An aspiring taxi driver set his motorcycle on fire after learning he’d need to fully pay off the bike before it could be registered for commercial use.
An angry Srisanti Chaiyanusorn, 40, was found standing over the flaming remains of his motorcycle outside the Pattaya Motor City dealership on Sukhumvit Road Oct. 2. Authorities quickly extinguished the flames before they could spread to nearby vehicles.
Upon questioning, Srisanti said he had put down a 14,000-baht down payment on the bike on the assurance of the dealer he could use it to become a motorcycle taxi driver. He had made monthly payments on the bike since.
Angry Srisanti Chaiyanusorn somehow reasoned burning his only potential source of income would be a prudent strategy to get back at the dealership.
However, when he went to register for the yellow commercial tags, the Chonburi Transport Department informed him the bike would need to be fully paid off before it could be reregistered as a commercial vehicle.
Knowing that the National Council for Peace and Order recently had cracked down and begun registering and checking motorcycle-taxi drivers, he was sure that if he tried to use it without the tags, he would get caught.
Depending on the bike and his new occupation to feed his family, Srisanti became so distraught he somehow reasoned burning his only potential source of income would be a prudent strategy.
Police planned to file charges related to the bike arson. Meanwhile, his payment to the dealership likely will continue even though the bike is now driving to the scrap heap.
