A Canadian who has been in Taiwan for two years has accused a local cab driver of attacking him in an argument over additional charges.
James Ratzlaff from Vancouver, Canada, said he was beaten up early Sunday morning. Both sides said the argument was triggered by an additional charge of NT$10 for telephoning rather than hailing a cab.
Ratzlaff said that the security guard at the building where his girlfriend works had called the cab for them, but that he was unaware there was a surcharge because he had never called a cab before.
Ratzlaff's Mandarin-speaking girlfriend, Assih -- who declined to give her last name because she is an illegal laborer who ran away from an abusive employer -- was also with him. She said she had often been charged an extra NT$10 but had not understood why.
"I didn't dare ask for an explanation out of fear of provoking the drivers," she said.
Both sides said that the fare for the trip was NT$285, but the cab driver, Lee Chong-bee (
"I asked him to return my NT$10," Ratzlaff said. "But he just said he wanted his NT$10 tip."
Lee is an overseas Chinese who speaks English and has been a cab driver for 20 years. He said he is always able to communicate with foreign passengers and had explained the extra charge to Ratzlaff.
Ratzlaff and his girlfriend, Assih, however, said the driver never explained that the extra charge was legal.
They said as soon as Ratzlaff asked the driver to explain the extra charge, the driver pulled Ratzlaff out of the car and began hitting him.
"He threw punches at me ? but he seemed to have avoided causing visible marks on my body," Ratzlaff said. "He was like a raging bull."
Assih said the driver appeared drunk. "He laughed during the trip for no apparent reason," she said.
Ratzlaff claimed the driver asked him whether he wanted to fight him for his change. "But I said no and clasped my hands behind my back to avoid fighting him."
The driver said he had indeed asked Ratzlaff whether he wanted to fight but denied mistreating him.
The Canadian said he wants NT$10,000 in compensation for being unable to work for a week due to the pain caused by the attack. "I earn NT$70,000 a month and now the extortion of NT$10 has cost me NT$10,000."
Assih said she had also been hurt by Lee when Lee inadvertently punched her while hitting Ratzlaff.
Assih said they did not call the police because of her illegal status. Ratzlaff is currently working in Taipei without a working visa, but said he would file charges against the cab driver if he is not given fair compensation.
"I don't like being a victim of senseless violence," he said.
Lee denied Ratzlaff's story. He said he heard the couple fighting in the car. "Ratzlaff must have transferred his rage toward her to me," Lee said.
Lee said Ratzlaff refused to pay the extra NT$10 after a proper explanation was given because the driver had failed to follow his instruction to make a turn.
"I didn't hear the instruction until his girlfriend gave it," Lee said.
Lee said he spent roughly three minutes pulling Ratzlaff out of the car because Ratzlaff refused to leave. "I might have been rough ? but I didn't beat him," he said.
Ratzlaff and Assih denied giving instructions about the route or having an argument with each other in the car. They said they were both unfamiliar with the neighborhood of their destination.
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