Rungruj Jinareun, 37, who was among the tuk tuk and songtaew drivers surrounding a GrabCar driver in a now-infamous viral video. He was reportedly the most aggressive the group. Rungruj who was caught on video wielding a metal pipe was reportedly charged with multiple infractions including carrying a weapon, duress and more, for which he was fined over ten thousand baht.
This week, a picture was posted of Rungruj receiving money from a representative for songtaew and tuk tuk drivers, which raises the concerns of that his inappropriate behavior is being rewarded.
Rungruj explained that the money was to help pay his fine which, and was collected through donations from songtaew and tuk tuk drivers in Chiang Mai. Following the incident, he has lost his job and is now working as a passengers provider to other drivers, for which he receives 10 to 20 baht commission per ride.
He stressed his regret over the incident and promised to not do it again. He disclosed that when he spots a GrabCar driver, now, he will be asking nicely to keep away from picking up the passenger and will notify authorities to prosecute.
Rungruj stated that after the incident, he witnessed the authorities on the streets catching GrabCar drivers for a couple of days but that the situation had returned to normal. He also urged authorities to quickly solve this problem as it has a direct effect to songtaew and tuk tuk drivers income.