Nothing happened to back Taiwanese actress’s extortion claim, says cabbie
The Grab taxi driver who picked up a group of Taiwanese tourists and delivered them to their hotel in Bangkok’s Ratchadaphisek area provided testimony to police on Friday.
“I can remember the woman [Charlene An] on the news,” he said, adding that the woman appeared drunk as argued with her friends in the taxi.
He said all the passengers were talking to each other in Chinese, except the man in the front seat next to him, who was able to speak a little Thai.
Taiwanese actress Charlene An (An Yu-Qing) said she and her friends were victims of a police shakedown early this month while holidaying in Bangkok.
She said police stopped their taxi at a checkpoint near the Chinese Embassy on Ratchadaphisek Road on the night of January 4 and detained them for two hours before eventually releasing them for a payment of 27,000 baht.
The cabbie, meanwhile, said police usually stop him near the Chinese Embassy for inspection.
“The police asked the Taiwanese tourists to get off the taxi before conducting an inspection,” he said. “However, the tourists became frustrated, especially this woman.”
Police, meanwhile, said they are checking CCTV recordings near the Chinese Embassy and have found footage of the Taiwanese group arguing with police officers. However, police said, there is no evidence showing that the group had been led to a blind spot as claimed by the actress.
Huai Khwang Police Station is waiting to gain access to the Chinese Embassy’s CCTV footage.
Separately, tourism operators have said that repeated scandals involving the Thai police have damaged the country’s reputation abroad.
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