Gangs back to prey on motorbike taxi drivers

It's business as usual for gangsters who extort money from motorcycle taxi drivers in several areas in the city.

After a short break at the beginning of the high-profile war against mafia, the gangsters have returned _ this time with new tactics.

Instead of demanding protection money from drivers, they are taking advantage of the motorcycle taxi registration process, which allows taxi drivers to wear an orange vest with the district name and a registration number.

The gangsters apply for the registration and illegally rent the vests to drivers who are charged between 2,000-20,000 baht as an upfront payment and 300-1,500 baht a month. Many vests with the same number are not unusual.