Tuk-tuk driver attacks tourist in Phuket
The safety of visitors to Phuket is again in the spotlight after a tourist from Egypt claims he was struck in the face by a tuk-tuk driver wielding a walkie-talkie in a dispute over a fare.
The blow came after the tuk-tuk driver discovered that 10 people wanted to travel in the tuk-tuk for a fare he had just negotiated for six people.
High fares and the aggressive behavior of tuk-tuk drivers head the list of complaints by visitors to Phuket.
The tourist required hospital treatment for a cut to the head. The tuk-tuk driver is due to appear in court.
Tourism chiefs in Phuket have stepped up efforts to reassure visitors that Phuket is a safe destination following the death last week of Australian travel agent Michelle Smith.
Two men accused of killing Mrs Smith during a bungled bag snatch have been remanded in Phuket Prison without bail after going through reenactments of the attack.
According to figures from the office of the Phuket Police Commander, major crimes on Phuket have fallen by more than 27% year-on-year.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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