Gangsters’ paradise? Killing spotlights Thailand’s reputation as criminal hideout

[Neeranam]

There are no gangsters here. Gangsters are people like Al Capone, Reg Kray. 

There are many failed low-level criminals here. 

[rudi49jr]

7 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

When I lived on Samui many years back, it was well known that there was an entire subculture there, that were wanted by the law, all over the world, and they were able to stay in Thailand legally, without any repercussions. That is likely the case all over Thailand. Does immigration turn a blind eye? Are they bought and paid for? Are the Thai databases inadequate? Or are they simply indifferent? 

My guess would be bought and paid for, plus a huge dose of indifference. When the money is good (and preferably in large monthly installments) who cares where it comes from?

[TropicalGuy]

4 hours ago, RafPinto said:

Poor guys at the rear didn't pay enough to get a chair.

Tell them the circus clown auditions are next week????

[spidermike007]

28 minutes ago, robertson468 said:

I think the home gown "gangsters" far out weigh the imported ones!

Strange. Back where I come from (NYC), gangsters and mafia were real criminals! Here? When people say the term mafia here it can be quite meaningless. Organized crime? I don't think so. More like local hoodlums and trouble makers. 

 

You want to talk about the real gangsters here? The cops and the government. 

Edited March 2, 2022 by spidermike007

[Tony125]

 

[Mac Mickmanus]

Just now, spidermike007 said:

Strange. Back where I come from (NYC), gangsters and mafia were real criminals! Here? When people say the term mafia here it can be quite meaningless. Organized crime? I don't think so. More like local hoodlums and trouble makers. 

Here , a tuk-tuk driver who charges 20 Baht more for a fare  is considered to be gangster and Mafiso and Kids selling peanuts in bars are part of a crime syndicate with Triad connections who got people trafficked from somewhere else and the 200 Baht a day they make gets shared around among the crime syndicate .

   

[NobbyClarke]

I have never heard of a single person who conducts themselves in a responsible, polite and unrelated to criminal activity ever being shot, attacked or assaulted in Thailand.

[zzaa09]

51 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

There are no gangsters here. Gangsters are people like Al Capone, Reg Kray. 

There are many failed low-level criminals here. 

The criminals have been running the place for decades upon decades.

 

[dirtybirty]

7 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

When I lived on Samui many years back, it was well known that there was an entire subculture there, that were wanted by the law, all over the world, and they were able to stay in Thailand legally, without any repercussions. That is likely the case all over Thailand. Does immigration turn a blind eye? Are they bought and paid for? Are the Thai databases inadequate? Or are they simply indifferent? 

nothing much changed on the rock 

[Captain Monday]

I no longer believe in visa free travel. About 30 percent of Americans have arrest records. Some will kill you for a nickel, or even an insult. Criminal checks should be instituted even for long time stayers with jobs family and children. Drive them out I say. I do not associate with criminals.

[Artisi]

10 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

When I lived on Samui many years back, it was well known that there was an entire subculture there, that were wanted by the law, all over the world, and they were able to stay in Thailand legally, without any repercussions. That is likely the case all over Thailand. Does immigration turn a blind eye? Are they bought and paid for? Are the Thai databases inadequate? Or are they simply indifferent? 

Or useless... 

[BayArea]

6 hours ago, Shocked farang said:

There's even a movie on Netflix about this subject (paradise Island). I started to watch but couldn't finish due to the sickening violence. The gangsters are mostly Arab-French. 

my Thai wife dislikes that bunch the most in all of LOS. 

[Andycoops]

And all this does is highlight the in effectiveness of Thai border control, despite what they might say.

Whilst ordinary legitimate people have to go through all sorts of bureaucractic nonsense like 90 day reports.

[jacko45k]

12 hours ago, Neeranam said:

There are no gangsters here. Gangsters are people like Al Capone, Reg Kray. 

There are many failed low-level criminals here. 

Oh I don't know...... there is a certain family in my region whose late father may well have qualified for that title... and others of his ilk.... and many politicians.

[Canadian Snowbird]

17 hours ago, wensiensheng said:

When this assassination hit the news, it did make me wonder how, with all the hoops that foreigners have to jump through, a publicly denounced gangland figure in Canada who was deported for that reason, simply waltzed into Thailand. By all accounts, he was hardly unknown to police authorities around the world.

I'm speculating here, but I suspect it would be fairly easy and convenient for a gangland member in their early thirties to use the profits of their crimes to obtain well forged passports (Sandu was found to have more than one in his possession), and to purchase a thai elite visa. If Thailand really wanted to route some of these guys out, the elite visa might be a good place to start .... follow the money trail .... bad guys in, good guys out. ????

[Ralf001]

19 hours ago, Dan747 said:

Makes you wonder that the RTP have ID'ed the criminals very quickly, but have a very hard time IDing where the Red Bull (Boss) heir is! 

They know exactly where he is... they also know when he jets in and out of Thailand in his private gulfstream airplane.

 

Some posters on this forum are blinkered into thinking they police actually want to arrest him !!

[Red Forever]

15 hours ago, NeoDinosaw said:

Good question !    The cost of the Police certificate in UK is not cheap !

It was £10 when I did it but at the time I went for non O which doesn't require police certificate.

[Will B Good]

3 minutes ago, Red Forever said:

It was £10 when I did it but at the time I went for non O which doesn't require police certificate.

Think I shelled out £40 for an ACRO (?) report.

[spidermike007]

14 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

I no longer believe in visa free travel. About 30 percent of Americans have arrest records. Some will kill you for a nickel, or even an insult. Criminal checks should be instituted even for long time stayers with jobs family and children. Drive them out I say. I do not associate with criminals.

Do you have any statistical data to back up your bizarre claim that 30% of Americans are criminals and have arrest records? I know hundreds of Americans. Not a single one has an arrest record.

[Ralf001]

13 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Do you have any statistical data to back up your bizarre claim that 30% of Americans are criminals and have arrest records? I know hundreds of Americans. Not a single one has an arrest record.

You know hundreds out of a population of 320+ million.

 

Interesting you 100% know none of them have a criminal record though, did you have a private investigator vet them before you befriended them ?

I suspect some will have a criminal record and you simply do not know.

[Misterwhisper]

It's not the foreign criminals that worry me. It's the local ones. 

[GroveHillWanderer]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

Do you have any statistical data to back up your bizarre claim that 30% of Americans are criminals and have arrest records? I know hundreds of Americans. Not a single one has an arrest record.

It is more or less true though - at least as far as adults are concerned. As stated in the article below (which actually dates back to 2015):

 

Quote

Today, nearly one-third of the adult work­ing age popu­la­tion has a crim­inal record.

As Many Americans Have Criminal Records as College Diplomas

Edited March 3, 2022 by GroveHillWanderer

[Mr Meeseeks]

21 hours ago, JimHuaHin said:

I was told decades ago by a farang friend who worked at a foreign embassy in Bangkok that wealthy foreign criminals could pay certain Thai government officials to get permission to stay in Thailand, and even buying Thai cirizenship and passport was possible.

It was, I know a few people that did it. One guy I know is a Thai citizen now, bought and paid for back in the early 00's. He is not a criminal though. 

 

You could even get Aussie citizenship here for a price. Back in the late 90's I was offered full Aussie citizenship for $10,000 by a connected foreign dignitary in Thailand. Not going to elaborate further than that. Not a criminal so it didn't interest me at the time. 

[Captain Monday]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Do you have any statistical data to back up your bizarre claim that 30% of Americans are criminals and have arrest records? I know hundreds of Americans. Not a single one has an arrest record.

They are not all John Dillinger. 

 

As Many Americans Have Criminal Records as College Diplomas

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/just-facts-many-americans-have-criminal-records-college-diplomas

[AsiaCheese]

On 3/2/2022 at 3:18 PM, Whale said:

Which Category? I ask as all the ones I read on the website do not mention that as a requirement? 

I needed one for a Non-Immi O, not when I applied for it at a consulate in Switzerland, but it was on the requirements list for when I did my first yearly retirement extention after 3 months. But that was quite a few years ago. A friend of mine who came to live in Thailand a few months ago needed to show it to the Thai embassy in Switzerland when he applied for his Non-Immi O.

[Damrongsak]

On 3/2/2022 at 6:40 AM, spidermike007 said:

The BANGKOK mafia. 

Didn't they recently change the name to Krung Thep Mahafia?

[spidermike007]

10 hours ago, Damrongsak said:

Didn't they recently change the name to Krung Thep Mahafia?

No. It is the Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit mafia.

[TropicalGuy]

On 3/2/2022 at 3:50 PM, Fab5BKK said:

Since when??? Could you please show us some evidence ???

No visas issued inside Thailand require any police checks (although the Yellow Municipal Housebook does !)only embassy Longstay visas. 

Edited March 5, 2022 by TropicalGuy

[TropicalGuy]

On 3/3/2022 at 11:06 AM, GroveHillWanderer said:

It is more or less true though - at least as far as adults are concerned. As stated in the article below (which actually dates back to 2015):

 

As Many Americans Have Criminal Records as College Diplomas

Imagine as it’s so violent a society with brutal aggressive low caliber police behaving like military, oppressive authorities, and millions of lawyers, there will be thousands of arrestable jailable laws for even trivial civil stuff like jaywalking, littering, vehicle admin etc although those are called misdemeanors?