Egyptian Man Causes Damage to Phuket Taxi in Aggressive Outburst

An Egyptian traveler found himself in protective custody at a hospital after an alarming incident where he caused extensive damage to a taxi in Bang Tao, Phuket, yesterday.

The taxi driver, 53-year-old Suriya Plodmai, informed the police that he had picked up the 31-year-old Egyptian national, Basem Aly Ismail, from the Patong area and was driving him to Bang Tao, with the agreed fare set at 450 baht. Upon reaching their destination, Ismail requested to borrow Suriya’s mobile phone to make a call to a friend. However, after using the phone, he adamantly refused to return it to the driver.

In a sudden burst of anger, the Egyptian violently smashed the borrowed phone onto another phone that the taxi driver was holding, resulting in significant damage to both devices—a Xiaomi 12 and a Samsung A54.
But the rage didn’t stop there. Ismail then proceeded to use an iron rod to vandalize the taxi cab, causing severe damage, including a shattered windshield, multiple broken windows, and a damaged rear windshield, along with additional harm to other areas of the vehicle.

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Emergency services from Cherng Talay Municipality promptly responded to the scene and took the agitated Egyptian to Thalang Hospital. Later, he was transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital, as reported by Phuket News.

As per the Deputy Chief of Cherng Talay Police, Kajonkiat Khamwichairat, who was briefed on the incident, authorities are currently conducting an ongoing investigation into the matter involving Basem Aly Ismail.

They intend to pursue charges against Ismail once their inquiries are complete.

In a separate development, a Bangkok taxi driver has been apprehended for allegedly sexually assaulting a passenger under the pretext of taking them to a secluded location. On Thursday, March 14, metropolitan police officers arrested the taxi driver from Non Sung district, Nakhon Ratchasima province, following a warrant issued by the Min Buri Criminal Court.

Furthermore, a violent altercation between motorbike taxi riders and a taxi driver near North Pattaya’s bus station was captured on camera on Sunday, March 10.