Tour Bus Owner Clarifies Attacker Not an Employee
A tour bus owner clarified that the man who assaulted a rival bus driver on a motorway near Bangkok on July 21 was not his employee, but an outsider hired to help load luggage during a tense lane-change incident.
The owner of Somphol Tourism has apologized and clarified that the man who boarded the opposing white bus and assaulted the driver was not an employee of the company, stating that he was hired separately through another driver to help load luggage. The incident occurred around 6 a.m. on July 21 on the motorway when the company was transporting a group of 10 vehicles on a study trip from a Pathumthani local government organization to Chanthaburi, with one lead vehicle provided by the organization itself.
Somphol explained that his convoy was traveling in the second lane from the right at approximately 80 kilometers per hour when the opposing bus suddenly changed lanes, causing his lead bus to swerve to the far right lane and forcing following vehicles to brake suddenly. All parties pulled over to sort out the situation, during which the first bus driver approached the other vehicle to inquire, but Somphol acknowledged that heated words may have been exchanged. He emphasized that the man who boarded the opposing bus and committed the assault was not a company driver or luggage handler, but rather someone hired externally.
Somphol stated that the company conducts regular training on traffic discipline, criminal background checks, and alcohol and drug screening before employees work, but since the assailant was not a company member, such checks could not be performed. He announced that future measures will be implemented to strictly vet or prohibit the hiring of outside personnel, with a meeting to be held once all staff return from their current assignments in other provinces. Somphol also apologized to the public and viewers for the behavior of the individuals involved, while asking for understanding that the person in the video was not a company employee.
