Quarrel over 51 baht led to death of American
The taxi driver, who killed American Troy Lee Pilkington (50) on Saturday evening, was arrested yesterday and has confessed to stabbing the man with a knife. The taxi he drove on Saturday, owned by a taxi cooperative, has been seized.
Cherdchai Uttamacha (32) has declared the man as customer relations manager worked at Caterpillar Thailand, at Central Bang Na department store. Pilkington had to go to Sukhumvit Soi 85, but the taxi was moving slowly because of heavy traffic.
As they approached the destination, Pilkington became agitated, according to the driver. He complained that the meter rate was increasing too quickly and accused the driver of manipulating the rate. When the meter showed 51 baht, they got into a fight.
Pilkington allegedly got out of the taxi without paying. When the driver went after him, Pilkington threw a coffee cup at him. The driver went back to the car, took a knife from the trunk, about 30 centimeters long, and threatened the American. Because it was coming towards him, the driver thought Pilkington was going to fight him. He stabbed several times with the knife, after which Pilkington fell to the ground.
The driver has stated that he threw away the knife in Bang Phli (Samut Prakan) and threw his shirt, which was stained with blood, along the highway in Prawet.
Cherdchai has been charged with murder and possession of weapons. He is locked up in Bang Na Police Station. Police are awaiting the results of an autopsy.
(Source: Bangkok Post, July 8, 2013)
If it really came to 51 baht it wouldn't be an amount for me to argue with all the risks that can ensue.
But unfortunately we will never know the full truth because the only other witness was murdered, outrageous
The police should conduct spot checks and check taxi drivers for drugs and weapons. Because what the hell is that man doing with a big sword in his taxi? Not to peel an apple, I think?
On this blog I often say: the East is not the West, and completely opposite to each other. The same goes for how people behave towards each other. Behaviors can sometimes be fueled by completely different impulses, which we hardly consider possible in certain situations. Where we apply the handbrake firmly again, the other person enters a state of immense affect, which causes the cable to break. An affect is a state of mind, an emotion that, in response to certain circumstances, can cause a person to go completely berserk to the point of destructiveness. It leads to extremely drastic decisions.
Eastern societies contain numerous ingredients that keep people on their toes more than elsewhere. It is a good thing that in those societies much, very much value is attached to controlling (negative) feelings. There are many more reasons why it is difficult for Westerners to feel and understand the East, but emotional life and state of mind are a few of them.
In a previous video you can see a Thai attacking someone with a knife or dagger. If a cup of coffee has indeed been thrown in his face, then you can guess how he comes to his behavior, even more than a fight over some money. In the photo accompanying this article, we see the apparent perpetrator seemingly unmoved and calmly waiting to see how the day will unfold. Two images totally opposed to each other. It is good that he was caught so quickly and exhibited according to Thai mores. Let's hope he gets a hefty and just punishment.
Because behaviors can be so contradictory, and sometimes nothing is what it seems, it is absolutely advisable to stay away from stressed situations as much as possible, or to step away from them by literally taking a step back. So take that step back, don't start a discussion, pay more if necessary, be polite but firm, don't go on the offensive, keep control of yourself, and definitely prevent yourself from ending up in a situation over which you have no power.
We are again pretending that this isolated incident in Thailand is commonplace. Can remember from recent Dutch news that aggressive behavior is also regularly shown by taxi drivers in Amsterdam, often for nothing. May be slightly more common in Bangkok than in Amsterdam, but then there are several hundred thousand more taxis in Bangkok.
Without pointing an accusing finger, this remains a sad story.
Dear Hans,
Please read carefully what I write and that is that Western people absolutely cannot assume that they know it all in the East. In doing so, I scrutinized the taxi driver's behavior in an attempt to explain how he came to do what he does. It goes without saying that this behavior is criminal and no extra impetus from my side on this blog. Incidentally, although less explicitly, I indicate what I think of the perpetrator and his behavior, but that was not my theme either.
And I think I'm clear: get out of such excitement and don't let it escalate! That was my concern.
Regards, Rudolph
Violence can never be approved, of course, and nothing but good about the deceased, but can you also expect a "customs relations manager" to pay a euro for a taxi ride that goes so smoothly that he also has the keeps coffee wet in his cup……?
Whether it is 51 Baht or 1 million Baht is irrelevant to me.
On the one hand, I do not understand the American that he
1) throws a coffee cup at the taxi driver and
2) that after the taxi driver stands in front of him with a knife, he still adopts a threatening attitude.
OF COURSE the taxi driver is the perpetrator and the main culprit in this drama, but if you were to apply our Western legal rules in a trial then the American would probably have a share.
I think this is a banal murder.
My observation is that Thais have a very long fuse. But the bomb behind it is very heavy and very explosive.
I wonder (and I think) that more has happened before the American got out, which ultimately angered the Thai. It is to be hoped that justice will prevail, a pity that a fatal victim has fallen.
Nicely and, in my opinion, correctly expressed Arjen:
Thai people have a very long fuse and a lot of patience, but when that patience runs out they can indeed be dangerous.
Your response is very generalizing. Do all 65 million react exactly the same? Then they are robots and not humans.
Sociology is always generalizing, theories are always about a majority.
Whether it is about the (alleged) humorlessness of Germans, the (alleged) modesty of Belgians, the (alleged) loudness of Dutch people in groups, the (alleged) prudishness of Americans, etc., it is never 100%.
To be clear, I have the utmost sincere respect for the Thai people.
Agreed Khun Peter,
Perhaps I should have written that:
My observation is that MANY Thais have a very long fuse. But the bomb behind it is very heavy, and very explosive.
(sorry for the capital letters in the word "a lot" but I don't have the option to write something in italics here?)
I also have a lot of respect for most Thais. This generalization is also not condescending and offensive. It's the same kind of generalization as: Thais can't say "no" or "I don't know". You are right, that does not apply to all Thais, but it does to many….
If the American had been a little better informed about Thai society, it would not have come this far. Which I certainly don't want to say that it's the fault of the American.
I think that every person who stays in Thailand a little longer has experienced how terribly angry a Thai can suddenly become.
I don't quite understand why Bangkok Post is talking about a big knife? The video clearly shows that the taxi driver has a samurai sword in his hands. That makes quite a difference.
The fact that he ran to his car to get the sword should empower a prosecutor to make it murder, not manslaughter. Can he think about his deed for the rest of his life in Bangkok Hilton.
Well, when I read it like that, I don't think it's surprising. Firstly, those Americans think they can open their mouths everywhere and secondly, don't argue with a Thai, see the result.
So you see, a person (whether he lives in Thailand, the Netherlands, America or elsewhere) is and remains an unguided projectile of which you can never determine in advance what his reaction to something might be, after all, you never know his background and therefore his motivations are not! There can always be a short circuit in his brain (something
which he himself does not ask for) A few years ago, in the city center of The Hague
stabbed passers-by for no apparent reason. Every human being is a potential danger that we consciously factor in because otherwise you wouldn't be able to walk down the street in good decency!
The taxi incident:
I'm glad yesterday's story got a "tail" today. I have been coming to Thailand for over 20 years and have never experienced anything negative.
The lack of mutual respect in this case [which I also referred to in my response yesterday] must have been the cause, especially now that more details have emerged! I have spoken to Thai drivers how many hours a day they have to work to support their families. If you, as a farang, let yourself be known for 51 bath, I think there must be "somewhere a malfunction" under that brain; if present!
Gr;Willem Scheveningen…
Morning William,
Agree when you say what is now totally 51 baht, but that is not the point at all.
Should every farang be scamming or set off!! but let it be because it is only 51 baht??
This American worked with Thai people and must have had some insight into how to treat the sea.
But people can go too far and then the amount makes no difference at all, because a little self-respect cannot be expressed in baht or any other currency.
And what Piet K. writes about the people who have been living here for a while, and who consider themselves the best person to give the absolute correct answer about the how and why.
I totally agree.
I love Thailand, but that does not mean that I should close my eyes to certain behaviors of a Thai and will therefore disapprove of it.
And yet there are specific things that a Thai will try out against a farang.
We experienced that almost 25 years ago and still experience it today.
Is just the nature of the beast and according to the Thai we all have the same tree in our garden right????????
Greetings,
Louise
@ Louise Also read the follow up to this post: https://www.thailandblog.nl/nieuws/taxichauffeur-vertelt-fabeltjes-ruzie-met-amerikaan/
The disturbing thing about the reactions is that some are just not accusing the American of suicide, but that is all. Apparently, a long stay in Thailand clouds a few people's objective opinion. Something that is a well-known phenomenon on this blog. Just like the Netherlands is a beautiful country but not every resident is a decent person, Thailand is a beautiful country but not every Thai is good. Nothing to be ashamed of, but also not to always blindly condone or defend.
All comments aside.
Just a small note - also as a side note.
In 2001, a UNDCP study showed that 70% of taxi drivers in BKK who have to rent their car per day (day laborers) from a cooperative used drugs to be able to drive as long as possible. Drug use rates were even higher for tuk-tuks. The main drug used was 'Yabaah'. Rental of a taxi meter per day in 2001 for day laborers: 750 THB. That some drivers get frustrated at the end of the day when they only have a few tens of Baht left after their investment in renting the taxi... even if it was 51 Baht from an expat who was also in trouble and did not want to pay that... well.
To be clear, not every co-op taximeter is rented by the day, there are other systems. The day laborers are rather limited in number, and if there is a cowboy among them with a drug problem, call it a short fuse, better pay and thank you kindly, than get out without paying and throw something in his face (heavy insult for a Thai).
All in all a sad incident.
Again, the comments above are about day laborers, not black cabs or regular employed cab drivers.
I would like to respond to this story here, that's all it is, a negative story about a Thai taxi driver. I have a Thai relative who has been a taxi driver in Bangkok for 13 (thirteen) years and is now a private driver. He quit the taxi after being robbed twice, under threat of a knife. He doesn't drink, doesn't smoke and doesn't use drugs. So why have a sword with you? Well, that's why! Want to see what's happening in the Netherlands if you walk away without paying for the taxi. Do you remember what happened on the Leidseplein? Taxi driver who kicked his passenger to death during a big fight about paying!
Well, there is something to be said about everything. For example, I often visit the large factory halls in Samut Prakan just outside Bangkok, where A-4s are posted everywhere in the company canteens with the advice or warning to the employees never to work alone, so always with several people - especially in the evening and night- take a taxi.
It has often happened that a taxi driver drove to a remote area with a female passenger and was forced to want 'more' than just transport.