Police deny involvement with taxi mafia in viral video scuffle

Confusion swirled around an incident captured on a viral video with speculation of whether certain Bangkok taxis were registered or not, and whether Thong Lor police were involved with an illegal taxi mafia.

Today, Phansa Amraphitak, Police Chief of Thong Lor police, stated that the group of seven accused taxi drivers appeared for interrogation based on the summon notice. They testified that they were not unregistered taxi drivers but rather were using a ride-hailing application to receive passengers when the incident took place.

A group of three drunk individuals attempted to flag down a taxi but were refused service because the taxi was already booked through the app. This led to a confrontation with the disgruntled drunks banging on the car doors and shouting abuses, accusing them of operational illegitimacy.

The…