So You Think Thailand Is Violent

[ThaiGoon]

Homicides in US schools:

http://youthviolence.edschool.virginia.edu...-shootings.html

And this year's number will at least 31 now.

Edited April 16, 2007 by ThaiGoon

[ThaiGoon]

lets see 21 die on school campus shooting out of total US population of 300 million

273 dead so far from songkran with thailand population of 68 million

so statistically, you have a much better chance of dying celebrating in thailand than you do by studying in the US......happy new year

Statistically:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/yvfacts.htm

Youth violence is an important public health problem that results in deaths and injuries. The following statistics provide an overview of youth violence in the United States.

• In 2003, 5,570 young people ages 10 to 24 were murdered—an average of 15 each day. Of these victims, 82% were killed with firearms (CDC 2006).
  
• In 2004, more than 750,000 young people ages 10 to 24 were treated in emergency departments for injuries sustained due to violence (CDC 2006).
  

Happy happy BingoBongo.

[chrisspursbkk1]

Just to add a few stats from http://www.nationmaster.com.

Murders (per capita) by country

Thailand ------- 0.0800798 per 1,000 people # 14

United States - 0.0428020 per 1,000 people # 24

Malaysia -------- 0.0230034 per 1,000 people # 34

United Kingdom 0.0140633 per 1,000 people # 46

Hong Kong ----- 0.00550804 per 1,000 people #59

Regards

Link

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_...ders-per-capita

I am tired of all you Brits bragging about the violence in the UK . Just look at the stats and you will see that we here in the US have you beat 2 to 1. I am really ticked off that Thailand has us beat but the US is the land of opportunity and we are still working hard on trying to capture the #1 position !

Please don't take offence from us Brit's, maybe your catching up with the number one position.

Chris.

[jetjock]

Anyone see the shootings At Virginia Tech in the USA

As of the last count 31 dead and 29 wounded and the count may rise as the people in the hospital fight for their lives

Thailand Violent, maybe but they don't have anything on the USA

This is the worst campus shooting in US history

The OP really posted a timely topic since it was posted only a short time before the worst campus shooting in US history. They now think the death count is 33 as they think that 2 earlier deaths at the University are connected to the same gunman.

I think this shooting will have repercussions in school systems in many places throughout the world as they evaluate their security sytems. Now that our educational institutions are no longer a sanctuary from violence, I believe that eventually schools here in the US will begin to all look like airports with screening systems and metal dectectors. I think we are still a way aways from kevlar vests but the way things are going anything is possible.

Edited April 16, 2007 by jetjock

[Jimjim]

lets see 21 die on school campus shooting out of total US population of 300 million

273 dead so far from songkran with thailand population of 68 million

so statistically, you have a much better chance of dying celebrating in thailand than you do by studying in the US......happy new year

But in Thailand, you are pretty unlikely to be shot in the face by a deputy prime minister (i.e. vice president) which is quite unlike the good old US of A. Also in Thailand, you are also less likely to be sent to a war based on lies (and personal gratification) which has resulted in more than 3000 deaths and tens of thousands permanently maimed as well.

Anyway here's an update on the shooting incident at Va. Tech:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18134671/

At least 31 dead in Va. Tech shooting rampage

Gunman shoots 30 people in a dorm, second building; suspect also dead

BREAKING NEWS

NBC, MSNBC and news services

Updated: 10 minutes ago

BLACKSBURG, Va. - A gunman opened fire in a dorm and classroom at a college in Virginia on Monday, killing at least 30 people in the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history. The gunman also was killed, and more than a dozen other people were injured.

Authorities said the gunman was dead after he shot nearly 50 people at two locations on campus.

What about Thaksin's drug wars where 2000-3000 (how many really? I don't know) were killed, many of them innocent having nothing to do with drug traffiking?

[endure]

I'm sorry but 'we kill less people per annum than you do' doesn't seem to be a valid argument to me. I've been thinking recently about casting off my 'Super Moderator' cloak and donning my 'playground monitor' shorts instead. Would you folks be happier if I dealt with the destruction of lives and families as though it were some schoolyard joke where we could all post irrelevant glib statistics? Or would you want to laugh at a member of YOUR family who requires 24 hour medical care to change their nappies?

[suiging]

Growing up in Wolverhampton and going to the local Secondary Modern where kids came from homes with no floors as their families would burn them in the winter for warmth, gave me an insight into violence at an early age. Years in the Military and laterly the Police have firmed my opinion.

When Simba takes control of his pack in the jungle, a violent struggle ensues. After he has sorted out he is top cat, a relitive peace decends with the odd biffing for those who would like to make the odd challenge. This is how it was in the school when I was a kid and certainly how it was in military basic training.

Simba's challengers did not resort to knives or guns as the poor kittens had no fingers to use them and importantly no access. Believe me the small kids I went to school with, who could not fight their way to the top due to size, would have shot you in a flash if they could have got their hands on the means to do it, and had not learned to fear/respect authority ( by that, I mean generally parents or role models usually ex-national service ) to some degree.

All over the world Governments have failed to keep in check access to weapons and failed to punish in the most severe terms those that transgress the laws surrounding them. Now the biggest lad in the street skulks in fear of the smallest runt armed with hate and an AK. It is little wonder kids who in my day would never dream of carrying, do so for fear of random acts of violence.

Kids in Thailand have grown up for some time in a Region where many thousands of folk if not millions have died from acts of violence. The images of the power wielded by " boy soldiers" on the Burmese boarder have to make some form of sad impression. Couple this with a male. martial culture and you have a very volotile mixture indeed.

Rappers, gang culture and the ready access to weapons has allowed the UK to catch up in violence terms at an amazing rate.

Who is more violent is hardly the point. The whole bloody world is getting worse and unless average " Joe Public" in no matter what country ( democratic one that is..Thailand..mmmmm) makes a stand and insists on punishments that fit the crime, and the hounding out of those who put weapons into kids hands or allow popular culture to idolize those who do this sh-it................No matter where you are things are going to get worse.

Rant over, time for toast.

[terry57]

Guest House seems to be on his high horse.

UK has descended into a violent society? UK is a violent society.

Surely 1 teenage death is one to many in any country.

One particular aspect of violence, what about the pregnant woman getting murdered parking her car last week?

actually he is standing on mount everest.

[mittheimp]

Actually not all the 7 kids stabbed or shot in London over the past couple of months have been Black - one of them was ethnically Thai. There is definately an issue in inner city London with gang violence - and im sure the Black American gangsta rap culture that is now so popuar doesnt help at all (just watch one of those videos!).

Murder statistics dont really tell you how safe or dangerous a country is - Thailand has a very high muder rate but ive never felt in any danger in Thailand - however walking around any city centre at 2.am in the UK you know a fight is not far away. I think more mindless violence happens in England - and the pure randomness of it creates a higher perception of crime. My wife who has lived in both London and Bangkok would argue nether place is totally safe but feels generally safer in Bangkok. i am currently living in Korea - and so far i have seen no evidence of any crime -be it serious or petty! but im sure it goes on, but again targeted at people from a certain criminal grouping.

...and as for America, well if they can't see any link between the constitution giving them the right to bear arms and another crazy incident like this.... then there is no helping them!

[kmart]

Remembering my teen years in the UK, and the fights over music styles, fashion tribes, football supporters, etc, it seems very common and quite casual. Although serious injury seemed quite rare; weapons were brandished rather more than used. Although getting your head kicked in for sporting a certain haircut always seemed a bit excessive.

There seems to be a lot of violence amongst Thais that is a lot more extreme in the seriousness of the violence, be it; business conflicts; teen gangs / vocational schools; robberies; etc. And the availability of guns here is easy too.

Edited April 17, 2007 by kmart

[ColPyat]

Murder statistics dont really tell you how safe or dangerous a country is - Thailand has a very high muder rate but ive never felt in any danger in Thailand - however walking around any city centre at 2.am in the UK you know a fight is not far away.

And in Bangkok you would feel the same if you walk around in the industrial suburbs, while the city center is very safe. Only - you would have no reason whatsoever to walk at night in these suburbs here - only slums, low income mu bans, and industrial waste lands in long dark sois.

Edited April 17, 2007 by ColPyat

[Luckydog]

It was the seventh kid under 16 in London since January.

No the 7th nationaly.

And this, you need to remember, is one particular aspect of violence. If we look at all violence I'm quite certain Thailand is way more violent than the UK.

Don't believe me. Ask your Thai wife/girlfriend/friends.

Or look at the long list of Killings headlined on the Pattya People Newspaper site.......

[wilko]

There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.'"

[mosquitoman]

There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.'"

Benjamin Disraeli

British politician (1804 - 1881)

MM

[a2396]

Thailand violent?? Take a look at todays news from USA. 32 murdered by gunshot at the Virginia Tech campus. This is only the latest and most deadly incident. Not to mention all the gangbanger violence prevalent in most large American cities, roadrage attacks, etc, etc. Thailand is a peace garden compared to such.

[uptou]

obviously it depends on what type of violence you are referring to.gun related,gang violence,youth,random,domestic,drunken.

as far as friday,saturday night,binge drinking,frustration relieving on a random person goes,i think the brits lead the way.

one of the places i felt a little unsure in was los angeles as a 16 year old,just walking around.the groups of people were a little intimidating.for me thailand has always been a chilled out place to go out for a beer.i feel pattaya shouldnt be included as i dont feel its the really thailand.its fantasy land.an accident.

if your talking kicking a soi dog up the ar$e then i recon the thais rate quite highly.

Edited April 17, 2007 by uptou

[sgunn65]

The seven under 16's stabbed in London are amongst the 27 people who have been stabbed to death in London this year. It does not include any other types of murder. One of the posters said that not all the young people who were stabbed are black however according to last weeks South London Press they are all being investigated under Operation Trident which only investigates black on black crime.

It is a sad fact that the vast majority of gun and knife related crime (in London) is perpertrated by the Black Community. However we whites still lead the way in giving you a good kicking for looking at my pint on a weekend!!

Is it more violent here? I don't know yet. Having lived in London most of my life I know the signs and my way around and generally feel totally safe. As a newbie here I have lots to learn.

I would be grateful if someone would name the places in Bkk that I should be careful about as I am still blithely wondering around with the attitude that nothing bad will ever happen to me.

Though if you do name names you might start a whole new debate!!

[ColPyat]

I would be grateful if someone would name the places in Bkk that I should be careful about as I am still blithely wondering around with the attitude that nothing bad will ever happen to me.

Though if you do name names you might start a whole new debate!!

Don't walk in the industrial suburbs at night, especially not in the long dark sois. Especially Samut Prakan, Samlong, Prapadaeng, Rama 2 area, Rangsit, Pathum. Many areas there are extremely unsafe, even locals don't walk at night. There are constant shootings, stabbings, muggings and rapes. With constant i mean that there is every night one or the other incident, and at pay day weekends things can be really out of hand. Karaokes and such often get shot up. Random violence is endemic, one look into the face of someone can already cause a very ugly and extreme reaction.

You will still find in those areas very expensive upper class Mu Bans, but they are not an indication of outside those protected villages for the rich and privileged.

In most slums in proper Bangkok you will be alright but if you don't speak Thai well you should not go in without a local, because some sub-sections are very dodgy. In many slums you will have to ignore kids saying "F...k you Farang".

Downtown Bangkok is very safe compared with downtown in many large western cities. That area in Bangkok is also where almost all westerners move around at night, and that is where the myth of the "safe" Bangkok comes from.

Edited April 17, 2007 by ColPyat

[jamie46]

Saw a group of poorer young Thai men beating the crap out of a petrol station attendant the other day with drink and a police pickup passed slowly by but they did not get out just slowed so i guess they were just about to get of work and maybe radioed it in to the station or not.

Thai guys are small and quiet weak until they explode and completely flip out from all the pressure to conformand not complain about the problems or discus solutions. Then Knives slice faces and things get chopped ff and people fall down wells etc.

nothing compaired to africa but so no worrys here.

[torngseea]

Saw a group of poorer young Thai men beating the crap out of a petrol station attendant the other day with drink and a police pickup passed slowly by but they did not get out just slowed so i guess they were just about to get of work and maybe radioed it in to the station or not.

Thai guys are small and quiet weak until they explode and completely flip out from all the pressure to conformand not complain about the problems or discus solutions. Then Knives slice faces and things get chopped ff and people fall down wells etc.

nothing compaired to africa but so no worrys here.

I live in a quiet 'Thai' soi in Pattaya, not a farang moobahn with security. In the two years we have been here there has been one double murder, about eight doors up. Next door to that some gang-bangers started shooting up a house on consecutive nights. The guy was a reporter and had been saying things about certain 'entertainment' areas. One of the bullets narrowly missed his daughter. And a few months ago about 40 guys turned up and a gang fight kicked off about three doors up. I locked the kids in the house and sat out side and watched. Rocks, knives and a sword seemed to be the weapons of choice. The police turned up and confiscated the sword but made no effort to disperse the gangs. They then left only to return later. No arrests. In the end the two Puu-yai's of the gangs met for a pow-wow in the house. Job done.

Been to quite a few places in the world, don't know if Thailand is more or less violent than the UK. Maybe not more or worse, just different. You'll certainly see lots kicking off in my hometown of Bournemouth on Friday and Saturday nights but will usually ends up with a few stitches in the hospital, not someone coming back later with his mates and killing you!!

Life is 'cheaper' here than in the UK which must play a part.

[chanchao]

If Thai society is so safe and law abiding what are all those houses doing with bars on the windows?

In case you forgot, it's a tropical country. It means you can leave the windows open while going outside so your house is not turned into a solar oven, while having a reasonable chance of not finding the village idiot in your bed when you return.

Edited April 17, 2007 by chanchao

[jetjock]

I just saw on the news that it was a South Korean student that did that mass shooting at Virginia Tech in the US yesterday. Obviously this type of random violence is cross cultural in nature and is not limited to Americans, Thais, etc. but appears to be increasing in all societies. If this type of random violence is just a sign of our times I think the real question is what is happening in our times that causes an increasing amount of people to lose all respect for society?

[dukkha]

Thailand is country of servitude...a feudal system operates on a daily basis..the smile is deep down quite shallow...they live in constant fear of those who are more powerful ..the absolute conservatism of the culture daily oppresses most, and thus, even a small act of provacation can unleash emotions that lead to an explosion of behaviour that results in killing etc...so random violence is not uncommon amongst their own..Songkran proves this, a time to unleash so many emotions that have been repressed/oppressed over a long period..Christopher Moore, the ex-pat novelist , makes it clear in his books, The Killing Smile, The Haunting Smile and The Bewitching Smile...a Trilogy which truly exemplifies the true nature of the culture...In 7 years I have found it better to conduct oneself with a measure of civility and politeness rather than one of confrontation and anger..underneath it all is a seething mass of violence...jai yen yen na krup is my advice....Dukkha

I just saw on the news that it was a South Korean student that did that mass shooting at Virginia Tech in the US yesterday. Obviously this type of random violence is cross cultural in nature and is not limited to Americans, Thais, etc. but appears to be increasing in all societies. If this type of random violence is just a sign of our times I think the real question is what is happening in our times that causes an increasing amount of people to lose all respect for society?

[qualtrough]

If Thai society is so safe and law abiding what are all those houses doing with bars on the windows?

Without getting into the issue of safety in Thailand, I don't think bars on windows is a good gauge of the relative safety of a country. I lived in Germany in 68-71, and one of the things that struck us was how it was very common to see houses surrounded by walls topped with broken glass or even razor wire. Most houses were also equipped with rolladen (metal screens that would roll down to cover windows and doors) as were shops. Despite that, it was an extremely safe place to live.

[cm-happy]

I just saw on the news that it was a South Korean student that did that mass shooting at Virginia Tech in the US yesterday. Obviously this type of random violence is cross cultural in nature and is not limited to Americans, Thais, etc. but appears to be increasing in all societies. If this type of random violence is just a sign of our times I think the real question is what is happening in our times that causes an increasing amount of people to lose all respect for society?

GUN CONTROL, GUN CONTROL, GUN CONTROL is the answere IMHO! Just sent my US senetors and representative (all Democrates) an e-mail urging Federal gun control legislation.

I guess all the NRA members will pounce on me that it's their Constitutional right to bear and carry arms.

blah,blah, blah. Sorry if this is a bit off topic,or not Thai related since the other thread about the Va. shootings had been closed and I needed to get his off my chest. I urge all other US citizens to contact their respective senetors and congressman. Gun control IS SOMETHING THE BRITS GOT RIGHT!!

[wilko]

The seven under 16's stabbed in London are amongst the 27 people who have been stabbed to death in London this year. It does not include any other types of murder. One of the posters said that not all the young people who were stabbed are black however according to last weeks South London Press they are all being investigated under Operation Trident which only investigates black on black crime.

It is a sad fact that the vast majority of gun and knife related crime (in London) is perpertrated by the Black Community. However we whites still lead the way in giving you a good kicking for looking at my pint on a weekend!!

Is it more violent here? I don't know yet. Having lived in London most of my life I know the signs and my way around and generally feel totally safe. As a newbie here I have lots to learn.

I would be grateful if someone would name the places in Bkk that I should be careful about as I am still blithely wondering around with the attitude that nothing bad will ever happen to me.

Though if you do name names you might start a whole new debate!!

It is also a sad fact that most crime in Cardiff is committed by the Welsh, in Newcastle by Geordies and in Liverpool by Scouses....

[wilko]

There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.'"

Benjamin Disraeli

British politician (1804 - 1881)

MM

It is now generally accepted that neither he or Mark Twain who claimed him as a source are the originators of the expression

Edited April 18, 2007 by wilko

[Scott]

Colpyat is very correct. I live in one of those suburban (industrial) areas. It's a little over 1 Km from the main road to my moo baan. I used to walk it in the late evenings sometimes because of the lack of motorcycles at the head of the soi. I began to notice some very dodgy characters along the way. I thought all the locals were really "lazy" because they would wait in a long queue to catch a motorbike. Now I realize differently. Most were too afraid to walk.

Once I had a lady I had never seen before walk right next to me, like we were together. I was a little uncomfortable, so I crossed the street, she crossed too. Not a word was said, but about 1/2 down the soi, I realized she just wanted people to think she was with someone.

After someone was killed on the soi, I have ceased the journey, especially if it's quite late. Like some of the really "lazy" locals, I've even taken a taxi that 1 Km.!

[Maigo6]

In Issan gang violence is common, guys from our Village cannot go to the next village without fear of getting some kind of problem.

Go to any Mor Lum concert and there will be problems for sure, opposing gangs usually, luckily for me I'm Farang and never have any problems at all with any of the local Gangs.

[terry57]

Colpyat is very correct. I live in one of those suburban (industrial) areas. It's a little over 1 Km from the main road to my moo baan. I used to walk it in the late evenings sometimes because of the lack of motorcycles at the head of the soi. I began to notice some very dodgy characters along the way. I thought all the locals were really "lazy" because they would wait in a long queue to catch a motorbike. Now I realize differently. Most were too afraid to walk.

Once I had a lady I had never seen before walk right next to me, like we were together. I was a little uncomfortable, so I crossed the street, she crossed too. Not a word was said, but about 1/2 down the soi, I realized she just wanted people to think she was with someone.

After someone was killed on the soi, I have ceased the journey, especially if it's quite late. Like some of the really "lazy" locals, I've even taken a taxi that 1 Km.!

wow,

thats a very scary story and im surprised its that bad.

i know i could not live there if i felt my security was threatened like that, and is there any reason why you dont move to a safer area. ?