A Thai driver confronted a Singaporean man in Phuket, Thailand over a fare dispute.
The Singaporean man was allegedly physically and verbally threatened by the Thai driver after refusing to fork out extra cash to complete the trip to his hotel.
The incident happened on Jul. 2 at 2:15 pm, local time.
The Phuket Provincial Police Facebook account made a post detailing the incident on Jul. 3.
Singaporean tourist kicked out by driver
The incident happened along Ratsada Road, Muang District, Phuket Province, reported Thai media Daily News.
In a video uploaded by the Phuket Provincial Police, a tourist, later identified as Faris, could be seen standing with his luggage by the roadside.
He appeared to have been kicked out by the driver of a van sporting the Hatyai World Tour decal.
Driver threatened to beat him
As the man was preoccupied with his phone, the driver was seen stalking him aggressively.
The driver then raised his arm, as if to use the back of his hand to strike the traveller, who instinctively ducked his head.
As the driver turned to march back to the vehicle, he could be seen grasping a rod-like object in his other hand.
The Straits Times clarified that it was a rubber hose.
Subsequently, the Singaporean man took his belongings and moved to the outdoor seating area of an eatery, supposedly Phuket Old Town.
But the driver returned to gesture angrily at him.
Charged with intimidation
The day after this altercation, the driver surrendered himself to the police.
He explained that the van usually only sends passengers to Phuket Town.
When he asked the Singaporean to pay an extra 100 baht (S$3.85) to the driver to make the extra 1.3km or so journey to Grand Supicha City Hotel, the passenger refused, stated the police.
He added that Faris was apparently rude to the driver the whole journey and caused a lot of disruption.
The driver was charged for “frightening a person by use of threat” at a district court, reported The Straits Times.
He faces a fine of 1,000 baht (S$38.54) and one-month jail.
All images via Phuket Provincial Police/Facebook