JatujakShopper

lets see:

they don't like us living here

we can't own land here

they really don't want us working here

and they'd just as soon tourists stay a few days but spend lots and lots of money

I need a hug...I'm not feeling much love right now

*Gives barry a hug* (In a chaste and fraternal sort of way). I feel your pain, brother.

There is probably a study somewhere but I have to think Bangkok is the Most Pedestrian Unfriendly city in the world and Thai drivers the least considerate- but then I'm already grouchy from being asked to pay a bribe at a government office last week. Lovin' it here!

Coming here you get rippedoff and now even leaving. Amazing Thailand land of smiles. Ha Ha.Only when they have the chance to ripp you off.Green shirts here we come.

The government should step in quickly though much of the publicity damage is already done. If visitors to the country are arrested their embassy should be contacted at once and an interpreter provided from there. Shops with invisible borders should be categorically told they cannot prosecute anyone unless these borders are clearly marked or the person actually goes to an exit or a departure gate. There is no point in saying that visitors should accept they are in a foreign country since the local officials appear not to be following even Thai law. King Power should make a statement now.

when will Thailand realise that it's reputation as a tourist destination is important because there are other countries waking up to the idea of tourism - vietnam cambodia etc and once Thailand loses it then it will be hard to recover. Maybe the problem is that Thais are taught about how successful their country is - are they ever told how much of that success is due to tourism and people wanting to live there?

I completely agree with all above, and well said! The problem is all the 'if's' and 'should's' in the world don't apply to the Thais who are the most remarkable responsibility dodgers I have ever seen in 25 years of traveling the world. Thai law changes at a whim, there is no substance to it when you try to pin it down. It seems the time has come at last where all this is going to catch up to them and I confess to taking a certain amount of glee at seeing their worried faces as they wonder what the heck happened to all the tourist cash and business investment they themselves have driven away.

Vote with money, I for one, have canceled a planned visit of a group of 20 old friends to Thailand, we are going to Vietnam instead, a country that has been actively doing away with tacky little scams like two tiered pricing for foreigners and one need not fear the police. They 'get it', the Thais don't, and the food in Vietnam is better, too- plus, you don't need to check your stool for worms after eating in the markets there. (I only shop in Jatujak now).

While in danger of veering slightly off-topic here I must say I found it astounding that when I entered and left Vietnam, a nation that my native country fought and lost a war with in my lifetime, I was greeted pleasantly and with respect, and the customs process was a matter of seconds. It was truly depressing to then 'come home' to Thailand to have a surly customs official go through my very well stamped passport with a fine tooth comb searching hopefully for irregularities for over five minutes and then favor me with a scowl as they rudely motioned me through- 'Land of Smiles', which was printed in big letters behind this uniformed troll, is the biggest load of shinola ever.

Som nam nah... about time Thailand had a reality check, had it to good for to long.

Perhaps they will appreciate the Farang living in Thailand and stop making us jump through hoops all the time with their frequent changes in 'red tape'.

Legalizing foreign ownership of land would help boost the economy...wishful thinking....

Amen to all of the above.

I'm Thai living in Australia. I wonder what would happen to me if I tried to steal things here and said it was just a prank and then verbally abused the police.

Phuket police went too easy on her. She could go to jail for that abuse and bribery. She actually needs to thank them.

I'm so glad that she wont go back to Thailand.

They probably would beat you into a pulp. But maybe not .. depends on the police guy and a degree of the abuse you gave them. But you are a man. If a Thai lady did this in Australia she would be most likely let free with a caution.

Abuse, bribery? But how do you actually know what happen? As you say you are in Australia so you couldn't been there in Phuket when the events took place.

So you are a Thai Farnag living in Australia? Do they call you Foreigner there on every occasion? I bet you wouldn't be as nationalistic as you seem if only you could live as Farang in your beloved Thailand for a day.

notime.... I think I love you.

She was fined 1000 baht (A$38), which was paid by the Governor of Phuket, Wichai Praisa-nob.

He intervened in the case after receiving telephone calls earlier today from Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and the Foreign Ministry.

Governor Wichai said he felt very sorry for her and considered she was not at fault.

He wondered why the Australian owner of the Aussie Bar would allow a dispute to develop with a fellow Australian.

This story annoyed me more than most (which is saying a lot lately) so here comes the vent:

Whether the poor missus, who was probably about half gassed and just trying to have a good time on her holiday, stole the silly mat or not, it all got completely out of control; it's not like the dang thing was made of gold! I hope she get's home all right and recommend she spend her next holiday somewhere more friendly and easy-going, like Myanmar.

Regarding the police and the severity of the crime, I had a guy break into my house last year. I happened to be home much to his surprise. With the help of neighbors I caught him and despite the fact that he screamed that he was going to come back and kill us all and tried to knife us with a screwdriver, we managed to tie him up until the police came to get him. At the station the police sergeant asked me if it would be okay if they just held him over night and let him go in the morning with a warning. Oh yeah, justice was served, SO, let's not get on too much about the morality and rightful consequences of lifting a freaking dirty old bar mat from a dumpy joint in Phuket.

I salute the honored Governor Wichai Praisa-nob, for using common sense and kicking this mountain back down into the mole-hill it should have been in the first place. I am pleased that a Thai in power realized how something as petty as this farce could hurt his people very badly in their tourism wallets. Thailand need more cool heads like him in places where it counts. Hearing of this man's grace made me feel better about being here, but really I'm starting to think it might be 'Better in the Bahamas'...

Yet another story to encourage tourists to return to Thailand.

If this is the full story - pathetic over reaction by the Thai police in the first place and then they totally ignore the confession of the real culprit.

Radio interview with Mrs Smoel and others here...

http://www.3aw.com.au/blogs/3aw-breakfast-...90519-bd48.html

Yet more discouragement for people to visit Thailand. If I wait long enough I'll have the place all to myself.

Firstly you need a tourist industry to damage and the thais have systematically eroded that over the last 12 months so I guess this incident will have no adverse effects.

over the last 12 months? wake up and smell the coffee, it all started when thaksin came to power and he started zoning the entertainment, making check piss, scarring the people who spend the most money in Thailand...... because lets be clear , its not the organized tours that bring money into thailand, they stay in american or french hotels , paid directly in they countries, they eat at the hotel and every other meal is already paid for , the most they spend is maybe the painted umbrella they will bring back from their asian adventure. on the other hand , travellers , party people , younger people , they don't stay in fancy hotels , but they stay generally long time AT THAI OWNED PLACES eat at THAI EATERIES drink THAI BEER , and end up spending more per head ( that goes directly in the thai economy)than a familly of 4 going 1 week at the phuket laguna.

that is where thailand has its head up the but regarding "quality tourists"

I have thought this for years, thanks for putting it into words. I came here as a backpacker first and it was great, 15 years ago, and I dropped plenty of hard earned Yen on the local economy. Gone are the days of awesome parties in the cave at Ryleh Beach, here are the days of Rayavadee resorts fencing out any but the big money tools with reservations. Sad, very.

What a great plan has been made: 'Let's make those patchouli smelling tattooed backpackers that want to come eat barbecue fish, have a mellow hippy-hippy shake on the beach while playing their guitars and checking out Swedish girls feel unwelcome and persecuted, so that we can now bring in quality tourists whose idea of a Thai cultural experience is seeing the hotel menu printed in two languages. How many of these fine folks bother to learn a little Thai from their Lonely Planet phrasebook in order to thank the waiter? I'll take the backpackers, by and large they are more polite than the upper crust, here to have fun and spend next semester's tuition on the local economy.

If I were a young backpacker now Thailand would be way, waaaay down on the list I'm sorry to say. I do really like living here now but as a carefree and affordable place for young people to come and have fun it now completely blows. Might as well go to Florida.

Sorry for that Swedish girl and wish her well. Hey, another great addition to 'the Thai tourist upgrade plan' would to be drive off all those troublesome Scandinavians with their sauna fresh bare skin shamelessly exposed on the kingdom's pristine beaches! LOL

99% of the taxis will not drive on a meter.

Prepare yourself to pay 3-4 times the regular price.

Just say "No".

Close their door and walk away, be patient and you will get a good taxi probably sooner than later- never pay above meter, it just encourages the twits who try to pull such a dumb scam. Another tip is to walk a bit down the street from any hotel to find a cab, the scammers tend to hang out at hotels preying on the unwary traveler.

(Sorry for double posts, blame Beer Leo)

Spent yesterday at Nana, very fun. It's important to keep smiling even in the face of some very bad behavior by some fellow farangs:

Black marks to the two Germans who thought it was SO wunderschon funny shooting passing motorbike drivers (a group that should be deemed 'non-combatants') in the eyes and ears with their high power water rifles. I made sure they got it up the nose from me close range, they didn't think it was so great when it happened to them.

Then there were the merry English lads who didn't have waterguns so they started throwing ice cubes from their beer buckets- class act.

As an American I have taken far more than my share of abuse from self righteous European farangs over the years but you won't see me acting like such a prat in public.

There, that's off my chest- have at me, I don't care- Santa knows whose naughty and nice.

Happy Songkran to all the conscientious and safe revelers out there from all nations who make this holiday so much fun despite the bad (Easter!) eggs!

Best wishes to those boys for a speedy recover!!!

-And 40 years of bad luck and suffering to those that built shoddy, maintained poorly, and took no responsibility.

It's about time Thailand put a stop to all those foreigners sinking money into their economy!

I had a good laugh as I returned from Vietnam on the last visa run I'll need to do for quite a while- the female immigration official pawed through my passport with a scowl at my five years worth of travelling around the world mixed in with a few Poipet runs (there is a disgusting cesspool manned by angry apes- oops, that wasn't very polite, sorry!) (actually I'm not really sorry), where was I? Oh yes, so the charmer at Suvhanabumi gave me an evil frown as she shoved my passport back at me. I looked over her shoulder and read aloud in a sarcastic voice 'Welcome to the land of Smiles!" and then laughed all the way to the taxi.

This would have affected me at one time, now it doesn't, I still think they are looking the wrong way through their binoculars. There's not a problem here, let's create one!