Somchai Turdsak]

Last year on second road I was in a baht bus in Patts and a falang was holding a baht bus up for everyone else because he wanted to pay the 10 baht like his girlfriend paid and not the 20 baht falang price. Its cheap people like that who make me sick and it disgusts me when I see it. I understand being ripped off a little bit. Its part of being here and not being a national but really... weigh the pro's and con's and we all know which wins... otherwise we would not be living here!

never paid 20 bht on bht bus in pattaya it is 10 bht for everyone thai or falang me and my friends go there golfing allways been 10 bht

Yep 10 baht for Pattaya baht bus. It's staggering how quickly some will bend over and take it.

As for the farang doing something wrong in this fatal encounter. We don't know any of the circumstances aside from what the murderer says happened. Would you unquestioningly believe everything a guy says who just hacked someone to pieces? Coffee? I didn't see any on the video (on the driver's clothes). The taxi fare? It's all this murderer's word. They victim is dead. It could have been an argument about anything. The driver had all night to concoct a scenario. And many lemmings will be willing to accept it.

[caller]

As for the farang doing something wrong in this fatal encounter. We don't know any of the circumstances aside from what the murderer says happened. Would you unquestioningly believe everything a guy says who just hacked someone to pieces? Coffee? I didn't see any on the video (on the driver's clothes). The taxi fare? It's all this murderer's word. They victim is dead. It could have been an argument about anything. The driver had all night to concoct a scenario. And many lemmings will be willing to accept it.

Surprised I had to wait till the final post before someone challenged the drivers claimed story. This was another cold blooded murder, end of.

[STEVE G]

As for the farang doing something wrong in this fatal encounter. We don't know any of the circumstances aside from what the murderer says happened. Would you unquestioningly believe everything a guy says who just hacked someone to pieces? Coffee? I didn't see any on the video (on the driver's clothes). The taxi fare? It's all this murderer's word. They victim is dead. It could have been an argument about anything. The driver had all night to concoct a scenario. And many lemmings will be willing to accept it.

Surprised I had to wait till the final post before someone challenged the drivers claimed story. This was another cold blooded murder, end of.

As I understand it, he has confessed to the killing already.

[J.J.B.]

Well this short thread makes very depressing reading. There is a strong case for adapting to a host nation's culture and many of us have had to do it on more than one occasion. There is a case for not being rude, disrespectful and generally annoying to your fellow man. But what I'm reading here is a group of intelligent, educated, highly experienced people saying that somehow the taxi drivers and those of his ilk can simply take up arms and mete out justice to anyone they don't like?

There is no justification for such a crime, for anyone to lose their life, unarmed and in such a cowardly manner. Murder is largely indefensible and pretty much frowned upon wherever you are on the planet and this taxi driver will find out just how much of a crime it is deemed to be when he spends the next God-knows-how-long in a miserable Thai jail, thinking himself lucky he didn't get put to death. He's not a hero of the people, a saint amongst the little men, he hasn't 'got one over on Old Whitey Farang' by standing-up for taxi drivers' rights. Why do so many people seem to think that what he did was in any way acceptable?

This 'losing face' business? It's gone far enough and shouldn't be a tacit license for Thai people to do what the hell they like if they are upset by something, so stop hiding behind it and trotting it out to excuse sociopathic behavior. You'll soon be sympathising with 'suicide bombers' on the grounds that it's part of their culture. If Thailand wants to be an active member of the civilized world, they're going to have to start acting like it, and we could help by not perpetuating this myth that Thai people are always right, simply because it's their country, regardless of what they might think. Can you imagine the outcry if some Thai was battered to death in Hounslow for spilling someone's pint, and everybody thought it was quite OK because culturally it's not the done thing?

Don't go out of your way to upset people, certainly don't do them violence and you'll probably be OK but don't get taken for a fool. It never does any good to lose your temper or resort to offensive behavior and that's not reserved for dealing with Thais, I know French people who understand that! But please don't think that murdering anyone for any amount of money, loss of face, personal upset or just having a bad day is anything other than repugnant.

[tonymaroni]

Well it does not pay to be right if you end up
DEAD RIGHT, does it.

Walk away, some money or possibly your life.

Common sense, don't escalate the situation.

Walk away.

Tony

[STEVE G]

But what I'm reading here is a group of intelligent, educated, highly experienced people saying that somehow the taxi drivers and those of his ilk can simply take up arms and mete out justice to anyone they don't like?

I don't think anyone has actually defended the taxi drivers actions, it's clearly a case of murder, he doesn't seem to be claiming self defence or anything of that nature.

[Takiap]

Yes, I don't think anyone is defending the taxi driver or saying the victim deserved what he got. They're simply saying that most of all (probably all of us) have had a fairly decent education and considering we've chosen to visit and/or live in a country such as Thailand, we should be at least a little bit "street wise", and as such, we should know better than to put ourselves in the firing line.

I'm the first one to stay the Thais can take their "saving face" nonsense and stick it where the sun don't shine, but I am also wise enough to know that many of them will quite happily stick a knife into you if you rub them up the wrong way.

Before you get into an argument with a Thai, just remember that Thais rarely make use of their fists to settle a dispute........they reach for a weapon. To make matters worse, they don't think about tomorrow or the consequences of their actions.


Lastly, as in all cultures/countries, you get different classes in Thailand too. To be frank, I don't know why some Mommies and Daddies allow their overgrown kids to go travelling in the first place.

In short, if you want to carry on living......wise up or ship out.

[VincentD]

Article from the Bangkok Post:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crimes/ ... ing-us-man
Note it was a metered fare. Sukhumvit, at that time of the day, and in that area, does have bad traffic that hardly ever moves. As in anywhere else in the world, the meter will increase in increments for both mileage and elapsed time in stuck traffic. He was lucky he even got a cab to take him where he was going, most drivers would not even consider that route at that time of day.

If he was so incensed, he should have just paid and gotten out of the taxi. The driver would probably be upset to be stuck in traffic and lose the fare, but at least he'd have been paid for the trip.
I certainly do not condone what the driver did, but the farang bloke, having been here long enough, should have known better than to get out of a cab without paying.

[Big Boy]

My last post on this subject - I am totally bemused by the attitude of many here. The way I'm reading it, the next time your taxi driver asks for too much money, you just hand over the cash with a big smile, and no discussion.

I will certainly read posts about the Hua Hin taxi mafia in a completely different light in future. It's no wonder they keep hiking their prices

OK, you don't have to throw coffee at them, you don't have to throw punches. Speak in a civil tongue - the majority are decent, law abiding guys just trying it on to get a bit of extra cash (in my experience, most Thais are looking for 'free' cash). They are not going to reach for a machette. If they are, then they're just as likely to drive you down a dark alley to mug you anyway.

[migrant]

OK, you don't have to throw coffee at them, you don't have to throw punches. Speak in a civil tongue - the majority are decent, law abiding guys just trying it on to get a bit of extra cash (in my experience, most Thais are looking for 'free' cash). They are not going to reach for a machette. If they are, then they're just as likely to drive you down a dark alley to mug you anyway.

I haven't had any issues with taxis just always make sure I get a metered one. I have argued (civilly) as has my wife, on two tier pricing at parks and other areas. Also shopping in places like Chatuchak. Sometimes we have been able to get the price lowered, sometimes not, but I never lost my temper over it, only discussed it as did the Thai's.

[VincentD]

Slightly off topic.
Anybody remember when the taxis were not metered? I do. Those were the days when you needed to know where you were going, and the fare very much depended on destination and time of day. The skytrain and most of the elevated tollways were non-existent then, so it took you half a day just to get across Bangkok.

When the metered taxis were first introduced, no one wanted to take them, as everyone was used to a negotiated fare before the journey even started. The drivers of said taxis even offered to turn off the meters for the journey.

Quite different now.

Right.

[buksida]

There is no justification for such a crime, for anyone to lose their life, unarmed and in such a cowardly manner. Murder is largely indefensible and pretty much frowned upon wherever you are on the planet and this taxi driver will find out just how much of a crime it is deemed to be when he spends the next God-knows-how-long in a miserable Thai jail, thinking himself lucky he didn't get put to death. He's not a hero of the people, a saint amongst the little men, he hasn't 'got one over on Old Whitey Farang' by standing-up for taxi drivers' rights. Why do so many people seem to think that what he did was in any way acceptable?

This 'losing face' business? It's gone far enough and shouldn't be a tacit license for Thai people to do what the hell they like if they are upset by something, so stop hiding behind it and trotting it out to excuse sociopathic behavior. You'll soon be sympathising with 'suicide bombers' on the grounds that it's part of their culture. If Thailand wants to be an active member of the civilized world, they're going to have to start acting like it, and we could help by not perpetuating this myth that Thai people are always right, simply because it's their country, regardless of what they might think.

There is no justification for hacking someone to death at all ... well unless he had just raped your daughter I guess. The taxi driver was obviously a loon for carrying such a thing in his cab, with intent to use it.