Three taxi riders allegedly beat a Kuwaiti tourist unconscious in Phuket, Thailand.

Thai cabbies Chatupol Srirak, 37, Sayumphu Treerunpetch, 25, and Thanakorn Liikay, 25, reportedly punched the Kuwaiti holidaymaker Turky Alazemi, 30, when he allegedly rear-ended one of their vehicles in front of the Central Patong Mall past midnight on July 15.

Police Major Chayakorn Tangsakul of the Patong Police Station said police received a report that a foreigner was lying unconscious at the mall's taxi waiting area at 1:46 am.

They found Turky sprawled on the pavement, while his companion, Tunisian woman Shaima Al Qasimi, 33, was tending to his injuries. He was taken to the Patong Hospital for treatment while the three taxi drivers were detained at the police station.

Police Major Chayakorn said: 'The suspects claimed that the tourist was riding with the Tunisian woman and had crashed his motorcycle into the back of Chatupol's bike.

'He was told to reverse his motorcycle, but he became angry, leading to a heated row.

'Sayumphu arrived at the scene to help mediate, but the tourist shoved him in the chest. Sayumphu retaliated by punching him in the face thrice, causing him to fall to the ground.'

Another cabbie, Thanakorn, was said to have punched the foreigner while he was lying on the floor.

Police said they were waiting for Turky to file a report in order to formally charge the suspects.

The incident has sparked outrage among locals, who said the taxi drivers were damaging Phuket's tourism image.

Unscrupulous taxi drivers are among the leading complaints of foreign tourists in Thailand. They have become known for inflating prices, taking them to non-existent attractions or even threatening some holidaymakers

Citing a 2022 quarterly survey, the Tourism Council of Thailand had said that visitors rated taxi services poorly.

The tourists complained of 'unfair treatment' as cabbies reportedly tended to prefer passengers who agreed to pay a fare without using the taxi metre, or those who agree to pay an arbitrarily higher charge.

Officials said that tourists can use ride-hailing apps such as the NASDAQ listed company Grab, which provides taxis across Southeast Asia for the legal market rate.