PHUKET: The van driver at the centre of the furore over him verbally abusing a tourist on the street in Phuket Town last Sunday (July 2) has been fined B1,000.
Police question Singaporean tourist Faris Bin Abdulkadir. Phuket Provincial Police provided no photos of the van driver charged, Poramet Soraket, 47. Photo: Phuket Provincial Police
Phuket Provincial Police confirmed through a statement posted online that the van driver, Poramet Soraket, 47, had been presented in court to face the charge of frightening others by use of threat (intimidation).
Poramet confessed to the charge, which Phuket Provincial Police noted mitigated his sentence by half, in accordance with Section 78 of the Criminal Code. Poramet was handed down a fine of B1,000, the statement said.
However, due to the wording used in the police statement, it was not clear whether the fine of B1,000 was before or after the sentence was halved.
Of note, the police statement did not identify Poramet by name. Instead, Phuket Provincial Police referred to him only as “Mr Boy”, noting that police did not want to reveal his name.
The statement reported Poramet’s version of events that led to the incident, namely him verbally abusing 35-year-old Singaporean tourist Faris Bin Abdulkadir in front of a coffee shop on Ratsada Rd in the heart of Phuket Town last Sunday.
Mr Faris boarded the van from the Pack-Up Hotel in Krabi along with 10 other passengers, all travelling to Phuket.
Mr Faris asked to be dropped off at the Grand Supicha City Hotel, where he had booked a room.
Poramet informed him that the company would drop passengers off in the Phuket Town area only, said the statement.
Poramet told Mr Faris that if he wanted to be dropped at the hotel, he would have to pay an extra B100.
Mr Faris disagreed and was impolite “all the way” during the journey, leading to the incident on Ratsada Rd, Poramet said.
Of note, the Grand Supicha City Hotel is located on Narisorn Rd, near the old government quarter in Phuket Town. The hotel is about one kilometre walking distance from where the incident occurred on Ratsada Rd.
Phuket Provincial Police reported that the Land Transport Department had confirmed that Poramet has a valid driving licence.
All information the police have regarding the incident has been handed over to the Krabi Land Transport Office “to proceed according to their authority”.
