Reports that a taxi driver had abandoned a family of foreign tourists with a baby and luggage on an expressway in Bangkok were not true, a senior tourist police officer said on Monday.
It was widely reported on social media a cabbie had dumped the foreign family from the vehicle after the driver failed to exit the expressway at the earlier agreed point.
Pol Lt Col Surachat Suwannasri, deputy commander of the tourist police sub-division 6, said expressway police had confirmed the foreigners had boarded a passenger van in Sa Kaeo province that was destined for Khao San Road in Bangkok.
At the Asok 2 toll plaza, the van stopped so passengers could go to the toilet. The foreign family told the driver they wanted to go to Sukhumvit 71 Road, but the driver told them they should go to Khao San Road first.
Instead, the foreign family decided to get off the van right away with their luggage. They walked along the expressway looking for an exit and that is when they were photographed and the pictures appeared on social networks.
Later, expressway police guided them off the expressway, Pol Lt Col Surachat said.
"I would like people who see pictures and read messages through social media to use their judgement and find out the facts before jumping to conclusions or sharing pictures," Pol Lt Col Surachat said.
The picture of the foreign family was shared initially on Facebook last Tuesday, with the poster accusing a taxi driver of abandoning the foreign family on the expressway.