PHUKET — A dispute over a tuk-tuk fare involving Israeli tourists and Australian tourists erupted in Patong, Phuket, on 9 August, after a tuk-tuk driver claimed an Israeli tourist argued with him and tried to force an Australian couple out of his vehicle.
The incident took place at about 20:15 on Thawiwong Road in Patong subdistrict, Kathu district.
The incident gained widespread attention online after a Facebook user named “Oiltuktukpatong Saranate” posted dashcam footage of the confrontation. The user captioned the first video, “Let’s see what the Israeli family did,” before posting additional footage and alleging that the tourists had verbally abused him, spat at him and attempted to lift a concrete barrier in what he believed was an effort to threaten him.
According to the tuk-tuk driver who posted the footage, a family of five Israeli tourists — a couple and their three children — had approached him earlier that evening to ask about the fare for a trip to the Patong beach area.
The two sides were unable to agree on a price and went their separate ways.
Shortly afterwards, an Australian couple approached the tuk-tuk and got into the vehicle. The Israeli family then returned and told the driver they wanted to share the ride.
The driver said he refused because the vehicle already had passengers.
An argument then broke out. The driver alleged that the Israeli man told the Australian couple to get out of the tuk-tuk because the family wanted to use the vehicle. The driver refused to comply, after which the dispute escalated into a heated verbal confrontation.
The driver further alleged that the Israeli man used offensive language and shouted at him to leave the area. At one point, the man appeared to try to lift a concrete barrier beside the road, according to the driver, who said he feared it could be used to assault him. The man was reportedly unable to lift it.
Parts of the incident were captured by the tuk-tuk’s dashcam and later posted on social media, prompting widespread online criticism.
Much of the discussion focused on the dispute over the fare and the alleged attempt to make the Australian passengers leave the tuk-tuk.
The driver said he had worked in Phuket’s tourism industry for several decades and disagreed with the behaviour shown during the incident.
He said verbal abuse and attempts to intimidate others should not occur in a tourist destination.