British tourist detained in Phuket for assaulting tuk tuk driver

[reader]

From The Thaiger

Police in Phuket have detained a British national following an altercation involving a tuk tuk driver, where the foreigner was accused of physically assaulting the driver over a fare dispute. The incident, which was captured on CCTV footage, garnered significant attention on social media, leading to a swift police response.

The confrontation took place on the evening of April 26, when a tuk-tuk driver was allegedly attacked by a British tourist after a disagreement over the fare. The driver claimed the fare was 400 baht (US$10) but the tourist insisted he had paid with a 1,000 baht (US$27) note and demanded change. When the driver suggested resolving the matter at the local police station, the tourist responded aggressively.

The video, just over a minute long, shows the tourist squeezing the driver’s neck and slapping his face, actions which left the driver visibly shaken and seeking justice. The footage prompted an outcry from netizens, leading to an investigation by the Karon Police Station.

Last night, April 30, the police, led by senior officers from the Karon Police Station, executed an arrest warrant issued by the Phuket Provincial Court. The suspect, identified as 31 yeas old Luke Alexander Graham, had fled Patong for a hotel on Koh Phi Phi in the neighbouring province of Krabi.

[vinapu]

on the merit of dispute  it's quite possible  that tourist could be right but this doesn't  mean he should act way he did and for which he will probably pay dearly.

Lesson is , repeated often in travel guides and advisories , that wherever payment is made an absence of actual cash register i.e. store it's better to have an exact change or as minimum when handing the note to say denomination 'thousand baht" or whatever. I noticed even in bars waiters are doing that when receiving larger notes.

If one needs to get change  it's always 7/11 nearby with necessities like water , soap or KY, in Bangkok also BTS stations are handy to do that ( to get change, not buy KY )

[gayinpattaya]

4 hours ago, vinapu said:

If one needs to get change  it's always 7/11 nearby with necessities like water , soap or KY, in Bangkok also BTS stations are handy to do that ( to get change, not buy KY )

Spot on advice. The number of times I have bought a 7 baht bottle of water from 711 with a 1000 baht note? Hundreds of times. 
The better advice is get a BOLT or a GRAB and not deal with the tuktuk/taxi mafia.