rinteln

Why do our ambassadors seem so gutless ?! , it's time to warn people how dangerous thailand REALLY .... is , <deleted> to who he may or may not upset , sure there are "risks" in going anywhere, ....wonderful statement , ...like we didn't know travel can be dangerous , ...no sh*t sherlock ! no guts to tell the British tourist its like the wild west here now ? , what you scared of ? loosing some business , sure , the govt coffers come 1st .......the russians told e'm in no uncertain terms to clean up there act , whats the matter Mr Kent , you need mummy to hold your hand ?...........PATHETIC !...........GIVE A WARNING TO ALL BRIT TRAVELERS , we are becoming cannon fodder for thai gangsters <deleted>

Oh come on. You are way over the top on this. There are obviously some safety issues related to Thailand, but foreign governments have all provided the necessary cautions and advisories. it is up to the individual visitor to exercise sober judgement. Do you really think that if the warning was any stronger, visitors would listen? The likelihood of a random killing like this is remote and probably far less than back in the UK. A foreign government cannot do any more than what has been done, unless you want the UK to send warships and a garrison to protect its citizens when they go drinking? On one hand we have people complaining of the nanny state and then we have people complaining there is not enough nanny state. If you really want the nasty truth, any prudent sentient person would give koh Phagnan a pass, and yet hundreds of thousands do not. If the visitor doesn't want to be cautious there is nothing the UK government can do. The warnings are all over the place.

I agree, which is the reason why I think that if all an Embassy can do after an event like this is give unproductive advice such as "be careful" then it should just not bother. "be careful" can apply to anywhere and does not help in the slightest. Only knowing or being prewarned of a very generic danger in a vast area does not help you at all in preventing possible situations.

As quoted above HMG has provided a very specific warning via FCO travel advisory website, repeated below. It is impossible to avoid any possibility of danger, even in the U.K.

"Western tourists have been victims of vicious, unprovoked attacks by gangs in Koh Phangan. These attacks are particularly common around the time of the Full Moon parties and generally occur late at night near bars in Haad Rin on Koh Phangan".

Cant make out from that which side you are on but even if that advise sounds good then I still question the effect or productivity. There are only really 2 things that someone can do off the back of that advice.........either not come to Thailand at all or somehow behave or prepare differently while they are here. Not coming to Thailand wont hardly ever be an option unless the person concerned is an extremely paranoid person or if the general feeling is really really bad (like mass waves of public crime and break out). And of course no one can be in preparation while they are here all of the time in anticipation of a violent situation.

All in all its bad and not very productive advice and I suspect just the normal PR that the British Embassy try to come out with when they cant do anything, which I accept they cant and dont blame them but dont try to pretend you care and you are helping by coming out with PR rubbish that is more damaging. As with many other things that happen in Thailand the British Embassy is quite poor in its performance. I only need to remind readers of how they advised and reported the Red Shirts in Bangkok.

Why do our ambassadors seem so gutless ?! , it's time to warn people how dangerous thailand REALLY .... is , <deleted> to who he may or may not upset , sure there are "risks" in going anywhere, ....wonderful statement , ...like we didn't know travel can be dangerous , ...no sh*t sherlock ! no guts to tell the British tourist its like the wild west here now ? , what you scared of ? loosing some business , sure , the govt coffers come 1st .......the russians told e'm in no uncertain terms to clean up there act , whats the matter Mr Kent , you need mummy to hold your hand ?...........PATHETIC !...........GIVE A WARNING TO ALL BRIT TRAVELERS , we are becoming cannon fodder for thai gangsters <deleted>

Oh come on. You are way over the top on this. There are obviously some safety issues related to Thailand, but foreign governments have all provided the necessary cautions and advisories. it is up to the individual visitor to exercise sober judgement. Do you really think that if the warning was any stronger, visitors would listen? The likelihood of a random killing like this is remote and probably far less than back in the UK. A foreign government cannot do any more than what has been done, unless you want the UK to send warships and a garrison to protect its citizens when they go drinking? On one hand we have people complaining of the nanny state and then we have people complaining there is not enough nanny state. If you really want the nasty truth, any prudent sentient person would give koh Phagnan a pass, and yet hundreds of thousands do not. If the visitor doesn't want to be cautious there is nothing the UK government can do. The warnings are all over the place.

I agree, which is the reason why I think that if all an Embassy can do after an event like this is give unproductive advice such as "be careful" then it should just not bother. "be careful" can apply to anywhere and does not help in the slightest. Only knowing or being prewarned of a very generic danger in a vast area does not help you at all in preventing possible situations.

What a stupid piece of advice from our Embassy. How can someone be cautious of dancing on a beach and anticipating a gun fight or infact any situation in any location.

In fact I cant think of one thing that anyone can do to "be cautious" as they put it. There is danger everywhere which cannot be anticipated and for sure one cannot prepare for all the time. And what will "checking travel advice" do ?!! after an event like this. Is the travel advice that Brits should not go to that beach, not go to that island, not come to Thailand or are they saying wear bullet proof vests !!

Just a cheap punchline from what I think is a terrible Embassy for more than one reason. A comment that does no help whatsoever to either the current event or to protect against future events.

What they should do is their duty towards a deceased British national and not giving bad or undefined advice to the rest of us or potential tourists.

Yes you are right, it wouldnt be difficult to run a check. If they do regular till lifts and dont have much a float it would take merely minutes to check if it came down to it.

7-11 sells Coke in glass bottles? Or did those girls manage to smash up a plastic bottle?

7/11 do the small bottles for 10 baht in glass but be surprised if they bought those as the bigger plastic ones are only a few baht more .

Blimey, what a sad sight for sore eyes. 2 days after my post and no one in Southern Thailand has an idea about when the borders close in Sadao.

One positive I suppose is that after just coming back this means my info should be helpful.

Went to the Pedang Besar border....opening times - 05.00 to 21.00

Hi,

I am on way down to the Malaysian border tomorrow and I wondered if anyone knows when the borders close down there ?

I have been to 2 different checkpoints at Sadao before but never late at night. I wonder if anyone knows the opening times for each of these ?

Many Thanks in advance.

Oh dear , 2 in one night ! ... And both in tqhe safety zone ...

The police need to get tough on people caught spiking drinks , asit could potentially kill them !

"The police need to get tough on people caught spiking drinks , asit could potentially kill them"

Yes you are correct, but this wont happen for at least 1 of or maybe all 3 reasons :

1. Pattaya police are probably the most incompetant and unable police force I have come across in all my travels around the world.
   
2. Even if the police were to catch these people they are so corrupt that the criminal could easily pay them off. The incidents that appear in the news are the ones where no one was paid off.
   
3. Even if im wrong about the 2 above, Pattaya police dont care about the rule of law and its ethics anyway. They police on status and possibility of money, not ethics.
   

This is the problem for this and most other crimes in Pattaya.

Negative view i know but realistic.

• If I was making 200 baht a night at a bar, I would seize the opportunity on a foolish tourist as well, give em a break!
  

Foolish....or just guilty of assuming certain standards. I think there is a thin line. Westerners cant really be accused of being foolish because they go into a nightclub outside their own country and dont know they are about to be overcharged for something compared with another set of people just because an assumption is made about their wealth based on the colour of their skin. This more than likely never happens to them back home so they would not expect it and thus i dont think can be accused of being foolish..........maybe just gullible.

Its a bit like the zebra crossings in Pattaya. How many times do you see westerners crossing and then Thais just driving through ignoring the lights. Now Thais would say stupid farangs but really we are just guilty of assuming certain standards, ethics and rules to be adhered to.

Historically some people on this forum do not mind double pricing in general. Not only dont mind but think its a good thing despite more than likely coming from countries where this kind of practice would be heavily discouraged and unethical.

Dont think you will get much support for your post and the moral implication.

Not a true democracy yet, sorry

Totally agree.

Here in Pattaya you always know when a policeman is overiding the lights at a junction because the traffic is alot worse.

I want to know who told them or advised that allowing traffic from each side to go for twice or even 3 times longer is the answer to clearing the traffic.........lol

The police are not checking for licence or registration, they are checking for those 100 baht notes that have been missing, 4 of them have been missing for many years. They will stop motorbikes until this 400 baht has been recovered! They could care less if you have a licence or not, but tips will be gladly accepted!

Looks like you’re trying to be funny, or maybe trolling, but have you ever been pulled over in Pattaya??? Usually just presenting my license is enough, but a few times I’ve been asked for proof of tax and registration.

Yes you are correct they usually only check for the license but remember you are in a minority. Many foreigners here wont have a license or have it on them. The reason why they let you go after seeing your license is because you are no longer a candidate for collection of cash and hence of no interest to them. Their chance to get money out of you has passed or become more difficult and Thais dont like more difficult. Why continue with you about other documents when another farang with no license is just around the corner.

What they are checking for is reasons to fine you, not to uphold the law. If its quiet they will continue until they get a reason as its quiet. If its busy then off you go, they wait for the next farang.

The police are not checking for licence or registration, they are checking for those 100 baht notes that have been missing, 4 of them have been missing for many years. They will stop motorbikes until this 400 baht has been recovered! They could care less if you have a licence or not, but tips will be gladly accepted!

You are corret. Police in Pattaya dont police on morals or ehtics, they police on whatever can get them the most amount of money within a short space of time. The ideal candidate is a farang as they will pay quick with no hassle. If they were really policing the law for its real meaning and moral then anyone and everyone would be pulled.

Before anyone asks. Yes I live in Pattaya, have done for 4 years and yes been pulled a few times.

Charming

What do you find so charming in this story?

It's an English term. Which is relevant here. If your a yank, forget it.

Excellent

Send them to Pattaya. The Mayor here endorses both of the above.

Pattaya police don't police on morals and ethics of the law. They police on whatever they can get money out of and will be the least paperwork and hassle. That is the key.

If I'm riding on my bike with a helmet on and there is an old man beside me riding a side-cart with no helmet I will get stopped and he wont. Why, because if I am missing something then it will be an easy 500 baht within 30 minutes, hassle free ! The old guy won't be. Any half decent society would always stop the old man first for no hat even if I was breaking another law but that/wont be the case here.

To answer you question directly. They are checking whatever is quick and easy to charge for if its missing so they can stop the next farang. So that will be (in this order probably until they get a result) helmet, license, tax, papers.

I think when driving a side-cart, you don't need a helmet.

Not so sure about that but I am happy to be wrong . Either way you see my point.

Pattaya police don't police on morals and ethics of the law. They police on whatever they can get money out of and will be the least paperwork and hassle. That is the key.

If I'm riding on my bike with a helmet on and there is an old man beside me riding a side-cart with no helmet I will get stopped and he wont. Why, because if I am missing something then it will be an easy 500 baht within 30 minutes, hassle free ! The old guy won't be. Any half decent society would always stop the old man first for no hat even if I was breaking another law but that/wont be the case here.

To answer you question directly. They are checking whatever is quick and easy to charge for if its missing so they can stop the next farang. So that will be (in this order probably until they get a result) helmet, license, tax, papers.

I'm sure those mocyc taxi's had the day of their life, beating up a foreigner with the approval of BIB.

Yeah they would of. Why do those guys always get involved with stuff likes ?!!

Yes, words ain't enough after all these years of just words.

Nobody will believe anything until they see results. Nor should they.

You are right.

I think they are probably just hoping that a few tough looking headlines once every 6 months or so will make everyone think something is being done. You can imagine he....(you know who) sits at his desk and looks at the calender every 6 months and says to his PA... "right, time to keep the expats quiet, announce a new crack down on jet skis" "and make it look even more like i care" ........................that will keep them quiet for a few months !!! lol

As anyone knows who has been here for a few years, the jet ski scam business is a multi milion baht process which benefits many levels including the police and possibly even city hall. We/they/no one can stop such a force with so much money behind it...........especially when dealing with people's culture of think about today and not tomorrow.

But to appear that you are doing something can sometimes win people over very easily.

The core problem here is not "trying to stop it" ....its "they dont want to"

lol...lol....lol. They were saying those same headlines 4 years ago when the mayor first made everyone believe that he gave a dam_n !!!

I think what he means that Thai women who gravitate here are not necessarily representative of all.

To the OP's point, the answer is obvious. The possibility of loss of a breadwinner to a competitor on a boy's night out and general trust about that is a constant worry for her. Whereas we might be happy for a quiet night when she goes out.

I think what he means that Thai women who gravitate here are not necessarily representative of all.

Thanks, didnt think it would need spelling out like that but I suppose I shouldnt assume too much.

You are right.

What a strange post.

One thing I do have to say and I always point it out when I can. Pattaya women and Thai women are not the same thing. Literally they are yes but you all know what I mean. There is a very big difference.

I beg to differ on that one, most of the women in Pattaya are not indigenous to Pattaya, so how can you generalize them as if they were?

Im not generalising them as if they were....lol !!

I think we all know on here what one means when they say "pattaya women". Ofcourse I dont mean physically from Pattaya.