Pui

Get a Lonely Planet guide (or similar) for Thailand.

Come back when you have some more specific questions.

Bring plenty of socks, the ones for sale here are not so good and too small for foreigners.

In the past 10 years of living here I've had some strange encounters with foreigners.

The most extraordinary being at 2:00am in Sukhumvit a Londoner asked "Where you from in London" I told him and he replied "Who do you support" I replied that I didn't really like football "Why don't you support Millwall?" and punched me in the face. I had nose bleed. Wrong time, wrong place but can you imagine this from any other race?

There was a famous quote somewhere I read about leaving 2 Englishmen together and within 5 minutes they find reasons to not to like each other.

My Thai wife has spotted lost foreigners looking at maps and encouraged me to help them. Once I ask "can we help you at all?" the young man gave me a stern look and replied "No...can I help you?" I looked at my wife and said "Please don't ask me to do that again" My take on this was that they want an authentic experience and the idea of another foreigner helping them ruins it for them.

in the case of farangs in general being rude to each other, It might be that all the attention from woman makes foreigners start to take themselves a little too seriously.

This is becoming a regular event. Its so sad that the authorities do not seem concerned enough to enforce laws to apprehend these maniac drivers. So sad and such a waste of human life.

The link looks broken Webfact, page not found.

If there's any truth in this story that's both appalling and terrifying. That would be my ultimate travelers nightmare.

Incidentally I have noticed an increase in bags being tampered with. I went for four years without my bags being opened in transit and the last three trips have seen them opened. Customs are entitled to check the bags in transit, but I'd prefer if they put a sticker on the bag saying "Security checked and cleared in Glasgow/ Dubai / BKK" or whatever. I don't like the idea of nameless people rummaging around in my bags.

Link works for me.

Yes this has got to be the ultimate travellers nightmare. Just imagine for a second being pulled becuase someone in customs actually put stuff IN your luggage. My god, thats got to be the scariest thing in the world.

A couple of years ago there was a murder in Pattaya. The BIB got in a fire fight with a couple of suspects, Russians, I believe, before the suspects surrendered. The two suspects confessed to having been there for the murder, but claimed they did not pull the trigger--and implicated another man (Russian, I think) as the trigger man. They then lead the BIB to where they had buried the body.

The BIB put out an APB on the "trigger man" and then let the two accomplices go! Yes, it's true... after having had a shoot out with the police, confessed to be accomplices to murder, and leading the police to the body; they were released (perhaps even given their guns back?). Do you think money was involved?

At any rate, while these two may or may not still be around Pattaya, it's good to know there is no Russian mafia present.

Still not fully comprehending the correlation between the 2 individuals in your story and organised crime (or Mafia) in Pattaya.

I was thinking why there is no Russian mafia in Russia since the nineties, except for anecdotic old fat guys we sometimes see in crime news. Now I know. Thanks god, they all moved to Pattaya.

They may have moved to Pattaya, they may be just visiting but are they involved in crime in Pattaya, if so what crime? Personally I find them rather rude and obnoxious to be around but that doesn't mean I can go around suggesting they are doing something illegal in pattaya.

Those posters saying the Russian Mafia are involved in organised crime in Pattaya must substantiate their assertions buy telling us "What Crime"?

Russian holiday makers flock to the sunny beach town and continue to be a huge source of revenue for Pattaya. Local tour guides (rather sensibly) hire Russian translators for this purpose but per capita, those involved in crime must be very small. A lot of these Russians have money to spend, its an emerging economy I bet they cause a lot less trouble than drunken westerners.

@Jingthing

I made no accusations. I simply asked you a question. Those with a "good education" can tell the difference.

More accurately, it was a mildly ACCUSATORY loaded question.

Not quite as bad as a question like ...

When did you stop beating your wife?

I will grant you.

You seem to feel the need to challenge everything anyone says. Emotions run high on such discussion, especially from parents. The comment about "you shouldn't visit ancient Greece" if child molesters make you angry is a typical example.

Then you suggest that people are not well enough educated beyond their own experience!?!

Sexual crimes against minors are among the most despicable and however insightful or Educated you perceive yourselves, I think your comment which attempts to draw parallels or similarities from ancient Greece where uncalled for to say the least.

You should try to be a bit more sensitive though. Ancient Greece and arrest of a suspected Pedophile. Its just not nice.

I'm sure you have a clever re course, how else does someone get 43k comments.

Why do people make posts here "I hope they get 25 years", "scumbags" are just some examples. It goes on and on.

Yes I agree, there is even a name for it "Hang'em high" comments. Its pretty boring and mindless.

From the look of the 2 gentlemen caught, they don't look as though they have 2 pennies to rub together.

People can be under the most enormous pressure to commit these crimes by gangsters that have leverage over family members etc.

Its a sad unfortunate situation. They will likely go to jail but it will not stop drugs coming in. Apparently this particular drug normally comes across from Burma.

"I'm sure that part of the drugs were destined for users in Bangkok because Ice is popular among wealthy people," he added.

no surprises there

It surprised me, I thought that methamphetamine was the poor man's coke.

If this statement is true, It must the only place in the world where meth is popular with wealthy people.

_{There is something ominous about pick-up truck in Thailand.}

There is nothing Ominous about a pick-up truck in Thailand. I drive a pick-up and its a relatively mundane undertaking. Nothing menacing, foreboding or portending evil about it. If others drove European size cars then I would be fine with that too. However with a 3.0L 4x4 Hilux costing £20k and a Mini Cooper costing £70k Somchai's first car is going to be a pick-up.

With Heavy Goods Vehicles being driven but untrained drivers, most feel safer in pick-up trucks.

The authorities need to to enforce road laws. Until they do, people will continue to teach themselves to drive and as a result harm themselves & others.

1, Government initiatives and tax structures mean half the country drive 2 ton pick-up trucks.

2, Driving laws are not enforced which is very dangerous.

Like most serious problems in this country 1 & 2 are down to ineffective, self-serving corrupt government.

Hope this bastard get what he deserves!

Like being the sextoy for the other inmates for the next 20 years!!

"Like being the sextoy for the other inmates for the next 20 years!!"

No way, because the other prisoners would never be sexualy interested in an old man.

How disturbingly insightful.

A Very Sad Situation - But All Too Common here.

Thank goodness the culprit has been caught and lets hope the justice system make an example which will service as a deterrent.

You think that Thais think an issue like this makes them look backward and stupid. 90% don't have a clue what Hitler did.

They are largely oblivious to what the outside world thinks, and their outrage that anyone dare to criticise shows this perfectly. Criticism is only reserved for Thais.

A Hitler restaurant is greeted with "so what?"

...............and your point is?

The point is...its not a national embarrassment.

It would help Thailand if Police stopped taking backhanders from the vendors who sell these lethal weapons by the bucket load. Police could crack down on the sale of machetes but as long as the criminals/Police in charge are getting paid nobody minds. The shop in Sampeng, Yawaraj Rd that sells these is always full. The Police turn a blind eye so someone is getting paid.

Nasty business, I hope they catch this taxi driver and make an example. Lets hope extremely unnecessary force is used during his arrest and prolonged detention.

Gosh he has some "balls" to stand that and point at his special friend

Yes I agree "That 16 year old Transsexual stole my money" hang-on-a-minute, what where you doing with a that "16 year old Transsexual" in your room?

16 year old transsexual prostitute. That picture may well prove to haunt you buddy! The religious people in Italy are people really trying to keep this stuff out of the media. Lets hope it doesn't get back to Italy Mr Timo Demetz aged 27 from Urtijei, Italy.

Love the glasses.

Then expect a high rate of LB criminality in Thailand forever then. Thailand's choice. Seems a waste to me. Seems like a good social investment to help more of these people with this problem, being born the wrong sex, get steered towards more healthy lives. Of course some will always end up as sex workers, thieves, or both, like any group, but I sincerely think something could be done to reduce that.

For example if with society's help, 25 percent of the TS who now would be fated to sex worker/criminality became mainstream Thais instead. That's a payoff for society, isn't it?

Jinthing

the question here is "motivation". Are Thai thieves being motivated for economic reasons to become ladyboys or do they really feel like woman trapped inside a mans bodies. You seem to be missing that point. This is of course theoretical since the government (rightly so IMHO) will never consider paying for such surgery. Especially when (for example) the public at large don't even have drinking water.

The question is, are there people becoming ladyboys so they can prostitute them themselves and/or steal or are they genuinely people who feel they are woman trapped inside a mans bodies?

Correct me if I'm wrong but to my knowledge there is only one way to kill and insect and keep it physically in tact and that is to use poison. Is that poison harmful to humans and (naive I know) who regulates this?

No money to take care of them. Better they starve in the 'safety' of an unfunded shelter (over 70% of those intercepted died of starvation) than provide protein to poor people, money or plastic buckets to those who don't want to take care of them, and deprive traders of a livelihood supplying a market. Is starvation a more merciful death than a quick death at the hands of a skilled butcher?

There are truly needy people, including children, who don't have enough to eat every day in Thailand. What caring person would donate to feed and vaccinate dogs that no one will ever adopt when there is so much need among the human population. Some people need to get their priorities straight. I can hardly wait to hear from those who value stray dogs more than human children.

Quick death at hands of skilled butchers? Watch http://www.cinando.com/DefaultController.aspx?PageId=FicheFilm&IdF=160984&IdC=29068

Wow that movie is shocking, seems they do beat the animal for a good hour before killing it to make it taste better. Pure Evil, why did I watch that!?!

Dogs are beaten for hours with sticks and bats while they're still alive, to "soften" the meat. After which, the dogs are being skinned, often times while still alive. I suggest you research dog trade in SEA before make silly statements like the one above...

What a load of crap.

Have you ever seen bruised meat?

I have, for I killed my own meat on the farm for years and any I can tell you bruised meat is inedible.

That reminds me I have to go for the next in a series of rabies injections on Monday after being bitten by one of these lovely stray dogs.

There are videos on youtube that suggest otherwise. While I can't comment on the benefits of bruising the meat, the videos show Chinese people beating the living daylights out of dogs and while the dog is docile they skin them alive. I looked around the time Morrissey was in the news for criticizing the Chinese and wished I hadn't. Be warned the videos on YouTube are really nasty stuff. I'm in China now and YouTube is blocked or I'd send you link.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/sep/03/morrissey-china-subspecies-racism

If my wife hadn't been there to neutralize the situation I was sure I would have got a bad kicking. Nasty pieces of work.