16,000 POW's Died Building The Death Railway: Why Do Foreigners Pay More To Ride The Train?

[Mitkof Island]

Purchased a ticket at the Nakhon Pathom train station to travel to Kanchanaburi using my Pink Thai I.D card to my amazement the woman sold me the ticket for the same price as Thai pay for fifteen baht. I knew that once I boarded the train there would be an issue so I had my video cam ready. First man. "You foreigner you pay one hundred baht". My response: Speak with the Nakhon Pathom train station. Walks off now a second ticket man appears. "You Pay one hundred baht you foreigner". My response: handed him my I.D card and told him to speak with the station. Walks off returns. "You foreigner you pay one hundred baht" My response: Why? "You Foreigner you pay one hundred baht" I gave in this time tired of talking in circles. This was after the fact that while at the station a train police officer asked where I was traveling to and asked to look at my ticket. I was waiting for a response about paying fifteen baht he just handed the ticket back.

 

While heading towards Kanchanaburi I got to thinking of all the FOREIGN POW's that died building that railway. It just seems a slap in the face for two reasons. One dual pricing which I never tolerate at any parks or other locations. Second , We FOREIGNERS died building this railway.

[Kwasaki]

Foriengners on holidays can afford it and so can foriengners living here is my take. 

[NanLaew]

5 hours ago, Mitkof Island said:

Second , We FOREIGNERS died building this railway.

Incorrect and disrespectful.

[Kwasaki]

"FOREIGN POW's that died building that railway" !!!!??

 

Forced labour was used in its construction. More than 180,000 Asian civilian labourers and 60,000 Allied prisoners of war worked on the railway. About 90,000 civilians and 12,621 Allied POWs died during the construction, includeing 6,904 British, 2,802 Australians, 2,782 Dutch, and 133 Americans.

[LennyW]

You are still alive, and pink ID cards are a facilitator for other things, does not automatically make you Thai, you are not a Thai, if you had any clue about the circumstances surrounding the bridge you would not be so disrespectful.

[FalangKino]

Because Thailand is racist

[ozimoron]

6 minutes ago, FalangKino said:

Because Thailand is racist

Charging non Thais higher prices may not seem fair but it certainly isn't racist. You should look up the definition and ask yourself how this practice fits that definition.

[Mac Mickmanus]

Some Westerners died as Prisoners of war building a railway and you think that you deserve a discount price because they died ?

  What about Japanese and German tourists , how much should they pay ?

[Mac Mickmanus]

 

   Well , at least you didn't demand to have a plastic bag to carry your ticket around 

[StayinThailand2much]

Is that a special (tourist) track? I never paid anything else than regular prices for train tickets in Bangkok and the South. Then again, I haven't travelled on a train in Thailand for more than 15 years; is there a 'farang price' now?

 

If the track is treated as a 'tourist attraction', then there's probably a 'foreigner price', otherwise it's probably a scam.

Edited April 29, 2022 by StayinThailand2much

[StayinThailand2much]

6 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

Foriengners on holidays can afford it and so can foriengners living here is my take. 

So, you would charge a Thai tourist in your country also 6.5x the local price?

[Mac Mickmanus]

6 hours ago, Mitkof Island said:

We FOREIGNERS died building this railway.

If you tell the Thais that .

They may remind you that six times as many Asians died building  that railway , six times more Asians died  than the Westerners .

[Mitkof Island]

6 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Incorrect and disrespectful.

16,000 foreigners died correct and no disrespect. look it up yourself

[Mitkof Island]

5 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

So, you would charge a Thai tourist in your country also 6.5x the local price?

Why not?

[Mitkof Island]

5 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Some Westerners died as Prisoners of war building a railway and you think that you deserve a discount price because they died ?

  What about Japanese and German tourists , how much should they pay ?

The point is no foreigner should have to pay more.

[Mac Mickmanus]

4 minutes ago, Mitkof Island said:

The point is no foreigner should have to pay more.

Why not ?

Its their Country and their rules . 

Either pay the train fare or don't go on the train 

[metisdead]

A post using an ethnic slur comment toward the Japanese has been removed.

[1FinickyOne]

Geez, if you want to stay in your home country where everything is exactly what you are accustomed to, I am sure that is a possibility for you... 

 

If you go to live in a country w/a different culture, and different customs, [that are their choice] then live w/your decision... 

 

Funny how farang here complain about a few baht - - but I bet you can't buy noodle soup in your home country for 30 baht... but you don't mention that. 

[1FinickyOne]

1 hour ago, Mitkof Island said:

The point is no foreigner should have to pay more.

why is that? You want to come to a different country and write the laws? 

[RichardColeman]

7 hours ago, ozimoron said:

Charging non Thais higher prices may not seem fair but it certainly isn't racist. You should look up the definition and ask yourself how this practice fits that definition.

Pretty sure if I had a Bed and Breakfast in the UK and suggested charging 6.5 times the price for people from Thailand, Africa, or anyone foreign, I'd be called racist, definition or not.

[ozimoron]

2 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Pretty sure if I had a Bed and Breakfast in the UK and suggested charging 6.5 times the price for people from Thailand, Africa, or anyone foreign, I'd be called racist, definition or not.

I'm not disputing what the great unwashed might call it but the English definition of the word doesn't fit this case.

[Mitkof Island]

2 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Why not ?

Its their Country and their rules . 

Either pay the train fare or don't go on the train 

The best excuse I have read today.

[Kwasaki]

9 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

So, you would charge a Thai tourist in your country also 6.5x the local price?

Silly question my X country doesn't do that the UK charges 10 times more to anyone, in Thailand 100 bht £2.50 instead of what Thais pay it's still cheap don't be so mean. Kin knell farangies. 

[NancyL]

It's a special tourist attraction train.  Just took a "regular" train last month to Hua Hin.  Pricing the same for foreigners and Thai people.  Get over it.  As I recall on this special tourist train, they give you a special certificate and snack, too.  It's a nice ride for the price.

[billd766]

14 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Incorrect and disrespectful.

There were more Thais, Burmese, Indian and a few other nationalities who also died whilst building the railway. Additionally the POWs did have some medical assistance from the doctors that were with them. The non-POW labourers had no support at all.

[DavisH]

14 hours ago, FalangKino said:

Because Thailand is racist

And you love living in LoS right?

[shackleton]

As the old  saying goes this is Thailand ???????? 

Foreigners mainly Tourists  pay more than Thais  this is the way things are done in Thailand ????

Does not matter what you think nothing will change 

 

[Mitkof Island]

2 hours ago, NancyL said:

It's a special tourist attraction train.  Just took a "regular" train last month to Hua Hin.  Pricing the same for foreigners and Thai people.  Get over it.  As I recall on this special tourist train, they give you a special certificate and snack, too.  It's a nice ride for the price.

What special certificate what snack?

[NancyL]

22 hours ago, Mitkof Island said:

What special certificate what snack?

That's what we received when we rode the train to the end of the line a few years ago.  Maybe they stopped doing this during Covid.

[metisdead]

Another post using an ethnic slur comment toward the Japanese has been removed.