Fractured skull, cuts on arms: Thai cabby slashes Singaporean tourist's friend over $18 tip dispute

A Singaporean tourist's friend in Thailand has been left wounded after a cabby slashed her in a dispute pertaining to a 500-baht (S$18.84) tip, the Thaiger reported on Tuesday (Aug 13).

The incident occurred at around 1.40am last Saturday (Aug 10) in the Huai Khwang district of Bangkok, Thailand.

The tourist's friend, Wanpen Khamsa-nga, had booked a cab home together with the Singaporean man and another friend, Itsaraporn Thonguraisakun.

However, problems arose when the cab driver, Prapas Boonlang, initially couldn't find the pickup location.

When the trio boarded the taxi, the 43-year-old Khamsa-nga took the passenger seat up front, while the other two sat in the back.

The 50-year-old driver had reportedly angrily muttered some complaints about the situation to the drunk Khamsa-nga during the trip, Thaiger reported.

Boonlang was further incensed when that passenger asked him to stop the vehicle because she was feeling nauseous and needed to vomit, which elicited further complaints from the former.

She was then provided with a plastic bag from Boonlang and stuck her head out of the window to vomit into the bag.

Cabby didn't stop attacking her

Once their trip resumed, the driver requested that the trio pay an additional 500 baht as part of the cleaning fee, also due to delays incurred while waiting for Khamsa-nga to vomit.

The trio refused, adamant that the vomit had not dirtied his vehicle, instead offering to pay Boonlang 200 baht and ending the trip there so that they could find a new cab.

Both parties agreed on the 200-baht fee that was then paid, but as Khamsa-nga stepped out of the vehicle, so did Boonlang - who then slashed the former with a knife, Thairath reported on Sunday (Aug 11).

Despite pleas from