happyinkathu

with all the bs that farangs have to put up with in Phuket, why does anyone even go there.?? I am confused..

Lets keep a balance here...how about this.;

with all the bs that Thais and expats have to put up with from obnoxious visiters in Phuket, why does anyone wonder if some are treated with contempt ?? I am not confused.. I'm getting sick of saying it , but i love this place and apart from the tuk-tuk rip offs , its still a great place to live and to visit ...

And how many people die in the meantime, an absolute joke and truly embarrassing.

Not really a joke and embarrassing at all as it is very unlikely that any people will drown in the high season on Phuket beaches. Because of the calm water conditions in the high season, very large waves and big rips are basically non existant. . But this is a slight risk.You can drown in the bath....

Come the next low season with the acompanied ''surfable swells'' and the associated rips, thats when the lifeguards are needed, but they must be trained to a high standard[ similar to aussie ones].

But it still comes down to the individuals, and taking responsibilty for your own actions!!

Aussie beaches have a very low drowning rate inside the patroled area flags, but the amount of fools who swim outside the flags, and/or who refuse to heed the warnings of lifeguards frequently find themselves in big trouble....and then expect to be rescued.

How about a touch of reality here regarding the vile attack on this young lady.

All the posted conjecture,and speculation of the event, and the usual ''Phuket is doomed'' mob is all rather irrelevant and some of the posts as usual wander on to peoples particular gripes and personal info, and not relate to the OP.

Here, we have a young lady, complete with tatoos and piercings, probably on holiday, probably not an expat, doing as most young ladies do and have done since day one ie..letting her hair down,drinking to excess and more,[ by 4 am probably a hel_l of a lot more] , meets a young guy ,who takes her fancy, and as most of us did when younger and wearing ''the wobbly boots'' goes to the beach for the pleasures of the flesh with her new man.

Do you really think that at this stage she would be thinking of anything at all re;possible dangers???Naiive young ladies possibly wouldn;t think about danger even when stone cold sober, let alone at this time! Why would she even think there could be ''others lurking in the shadows'' Besides shes in company of her new man...he can take care of me..right?

Ok heres a likely scenario; She and new found darling are doing the horizontal folk dance on the beach chair,,yahoo! and all is great...

Unbeknownst to them they have an audience,sitting in the dark, watching , not only is it live sex, but a western lady to boot!!and getting a bigger turn-on than any blue movie can give them, so the three mongrel dogs [ who at that time of am are probably also full of cheap booze ] and ''up for it'' decide to use her themselves, and sadly for her they did so. Sad but apparently true, poor thing learned a big lesson in the most foul way immaginable for a lady, i would say.

For one i hope she is not too badly scarred by this, and for two i pray these guys are arrested soon[ the actual perps and not the usual '' 3 burmese labourers''] who seem to fess up immediately so the BIB can be seen to be etc,etc Very little DNA so..????

For three, consider the exact same scenario being re-enacted in near every single part of the world where the above situation is constantly being played out....Not just here in Phuket, ..everywhere.... This is just one sad story, one of many similar stories being told in the world every day IMO.

These same arguements about the girl contributing to this is the reason why rape continues to occur...

In Malaysia I remember the govenor of one of the states where women must wear a hijab claimed the reason rape still occured was because of lipstick... to any sane person, that is ridiculous... the suggestion that her being on a beach at night is only an extension of that stupid statement...

When there was a series of mass gang rapes here in Australia, there were many comments about the young girls contributing to it by being out late at night... one was waiting for her father to pick her up after seeing a movie, and was forced into a car at knifepoint...

What is the approapriate time for a girl to lock herself in the house to prevent her contributing to being attacked??? what about attacks during the daytime??? what about attacks on children and babies???

No girl does anything that should be suggested invites these acts...

death to all rapists...

Agree 100% with you on this one Daewoo, with one exception..''death to all rapists''..Death is easy..here one minute..click..gone!!Too quick and easy IMO.

I have lived by the ''eye for an eye'' system as the logical reprisal..[watch all the P C and do gooders come out and argue against this]

So you take these vermin to a nice quiet place and introduce them to a guy with the nickname''DONKEY".He does to them as they did to the girl, and then they lock em up and toss the key!! To me that is justice and the punishment fits the crime.

I was back in aus when those ''imported scum'' went about gang raping many aussie girls and videoing it for their reason of, as one of their clerics !! quoted; they dress provocatively so they deserve it!! The perpatrators reason was purely because ''they are AUSSIE CHICKS''

and we are Lebo's and we are better!! if i remember rightly the gang leader copped 55 years jail.These dogs then appealed against the severity of the sentencing as being '' racist''....Knowing the ''power'' of the anti-racist movement in AUS, these guys are probably out and about already....

I completely agree. I no longer buy any produce or fresh meat from Carrefour. Everytime I bought meat (after carefully checking the expiration date), I opened it up at home the same day and it smelled rotten. The fruits and veggies looked ok in the store, but they always turned brown within a day. I had to throw away so much food from Carrefour. Now it's Carrefour to stock up on basics, and Tops/local markets for fresh products!

Had the same experience in all the supermarkets ,Tes/lotus , Big C, and Carre..with meat, its a real gamble . The problem is very obvious, but will probably never change..TIT after all.

The bulk meat come in frozen, and i've seen them do this!!. They defrost it it all in big tubs of tap water[ with all its own implications ] and then stack it all in the open display for as long as it takes to sell. Meanwhile people come along and bare handed sort through it all[ to get the best i guess.] So add the unwashed hands to the meat also and you have the recipe for disaster.

I now only buy frozen 2 kilo packs of meat from Macro, and repack it into smaller portions at home. Safer and a little cheaper..

It's such a shame for the area to lose you, but I;m sure we all support your decision.

I first came across you at your old place, back in November 2000. I'd taken my girlfriend (now my wife) to your place for a birthday meal, and asked a staff member if they could surprise her with a birthday cake at the end of the meal.

Hey, I was a total stranger and you didn't know me from Adam - I could've been a "once visit nobody". But, you and some staff came over, brought a cake, and sung 'happy birthday'.

Now, that 'going the extra mile', and pride in service, has resulted in many re-visits over the years. That birthday meal is something we both talk about to this day. It's a pity few others in the area don't consider their customers the way you did to us many years ago.

Every good wish for the future.

I had near exact same treatment years ago, and agree fully with you..Now, anywhere customers are just treated with ;;up to you '' attitude ..

Good luck in China Don..

Good God when will this ever stop?

Robberies, rape, murder, rip off's, no police worth a w**k, they rip off more than most.

When will Phuket Thai's realise the golden goose will stop laying eggs soon.

The Gov is meant to be a decent person but it seems a blind eye and some sound bites is enough for this reputation.

I came here to retire with my wife, seems that my money that I would spend over the next twenty years will be wasted as I am 90% certain I will sell up and move to a friendlier country.

LOS? don't make me laugh.

Agree with you stuandchris - and we are 100% certain of selling up as we've just got a better retirement visa for another country and leave this year for sure.

,

Good luck to you in your search, but honestly, the whole world appears to be going down the toilet IMO...do you have any ''possibles'' re; better countries?

All the ''do-gooders'' and Political correctness buffoons have a lot to answer for re; the current state of world affairs, the lack of good manners, the lack of compassion, the GREED, the lack of common sense,all combine world wide to contribute to this ''down the toilet'' situation..

What a fantastic idea! Every resident and tourist in Phuket get their own private auto or bike. Bloody brilliant!

That's not far from what has actually happened, thus, the virtual grid-lock on the roads at peak hours.

An affordable public transport system may reduce the need to use personal transport for every trip.

Absolutely will not work..most developed counties have great public transport systems, but they also are gridlocked , for a number of reasons i, believe..

One reason is that the humble car has gone, changed from being a mere means of conveyance into a mobile luxury lounge room, complete with every conceivable mod con immaginable..so Joe Average is not going to convey himself around in a fairly basic public transport vehical and miss out on his/her ''must haves!''

Another reason is that the majority of people now are unbelievably LAZY..most would not walk to save themselves! If the public transport did not pick them up within metres of their home and drop them off within metres of their destination they will simply continue to use the car, or at least here in T/land ,use the twist and go.

second that

met her yesterday, looked like a mess

dont know if these tatooed pierced girls are just naive or looking for more excitement, but dangerous it is. in most countries

Is there any relevance in the fact she is a tatooed pierced girl in your opinion?

Theses days all the young girls seem very naiive ....lack of parental guideance has a lot to do with this.

For now, my thoughts are with the families of all those injured and particularly the surviving wife, truly tragic.

None of us know the facts; i live on the slopes of BB hill, not far from where accident occurred, and we had been photographing elephants by the crash site early yesterday morning. We see the SS jeeps go past every day. I'm very aware how steep it is and the dreadful condition the road is in - I run it as well as take the scooter up. Doesn't make me any kind of expert on why this accident occurred.

Easy to criticise Thai drivers - there's not a bad ex-pat driver on the road is there, who ignores the rules? Or are all posters here oh-so-perfect?

Criticise the construction/design and maintenance of that LandRover - easy!

Another 70 posts and we'll have it solved, for sure!

Admittedly the story is not directly tuktuk related, thats not my point, only that accidents like that continue to happen with regularity, because of the public transport problems..Quote from linlos

RE your weird statement above.

Just as an example, and i guarrentee this is the fact in EVERY so called developed country, but i can tell you for fact that in Aus, drink driving collisions [ they are NOT accidents] and drink driving in general are ever increasing in number, year on year.

This, absolutely despite having great trains buses and overpriced taxis for public transport...

Why would it be any different here, or anywhere , for that matter?

Ummmmmmm, last time I was in Patong, I never saw any trains and buses. I'll keep an eye out for them now. Would be great to catch a train from Patong to Kata Beach. I'm also happy to catch a bus. Can you tell me where the bus station is that services various tourist areas around Patong???? I guess all the bar girls who ride home and crash, as well as the farang, some of whom go home in a body bag, didn't see the train and buses either. Ummmm - 200 baht tuk-tuk for a short journey versus 150 baht motor bike hire for the whole day - guess what happens.

Ummmmmmm, Put your glasses on ,relax, reread the post .good..see the word Aus...Great ,does this answer your query - lol

All accidents are unnecessary and can be avoided with extra care but the speculation on here is a disgrace. None of which is any consolation to those involved.

To be honest I have never come across so many ignorant know it all people in all my life.

He should have done this, he should have done that, he was going too fast the car wasn't serviced properly.

Unbelievable reaction from educated adults who seem more interested in Thai bashing than they do passing on sincere condolences.

We all know Thailand has more than it's fair share of accident, actually they are 72 in world listing out of 180 world so it's very easy to have a go.

It's the system to blame not the individual and anyone who has sat a Thai driving test will know exactly what I mean.

So very true and i said the same when they first started posting their cr#p on here

Please RESPECT the victims and open another thread for your generalising Thai bashing comments, or to show your ''expertise'' on land rover..Wake up to your selves, put yourself in a victims place and see how you would react!!!

Once again, to all victims in this unfortuanate incident...My deepest sympathies to you all, and to my deceased country man..RIP

Really almost every stat I just looked at showed alcohol related deaths per 100,000 in most of the developed world are in decline..

Wikipedia says "Traffic accidents involving alcohol have declined dramatically over the past 27 years in the United States"

Your guarantee is based on ???

Yep i got it wrong regarding collisions.. but the fact is that ''the amount of drink drivers being apprehended'' is increasing..

Apprehended is the key word...Due to the fact that authorities are spending millions on awareness campaignes and stopping a huge percentage of drivers in roadside blitzes and handing down substantial fines , loss of licence, and for repeat offenders confiscation of vehical! On a recent visit home i was amazed at the sheer amount of resources being used, just to lower the potential for a major collision and/ or death before it actually happens.

This and the fact that bar staff and management are liable if some drunken clown does actaully miss being apprehended at the police checkpoint and ends up in a collision.

The fact is that it is only a combination of these measures that has lowered the amount of incidents.

As i said earlier, your statement below is weird..and flawed to say the least.

only that accidents like that continue to happen with regularity, because of the public transportroblems..Quote from linlos..

Only when and if the Thai authorities make a serious full on effort as per above ,will drink driving collisions reduce.

Also consider the fact that the majority of the ''nuts behind the wheel'', Thai and western alike ,have a very low basic skill level, when sober, let alone when under the influence of various mind altering substances

And this will not happen in this country for a long, long time IMO.

Or.....your friend saved his own life by carrying a weapon. As I said, better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.

I admitted multiple times that I shouldn't have flipped him off, even in the original post. Not sure how many more times you want me to say it. It was stupid and I wasn't thinking, and it's not something I normally do.

Ok S/B i think this has run its course..i do understand, but i really worry about the under lying risks of other naiive ''self defense''. know it alls. Its a dangerous game to play, i think you agree huh.{ The old ''not thinking'' will bring you unstuck every time huh ]

We can agree to dis-agree on some points and agree on others..Take care out there...the odds are stacked against us westerners.

Aaaaahhhh, the silence is deafening...so nice when realisation hits home and all relax again ..

All the tough talk guys go back to what they know about..pizzas, best restaurants, dogs etc. Thanks for the input though chaps, is healthy to sort things out amicably..

PS ..i just pray theres no more Hollywood actions contemplated, by all. Be happy guys..

Admittedly the story is not directly tuktuk related, thats not my point, only that accidents like that continue to happen with regularity, because of the public transport problems..Quote from linlos

RE your weird statement above.

Just as an example, and i guarrentee this is the fact in EVERY so called developed country, but i can tell you for fact that in Aus, drink driving collisions [ they are NOT accidents] and drink driving in general are ever increasing in number, year on year.

This, absolutely despite having great trains buses and overpriced taxis for public transport...

Why would it be any different here, or anywhere , for that matter?

Incidentally, why isn't this an issue for the many more Thais living on that part of the island? They seem to manage all right. When in Rome as they say, which in this case means buy a bike or use bike taxis, I'm guessing that's what true Patongians do.

And again I say.. That this is part why we have to read things like this.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Young-Mom-Ki...un-t329547.html

And in your esteemed opinion, had she been in one of your despised tuk-tuks in this same crash, she would still be alive now?..laughable!! Would have to have been a tuk-tuk because very unlikely to have bus service in the early AM even if one was operating.

And couldnt grab the handbrake ??

Yet again, slipshod attitudes to servicing and maintenance causes loss of life.. Same like the boat sinkings etc..

Wouldn't it be nice if for one in your life you left your GRANDSTANDING out of it and offered commisserations first?!! OMG man!!

You need to take a long hard look at yourself bud..

A very sad and tragic incident and even more so when on honeymoon..RIP]

My sincere commiserations to family and especialy to the new wife absolutely traggic thing to happen at the start ofwhat was to be a whole new life together.

Would be nice if all the rest of you anti ,everything-thai brigade, didn't use this sad time in the same disgusting way as linlos has.

A new low has been reached IMO.

To say 'never' like that Simon is just tempting fate..

Mates new house broken into last week, usual few laptops and a bunch of electronics.. Children sleeping in the next room.. Thankfully no one hurt.

Yes,simon ,don't tempt fate...I hope you are not a ''mate'' of linlos....Every single time theres a break in, an assault,a gun fight, a robbery, a rape, a bar fight , a bad tuk-tuk/taxi driver, a knife weilding watermelon seller..guess what a ''mate'' of his is involved..true!!

Stay lucky...

Seriously though, if this really did occur this time, i am genuinely glad no one was hurt.

Quit while you're behind 'logbags'. I think 'CaptainZero' may be the un-newbiest newbie on TV.

This is quite a strange thread for me. Not only because it's interesting and it's lasted this long without some div being abusive, spitting their dummy out and having it closed, but because I agree with nearly every post written, even though they are two complete different arguments.

'logbags', I liked your posts, I thought they were pretty on the mark. I have always commented on how bizarre it is so many people live here yet they seem to have such a genuine dislike of Thai people. There is no doubt in my mind that everyone is jumping on an anti Tuk Tuk band wagon, and the reality has been blown way out of proportion. If you think that everyone of those drivers in that long queue is a mindless thug, who would assault you as quick as drive you home, then I'm afraid you have been brainwashed by the constant obsession people have developed and the ridiculous amount of attention they receive. I think most drivers would love to have a better reputation, and not have the mindless violence of a small percentage of drivers, constantly dragging their name through the sewers.

As far as I'm concerned, Tuk Tuks are for tourists. I don't see how any long term residents think they have the right to moan. We know how expensive they are, we know they can be dodgy, so we steer well clear, it's as simple as that. Get a bike, take bike taxis, or as already mentioned, walk.

For tourists, I do not believe that they are that unbelievably expensive. People who live here forget what tourists are about. Three friends of mine are in Thailand now, have been for 3 weeks. They have already been on more speed boats in the last 3 weeks than I have in the last 10 years. They haven't stayed in a hotel for less than 4k per night and most, like on Phi Phi where nearer 6k. In Bkk on there way home they have a hotel suite booked that goes for 25k per night. The money they have spent in 3 weeks, me and my family could live nicely on for 6 months. And these lads aren't the older, richer tourists that flood to Thailand, they are young lads in their 20's. Do you really think they were worried when they had to pay 200 baht for a tuk tuk. For every whiner on TV, and for every horror story in the gazette there are thousands of tourists who don't have an issue with them or how much they cost, and that is why they survive and always will.

Now on the other side of the coin. The behaviour of some of the drivers is despicable to say the least and they need to be weeded out and dealt with appropriately. The monopoly they have is unfortunate. It would be nice for them to have some fair competition, but a lot of things would be nice, I would be happy just for Thai plugs to fit Thai plug sockets. That pis#es me off a lot more than Tuk Tuks do.

Life's way too short for Tuk tuks to big as big of a story as they are, let's put it to bed people and move on.

Great post this one WOOHOO and absolutely agree with what you say, Quoted Below ;

On another thread..''Crazy tuk- tuk chases me home''' i said much the same thing and was ''well chastised'' by the OP..lol ....

'' None as blind as he who DOESN"T want to see'' comes to mind huh..

logbags', I liked your posts, I thought they were pretty on the mark. I have always commented on how bizarre it is so many people live here yet they seem to have such a genuine dislike of Thai people. There is no doubt in my mind that everyone is jumping on an anti Tuk Tuk band wagon, and the reality has been blown way out of proportion. If you think that everyone of those drivers in that long queue is a mindless thug, who would assault you as quick as drive you home, then I'm afraid you have been brainwashed by the constant obsession people have developed and the ridiculous amount of attention they receive. I think most drivers would love to have a better reputation, and not have the mindless violence of a small percentage of drivers, constantly dragging their name through the sewers.

Mate you might of been coming to phuket for seven years, however you havent learnt much .

Mmmm .... that's what I was thinking.

Give the guy a fair go, for crying out loud..Probably not at all do-able but its a positive thought

Much better option than you wanting to drive a tank over them all...good grief man

happyinkathu, not only are you generalizing us, you are generalizing what you think we think about Thai people, Thai people in Phuket, and tuk tuk drivers. Don't. See how often you use words like "seems" or "appearent" or using logic like "you must watch tough guy movies." to support your points. Talk about the facts. Stop generalizing and stop projecting. You assume that we are unhappy because we come on here to vent a little and find some solace in knowing that we aren't alone in our frustrations we occasionally encounter living here.

You seem preocupied in convincing us all that you are happier than us and that in order for us to be HAPPY we need to think like you. But what you fail to realize is we are happy. I can say that I know, to varying degrees, some the other board members participating in this thread either in person or though much discussion in the forums and PMs. I wouldn't categorize them as unhappy or bitter either. And I know I am a very happy person. I love living here and I love much about the Thai people. I even know some tuk tuk drivers that aren't half bad.

It's the system I deplore and decry. A system that allows and even encourages some or the behaviors we are witnessing towards foreigners and Thai's by the members of the transportation monopoly. As was stated, no one said "ALL". In fact if we did it would be moderated out because it's not allowed. No one will say, "But I know some good Thai people in Phuket." Because it doesn't need to be said. It's obvious we all do. It's demoralizing to have to say that, but it's seems that's what you want us to do so you will stop generalizing and extrapolating words and feelings that aren't there. When you do, it really confuses you.

I started this thread not because I dislike Thais in general, Thai's in Phuket, or even all tuk tuk drivers. Nor did I post it to seek approval for my actions. I know I did wrong, despite my debate on what degree I was wrong. I posted it to show yet another example of how out of control some of these tuk tuk guys are. They are fueled by the belief that they can do no wrong. Something needs to change, and change soon or I fear the next big headline grabbing incident is going to really hurt tourism here, which, like may expats living here, I rely on as well as the Thais. As soon as the embassies start issuing travel warnings like they did with King Power at the airports, it will be too late. The damage will be done.

Great post Scuba

YEh ..great post Scuba... ''and so say all of us'' NOT !...Funny thing is, all the comments above were made directly to your mate L/los , not to you.......HUH !!

You like so many ''frequent'' posters misread the post or simply ''pick out'' a snippet and reply to that.

Here is as i posted..'' the apparent desire by a few expats '' a few, a few, a few !! Is that generalising? Wakey, Wakey.

Also i stand by what i said about a FEW of TV frequent posters regarding weapons.

I have been involved in the past in many armed situations [ read my post re; self defense and my mate getting 18 years] and have trouble understanding the self defense [ need a gun, baseball bat on the back seat , mace etc, etc] mentality of some of these guys.

Useing the expression ''too many tough guy movies'' is a truism, because in reality, down and dirty out on the street it is nothing like how these expats think it is.I would say that near all who talk the talk would sh#t themselves big time if the confrontation really occurred.

Bit like you huh..long, strong on the horn, then the flip, both very offensive and challenging behaviour[ even tho now you say you acted in the heat of the moment] fair enough..but?

But when the little tuk-tuk driver ''wants to chat'' you run for your mates security with your tail suitably between your legs..Wheres the gun, dam_n wheres the goddam gun!! On ya mate!

PS.. and then you have the audacity to post..Crazy tuk- tuk tries to run me off the road!Think about it S/b.

No mention of tackling the elephant in the tuk tuk then?

Yep everyone knows it's the tuk tuk that cause the real traffic problems here. I'd be only too happy to see the back of the rental cars as well - like it says, they do take up all the beachfront parking slots. At least what's available is free though, any other country would have the dreaded parking meters

You honestly can say you haven't met the uniformed human parking meters. I've yet to unbuckle my seatbelt, before they turn up for their 20 baht..You must be very lucky, or you haven't actually been able to find a vacant parking spot.This time of year is a rareity ...

livinlos

So your happy in your role as the victim ??

You seem to have a problem understanding life in general my friend..you watch far too many tough guy movies i reckon...your attitude to Thailand and Thais in general really makes me wonder why you stay here with all us ''inferior victims''.. Maybe something to do with the many well used cliches used, that i don't need to repeat .i'm sure you are well aware of them all, but wouldn't admit the truth anyway!

I am not a victim of anything..Just a really nice easy going tolerant old guy, who i might add has a h%$#% of a lot more''life experience'' under my belt than you probably ever will....Quite easy as i say... heres a recipe you could use, but i'm afraid you will come up rather short on the necessary ingredients, but try it..

RECIPE FOR A HAPPY LIFE.

Take a big heap of intelligence, same amount of tollerance,a splash of good humour,a good amount of common sense, a dash of repartee, a huge amount of self confidence, a dash of humility ...Mix all these ingredients well...ingest and the result is .....

A VERY nice, well adjusted very happy person, living and enjoying every single day as i do and far,far from being a victim ...

Pre high season there was a guy flying off Karon Beach in the late afternoons....maybe too many people around the area now..[ doesn't want an injury to the viewers..]haven't seen him since..