Do I feel safe in Thailand?

[shadowofacloud]

Generally yes, both in Bangkok and in the small town in the South, where I used to live before. But I don't go to bars or clubs, seldom visit tourist areas and generally try to be fairly forgiving, friendly(-ish), or maybe simply neutral, and non-confrontational.

 

Never felt threatened by people here, but then I travel a lot around S and SE Asia and cannot think of a single situation, where I felt threatened by other people. Irritated, even frustrated, yes, but not threatened.

 

However, I've noticed a change in attitude towards foreigners compared to even 3-4 years ago - more and more Thais I meet on an everyday basis (like sellers at the market) are hostile and unfriendly. Clearly the anti-foreigner govt propaganda trickles down and now it's not just gestapo-style IOs, but the common people... I wonder if the government will not try to build on this sentiment when the economy slows down and the common people start to feel the pinch.

[RichardColeman]

Feel mostly safe - but fear the motorbike taxis that do 100 mph , one handed, whilst on the phone across the train tracks

[Bundooman]

I first came to Thailand in 1964. Again in 1967, 1973/4 and backpacking throughout Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar between 1994 - 2004 annually.

Now been living in Thailand for 15 years.

 

Never felt unsafe once. Only ever felt unsafe in UK - but did feel uncomfortable walking around S21 in Cambodia and the 'killing fields.

 

Never felt threatened anywhere in Asia. 

[sirineou]

7 minutes ago, Isaanbiker said:

Thailand is in no way safe when you're female, sexy and good looking. That goes for Thais and foreigners! 

None of which I am. LOL

 

[Vacuum]

1 hour ago, Antonymous said:

If you frequent the bars in a drunken state you are a danger to yourself and to others.

Must be a local CM thing, never experienced it (could be interesting though (if you're packing heat).

[Isaanbiker]

22 minutes ago, shadowofacloud said:

Generally yes, both in Bangkok and in the small town in the South, where I used to live before. But I don't go to bars or clubs, seldom visit tourist areas and generally try to be fairly forgiving, friendly(-ish), or maybe simply neutral, and non-confrontational.

 

Never felt threatened by people here, but then I travel a lot around S and SE Asia and cannot think of a single situation, where I felt threatened by other people. Irritated, even frustrated, yes, but not threatened.

 

However, I've noticed a change in attitude towards foreigners compared to even 3-4 years ago - more and more Thais I meet on an everyday basis (like sellers at the market) are hostile and unfriendly. Clearly the anti-foreigner govt propaganda trickles down and now it's not just gestapo-style IOs, but the common people... I wonder if the government will not try to build on this sentiment when the economy slows down and the common people start to feel the pinch.

Thanks for pointing that out.

 

  I've been here 17 years, but never felt so much hate towards foreigners.

 

  I've just recently realized that more and more Thai people are speaking very negatively about foreigners.

 

It's always the same when I go out in the evening and listen to any Thai people sitting near me.

 

  All in a sudden I become the topic of the night/day and they're using pretty rude words from time to time. 

 

They always believe that I don't understand them, but I do. ????

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

[marko kok prong]

3 minutes ago, Isaanbiker said:

Thanks for pointing that out.

 

  I've been here 17 years, but never felt so much hate towards foreigners.

 

  I've just recently realized that more and more Thai people are speaking very negatively about foreigners.

 

It's always the same when I go out in the evening and listen to any Thai people sitting near me.

 

  All in a sudden I become the topic of the night/day and they're using pretty rude words from time to time. 

 

They always believe that I don't understand them, but I do. ????

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Really? can't say i have ever noticed this were i live Wichianburi town ,in Phetchabun province,people always friendly,well had some problems from my ex wife Thai boyfriend,but that seems to be finished since the divorce,people up here always friendly and smile,helps to speak Thai. I too rarley go out at night,my girlfriend and i generally have a few drinks in the arvo at the Local bar/resturant,there is a large expat population up here,and generally home before dark,of course being ex sas,navy seal and working for the cia,does give a slight advantage.

[ChrisKC]

13 hours ago, Puchaiyank said:

Not every area of Thailand is as casual, friendly, or safe as the Udon Thani area of Thailand.  

 

Stepping over cattle droppings everyday to feel safe and secure is not for everyone...????

Even around Udon and any other place in Thailand or indeed anywhere, if you are walking the seedy streets at 2 in the morning, expect possible trouble and a feeling of being unsafe.

[nausea]

I've voted safe cos I've never had a problem personally, despite walking around in the early hours blind drunk. On the roads, carnage of course, but that's a different issue from what the OP is talking about methinks, as is H&S. Certainly, psychologically, I feel a lot safer here than in the UK, but then I come from Nottingham, which is a pretty violent city, or was, no idea what it's like now. Age also has something to do with it, like young men and alcohol don't usually mix well, as an elder guy I tend to avoid confrontation. Also, for Farangs at least, there's a surplus of available women - Venus rules, not Mars.

[villagefarang]

Thirty years in Bangkok, nearly thirteen in Chiangrai and I have always felt safe.  Problems are easily avoided with a little local knowledge and common sense. ????

[dluek]

Only times I don't feel safe are when riding in a public van driven by a total maniac, and when riding on the back of a motorbike taxi who is a total maniac. Otherwise yes, I feel safe here. 

[sirineou]

26 minutes ago, Isaanbiker said:

  I've just recently realized that more and more Thai people are speaking very negatively about foreigners.

As if we never speak negative about them. And trust me, a lot more of them speak English than we speak Thai. 

[LomSak27]

I feel very safe in Thailand. Right up until the moment when I am not safe.

 

 

[pennine]

After South Africa, definitely yes.

[LomSak27]

Just now, sirineou said:

15 minutes ago, Isaanbiker said:

  I've just recently realized that more and more Thai people are speaking very negatively about foreigners.

As if we never speak negative about them. And trust me, a lot more of them speak English than we speak Thai. 

Yes but one of the side effects of speaking Thai is finding out how commonplace it is. Every country does things like that, yet some more than others. Making snarky comments is an art form in Thai culture. Obviously for all the talk about saving and losing face, they like to do it and DO IT A LOT.

 

Conversely In my crude, violent, capitalistic robber baron country of origin, strangely it is far more polite. Perhaps the fear that a person could become offended and pull out a 357 Magnum puts a damper on it. ???? but just speculating

[NoshowJones]

I have walked around the main parts of Bangkok and Pattaya in the 14 years I have lived here, never had a drink, always mind my own business, never had a problem, always felt safe.

[NoshowJones]

14 hours ago, Bangkokhatter said:

Do you really feel that way ?

No malice intended but feels like your walking around on egg shells.

Regarding the OP, never really think about safety unless at work.

I don't think Thailand is any different to most countries, just act and think like you would at home and you'll be ok, unless you're a <deleted>

Feeling safe is easy in Thailand, don't even need to think about it.

[Thingamabob]

Mugged in London and Manila, never remotely threatened anywhere in Thailand.

[CHiangMaiMuu]

I definitely do not feel safe. A few years ago when I previously lived in Chiang Mai and Pattaya and Bangkok I was feeling more secure. Then, after I went back to the U.S. to live for a few years and then returned to C.M., having passed my 70th b.d., without any visa.... doing border runs and getting 30-day exempts, reading all the Posts by unhappy farangs, riding a rented m.c., even with the insurance that I get from the renters, which I know does not protect anyone from crazy drivers and ambulances blocked by passive-aggressive drivers and police who want to arrest someone for something....

No. i am afraid everyday when I ride my m.c. knowing one mistake or bad break and I am in a world of trouble.

It keeps  me on edge all the time. If I have to leave, if my plans for a TV in Laos and Ed. visa extension here do not work out next January-February, the I am afraid I will have to return to a meaningless existence back in the States.

[Ventenio]

the post above me isn't the "safety" I'm defining.  

 

CM, safe.  Udon, safe.  Smaller towns, way less police, seems like more drinking, and then things get weird.  if you drink, less safe.  but if you drink in a tourist place, safer.  there are tons of cops in CM compared to other parts of thailand, and i feel a lot safer there than in some weird mountain village near CR.  On more than one occasion, i get bothered by drunks.  sometimes they stop and bother me, but i never felt threatened.  still, that never happened in CM.  big cities with police generally, i think, will help the farang since tourism is pretty important.  and definitely safer in the past.  

[gerry1953]

Safety in Thailand

 

Crime safety is generally pretty good UNLESS you intervene in a Thai on Thai disagreement so let them go at it - both men and women.  Farang involvement ensures escalation with you being a potential target.  That being said I was 2 KMs from our house last year (in an Isaan provincial capital and on a major highway) when I had a motorbike pull up and point a medium frame pistol at my head at 7:30 in the evening.  He obviously did not speak English so I smiled at him and kept driving my bike.  He did it once more and we entered a better lit area (near a police box) and he buggered off.  I have never encountered this anywhere in Asia so I wrote it off as an oddity.

 

Road Safety is horrendous here but they refuse to go after the root causes - 66 deaths a day seems acceptable to Thai society and I drive lots throughout Thailand BUT limit my exposure to drunks and drive extra defensively to avoid idiots and road raggers.

 

Disease and non human factors can be a wild card here. Dengue fever took out nearly all my hearing in Jomtien 6 years ago, spider and snake bites, scorpions, malaria, strange bacteria, food poisoning, motor bikes plus many other things can affect your exposure to risk and have grave consequences?  The bottom line is we all have to die of something anyways and it is better to live your life happily rather than hide in a condo relatively risk free.  Just try to limit you exposure where possible as in all countries.

 

 

 

 

[emptypockets]

4 hours ago, Ireland32 said:

I avoid Farangs, mostly Scammers , my so called best friend called Police on me before I got medical cert for ganja, he didn’t want to pay me back , thought I would get blacklist, Dutch guy with Italian name Beware

Funny name for an Italian.

[Bigz]

Absolutely. Never got the 'what are you looking at?' in the last 2 years since I'm here. Back in London where I spent my previous 16 years it was a commonplace.

[Boon Mee]

11 hours ago, Old Croc said:

You're very welcome to come for a break in Phuket where I live in complete safety.

It must get very boring up there with the cattle.

Can I come too, Croc? 555

[DJ54]

Yes I feel safe... live in countryside 60 km from Udon Thani.....

when I go to Bangkok and such safe..... I do my best to stay 

out of trouble......at least an arms distance 

[khunPer]

I live on Koh Samui and have always feel safe both here, and all other places I've been in Thailand – including rural Isaan, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Pattaya, and Phuket – today I feel I'm more safe here that I would be in my Scandinavian home country...????

[BritManToo]

4 hours ago, Antonymous said:

I feel completely safe in Thailand.

The only risk is in being chucked out.

(As far as I can see)

[Ginger Tea]

I first came to Thailand in 2012 and have lived here pretty much full time since 2013.

 

I feel very safe here, even when I used to walk home in the early morning. I have never had a problem with police. Have been stopped loads of time when doing checks for weapons and drugs. Always very polite never had the sense that they were going to plant anything on me.

 

With the locals, mostly it’s ok, I feel, although I don’t speak Thai. I dress down in t shirt and shorts and no jewellery. I have two bank accounts with SCB. The one I draw money from in the street, never has more than 3 or 4 thousand baht in. In the past, I have noticed one or two insolent stares when I had larger amounts in, which they could see standing in the queue behind me. I didn’t feel in any danger, but now I just keep a small amount in it, and top it up with money from my other bank account when the need arises.

 

However sometimes one or two Thai, when I am in conversation with them, look at me and I can see it in their eyes: “You have money; I have very little. You should give some of your money to me.” Again, I don’t feel anything bad is going to happen to me, but it is something I have noticed. Little things.

 

These days, I no longer drink and I am usually home by 9 pm. 

 

However, I do feel that I am living in a parallel universe when I read those two recent murder cases of the son who chopped his mum up and stored her body parts in the fridge, and the Thai couple, who were teachers, and who were brutally murdered in their own home. A lot of unpleasant and sinister stuff seems to be going on around us, which we only hear about when it hits the papers.

 

I agree with the point made by Isaanbiker: all the replies here seem to by farang males. It would be interesting to hear what some of the ladies think e.g. Sheryl who always gives good answers. And of course Yinn, the Thai lady from Ranong. I always enjoy reading her robust comments. Do they feel safe here?

[CharlieH]

Generally never an issue and never feel threatened or concerned.BUT that changes when I am out on the main highways around the country, I am super alert and very wary as there are too many "nutters" out on the highways that could have anything from machetes to firearms with them and road rage is not something I want to encounter. I assume and drive like everyone is trying to kill me, I find it a much safer position to adopt, cos ya never know ! Road-rage is the one to watch.

 

That is the only area I am concerned about in Thailand.

[SchopenhauersGhost]

Live in central BKK. Safe enough. Klong Toey waterfront maybe not so much. Parts of Chinatown SAF.