Self Defense

[sbk]

And there you have it in a nutshell. You are not from there, you are not part of a family and most likely they feel that sticking their necks out for a farang who lives here only temporarily could possibly earn some long term trouble for someone who has to live the rest of their life here. Its easy enough to ask why they don't help, but they are the ones who will have to live with the long term fallout if something happens and they intervene.

[WaiWai]

you know i am so frustrated with the thai families surrounding me here that i may just move. they know i am a farang girl living alone, and i go out of my way to help them quite often. but when i ask for information or help or even a watchful eye they just brush me off. i have had a couple of weird experiences with the thais around me lately and absolutely no one stepped up to the plate to help me when i needed it, and i don't expect them to if this guy goes off his rocker again. it's like they all have their heads in the sand. guess it is my problem though.

What are these other weird experiences ?

It is not really just your problem, but if it seems you are not being included in the village network, moving definitely needs serious consideration. Imagine how relieved you could feel just by making that decision.

[Andrew Hicks]

inspired by the firearms thread... i live alone (solo female) on an island in the south, and lately there have been many incidents which have shown me that i need some sort of protection for myself nowadays. i have 3 big dogs, but their bark is worse than their bite, and some of the people who might be a threat would know the dogs already. i don't want a gun- i would probably shoot myself in an episode of PMS or something. pepper spray? that's not really that effective is it? there is one mental patient in my village who was oblivious to the blows by 4 large men when he recently went through town waving a knife at people. i doubt pepper spray would deter him if i had a problem with him. does anyone have any good suggestions?

If you hit anyone with pepper spray in the face, they will have trouble breathing, be unable to see and be quite incapacitated. In any event, you should be able to make your escape and that is the goal in any self defense. You should always carry it with you, and they have clip-ons. Keep it on your bedside table. Practice how to use it quickly. At home, get a baseball bat, (you can find them in Chinatown at Khlong tom flea market in Chinatown in Bangkok) and practice swinging it in close quarters. Learn how to move forward fast and swing sideways and low for the legs and knees and groin, and not downward or upward which can be blocked or grabbed and taken away from you. Even a good shin shot will bring anyone down. If you can't find a baseball bat, go to the hardware store and buy a farming implement long wood handle, and have them cut it down to a long club size. Also, those Thai cheap hooked long cutter garden tools would be a good weapon to have close by.

I would highly suggest that every single woman get self defense training. There is a guy who recently advertise a Krav self defense program in Pattaya. I would go do it. Search the sports threads maybe for that.

Finally, I would strongly suggest a backup weapon at your bedside, perhaps under the bed in reach. This is in case you are surpised in bed. Buy a large pointed knife, and in the worst case you will have to use this. Again, practice reaching for it from bed in sleeping position, and make sure the handle is always in the same place. However, I highly discourage using a knife in any other situation without lots of training.

Finally, on the street, make sure you wear a belt, which you can also swing as a weapon with the buckle end in a confrontation.

This topic is deadly serious so I shall make some essential points/queries.

What's a baseball bat? Wouldn't a hockey stick be better for a lady?

Secondly, she needs a back-up weapon in case she's surprised in bed? By her assailant's weapon? Too true she needs back up, but wearing a belt in bed??.

She needs a veritable arsenal, though in view of her mention of PMT, perhaps not WMD.

As in every war, the most important thing perhaps is intelligence... ie knowing what's going on around her and having friends to keep an eye open for her.

Another risk factor for a woman is beig supremely beautiful, so eat well and get grotesquely fat. Trouble is that might be supremely attractive to someone out there.

Choke dee khrap.

[chevykanteve]

inspired by the firearms thread... i live alone (solo female) on an island in the south, and lately there have been many incidents which have shown me that i need some sort of protection for myself nowadays. i have 3 big dogs, but their bark is worse than their bite, and some of the people who might be a threat would know the dogs already. i don't want a gun- i would probably shoot myself in an episode of PMS or something. pepper spray? that's not really that effective is it? there is one mental patient in my village who was oblivious to the blows by 4 large men when he recently went through town waving a knife at people. i doubt pepper spray would deter him if i had a problem with him. does anyone have any good suggestions?

If you hit anyone with pepper spray in the face, they will have trouble breathing, be unable to see and be quite incapacitated. In any event, you should be able to make your escape and that is the goal in any self defense. You should always carry it with you, and they have clip-ons. Keep it on your bedside table. Practice how to use it quickly. At home, get a baseball bat, (you can find them in Chinatown at Khlong tom flea market in Chinatown in Bangkok) and practice swinging it in close quarters. Learn how to move forward fast and swing sideways and low for the legs and knees and groin, and not downward or upward which can be blocked or grabbed and taken away from you. Even a good shin shot will bring anyone down. If you can't find a baseball bat, go to the hardware store and buy a farming implement long wood handle, and have them cut it down to a long club size. Also, those Thai cheap hooked long cutter garden tools would be a good weapon to have close by.

I would highly suggest that every single woman get self defense training. There is a guy who recently advertise a Krav self defense program in Pattaya. I would go do it. Search the sports threads maybe for that.

Finally, I would strongly suggest a backup weapon at your bedside, perhaps under the bed in reach. This is in case you are surpised in bed. Buy a large pointed knife, and in the worst case you will have to use this. Again, practice reaching for it from bed in sleeping position, and make sure the handle is always in the same place. However, I highly discourage using a knife in any other situation without lots of training.

Finally, on the street, make sure you wear a belt, which you can also swing as a weapon with the buckle end in a confrontation.

This topic is deadly serious so I shall make some essential points/queries.

What's a baseball bat? Wouldn't a hockey stick be better for a lady?

Secondly, she needs a back-up weapon in case she's surprised in bed? By her assailant's weapon? Too true she needs back up, but wearing a belt in bed??.

She needs a veritable arsenal, though in view of her mention of PMT, perhaps not WMD.

As in every war, the most important thing perhaps is intelligence... ie knowing what's going on around her and having friends to keep an eye open for her.

Another risk factor for a woman is beig supremely beautiful, so eat well and get grotesquely fat. Trouble is that might be supremely attractive to someone out there.

Choke dee khrap.

Andrew,

The writer was obviously referring to a chastity belt. What other type of belt could she possibly have been wearing in bed? Especially here in Thailand? Get with the times, old boy!!!!

[Ave]

Dogs are man's best friend but can be easily killed by the attacker. A farang girl I knew who was staying in Koh Maak in the rainy season had her only friend (a scary stray dog) poisoned by some locals who didn't like her. She was heavily stoned on a daily basis which was making her even more vulnerable. Fortunately nothing happened to her but she was distraught and left the country.

Perhaps it would also help strengthening your dogs' guarding skills

thanks everyone for your tips. i am trying to not be paranoid but rather prepared. i don't feel unsafe in general, and i have lived here for almost 3 years alone. but i have had 2 guys break into my house before, and though they left politely when i asked them to, maybe next time i wouldn't be so lucky. that is my only real worry. i bought pepper spray in bangkok but i forgot i couldn't take it on the plane! so had to dump it in suvarnabhumi. might look in samui soon.

[Heng]

There really aren't too many "answers" to dealing with multiple attackers -which I think many would agree is THE formula for assault, rape, burglary, etc. in the LOS- ...that would agree with the anti-gun lobby here on TV. You pepper spray one of three guys who come to your house with knives with the intention of having you open your safe for them... vs. you shoot one of them... in one situation, they are going to run away, in the other you're just going to have 2 guys ready to fight and 1 guy pissed off and ready to fight in about 5-10 minutes (or less).

That said, I'm all for 500,000 Baht gun prices, and requiring minimums of say 10,000,000 Baht in the bank to get a license (it's already 1,000,000 nowadays), and online fingerprint scanning at all gun clubs and shops when you make ammo purchases.

Even if you are like Bruce Lee and can kick ass, the best defense is always to avoid conflict. Running away is a good option......do anything possible to avoid having to hurt or possibly kill someone. Learn how to avoid placing yourself in a situation where you must react.

Definitely best to avoid conflict if possible. Sometimes there's nowhere to run though. As mentioned, sometimes you can't run when there are intruders in your home in the middle of the night and you're in a 3rd flood bedroom (although the door is reinforced and can double as a makeshift panic room... for myself I'm going to want to try to clear the intruders out as we have children in other bedrooms, elderly relatives, etc. as well), you are with your wife, girlfriend, children, etc.

[Mai Krap]

you know i am so frustrated with the thai families surrounding me here that i may just move. they know i am a farang girl living alone, and i go out of my way to help them quite often. but when i ask for information or help or even a watchful eye they just brush me off. i have had a couple of weird experiences with the thais around me lately and absolutely no one stepped up to the plate to help me when i needed it, and i don't expect them to if this guy goes off his rocker again. it's like they all have their heads in the sand. guess it is my problem though.

Moving is easy, I have good neigbors where I live now verses bad ones at a couple places in the past. My neigbors are helpful with simple things and I quite like them but I would not expect much from them in a fight in the middle of the night. Even the police will try to avoid confrontation or just underestimate the potential someone has for violence. We used to have a ongoing joke with one police department in America, if you called and said shots were fired it would take twice as long for them to get there as they wanted to make sure all the shooting was completely finished before they arrived. Male or Female, its up to you to save your own hide in Thailand, dont depend on anyone else or you will end up disapointed or dead.

[soundman]

If you are insistent on carrying a weapon, one of those battons used to make som tum would be a good choice. With a good swing you could easily break a bone with it & the police would have no choice but to accept the excuse that you are carrying it around just to make som tum should you feel the sudden urge.

Soundman.

[sbk]

If you are insistent on carrying a weapon, one of those battons used to make som tum would be a good choice. With a good swing you could easily break a bone with it & the police would have no choice but to accept the excuse that you are carrying it around just to make som tum should you feel the sudden urge.

Soundman.

Do you mean a stone pestle?

like in a mortar and pestle?

Darn heavy, it would be difficult to get a good swing in with that one.

[chinthee]

If you are insistent on carrying a weapon, one of those battons used to make som tum would be a good choice. With a good swing you could easily break a bone with it & the police would have no choice but to accept the excuse that you are carrying it around just to make som tum should you feel the sudden urge.

Soundman.

Very funny. However, I don't believe any woman in Thailand would need to worry about police questioning her having weapons. That would be different for a man. I carry a very expensive surgically sharp, precision spyderco quick flip open combat knife with me at all times and know very well how to use it. I hope and pray that I never need to use it in Thailand, but I accept that if I have to use it in Thailand, I will pay hel_l for it, but I'd rather be alive than dead or maimed. I don't need to hear from anybody about why I carry this nor hear any condemnations. I've had the need and used it before, and it's the best way to even the score against multiple assailants.

[soundman]

Do you mean a stone pestle?

like in a mortar and pestle?

Darn heavy, it would be difficult to get a good swing in with that one.

A wooden one actually. Like a 12" long bellaying pin from an old sailing ship. Stone pestle would / should work just fine I think.

But seriously, in addition to Chinthee's post above, I don't think anybody should carry a weapon unless they are proficient in its use. You always hear stories of people that go and buy a gun, no training whatsoever, pull the gun in a tense situation, shoot themselves in the foot, criminal gets gun & a couple of slugs to the gut. Not a pretty picture.

Soundman.

[chinthee]

Yes, absolutely true, do not carry any weapon without extensive training. Again, I keep harping on the effectiveness of pepper spray for women. Mentally stable (ok, debatable), but well prepared people like me are not the only ones who carry concealed weapons. Who knows what type of surprise awaits anyone on the street. Any expert will tell you to everything is unpredictable in any street situation. Don't let anyone get close enough to find out. Especially in girlx situation with a mental patient that has exhibited behaviours already. Girlx, you need to get prepared and stop talking about it!

Pepper spray allows you some distance. I would also very much recommend the "dog spray." It has a longer stream, and could be used against a psycho who was threatening and moving in on you if you're a woman. Again, though, you have to practice, practice, practice, running through drills, knowing how to keep your thumb on the protective cap, and slip into ready position, and making it rote so that you can do it without thinking. I've never seen the dog spray for sale in Thailand, but if you plan a yearly trip abroad you can get it then.

If you doubt its effectiveness, have you ever accidently caught the wind at an outdoor thai restaurant with loose ground chili on the table, and it got into your eyes or nose? Or, even touched your eye after touching ground chili? Try it.

[soundman]

If you doubt its effectiveness, have you ever accidently caught the wind at an outdoor thai restaurant with loose ground chili on the table, and it got into your eyes or nose? Or, even touched your eye after touching ground chili? Try it.

Now this is something I have had personal experience with. Chili juice in the eyes. Very very painful. More painful than a cracked rib or copping one square on the jaw. In fact the only thing I have ever been in more pain from was a five metre fall onto a concrete floor.

Could easily make your own & put it in a small windex squirty type bottle.

[girlx]

And there you have it in a nutshell. You are not from there, you are not part of a family and most likely they feel that sticking their necks out for a farang who lives here only temporarily could possibly earn some long term trouble for someone who has to live the rest of their life here. Its easy enough to ask why they don't help, but they are the ones who will have to live with the long term fallout if something happens and they intervene.

and the same would go for you i'm sure! how many years did it take you to stop being "just a farang"? my guess is you still are just a farang when your husband isn't around. in any case i think that is a despicable reason for not being willing to help someone in distress.

p.s. someone mentioned you can make your own pepper spray... i am guessing just crushed chilis in water? anyone know a recipe?

Edited August 4, 2007 by girlx

[sbk]

And there you have it in a nutshell. You are not from there, you are not part of a family and most likely they feel that sticking their necks out for a farang who lives here only temporarily could possibly earn some long term trouble for someone who has to live the rest of their life here. Its easy enough to ask why they don't help, but they are the ones who will have to live with the long term fallout if something happens and they intervene.

and the same would go for you i'm sure! how many years did it take you to stop being "just a farang"?

Actually, you are incorrect. I am part of a family, my husband is local and, having been married for 18 years, most people do consider me a member of the family and I have had help in the past. People here look out for their own. Sorry if you misunderstood my post, but the fact is that in most people's eyes you are another temporary farang. Not worth going out on a limb for, whereas I am connected to a very large network of people. Yes, through my husband. If I were not married to a local I would be in exactly the same boat as you.

***Aaah, I see you added your little edit after I started posting.

Well, let me ask you this, is it worth someone's life to help you? These people will have to pay the price for possibly helping you while you can just easily move along. They have to live here and deal with the fallout. You do not.

Sorry if you don't find that fair or right, but it is reality.

[PeaceBlondie]

We're having reports here that some posters are not giving this subject the gravity and respect that it deserves. As an absolute pacifist, I never know what kind of martial arts, surgical weapons, chemical spray, etc., might be effective. You could choke him with a Bible, hit him over the head with a Koran, stab him with some sharpened Buddhist Scriptures....I've heard that silver crosses are very effective against werewolves, but I think you need to shove the sharpened end of the cross through the werewolf's chest and heart.....where's Wolfie when we need him?

I've read entire books such as What Would You Do?, compiled by pacifist theologian John Howard Yoder. In that book, Joan Baez writes how they always ask what Grandma is supposed to do when that famous maniac is at the door with his Texas chain-saw, nuclear weapon, AK-47, or whatever. Joanie replies that she'd leave the room and let Grandpa take care of the maniac. She concludes, "You don't get to choose how you're going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you're going to live. Now." Then she says those religious things such as "Love your enemy" and "Thou shalt not kill" and explains why pacifism is totally practical and violence is impractical. But you don't want to hear that on this thread, because it's off topic. Joan Baez also mentions running a bayonet through Grandma; I hope that's not your answer.

[girlx]

SBK- well being family seems to be all well and good until it is a member of your family out causing trouble, and no one wants to take any responsibility for that, do they.

Edited August 4, 2007 by girlx

[AlexLah]

I do not know if it is mentioned in one of the other pages but I would advice to eat lots of garlic everyday and then when you are attacked just breath out in that persons face................

[chinthee]

I do not know if it is mentioned in one of the other pages but I would advice to eat lots of garlic everyday and then when you are attacked just breath out in that persons face................

That is a very unfair tactic I've seen used effectively by many Bangkok taxi drivers to get farangs to descend from their cabs as quickly as possible.

[sbk]

SBK- well being family seems to be all well and good until it is a member of your family out causing trouble, and no one wants to take any responsibility for that, do they.

Not sure where you get these ideas from, but again, you are wrong. My husband had trouble with a cousin and his own brothers came and apologized for his behavior and told him, in front of family, that if he continued to make trouble he would find himself in bigger trouble. If a family member assaulted me, he would pay. Family takes care of its own, at least on my side of the hill. Again, you make the mistake of assuming that TNP is indicative of all Thai people on the island or that the people you know represent everyone here.

But, hey, you never believe a word I say anyway so I wont' bother arguing with you anymore.

Back to the topic, If it were me, I'd go for the baseball bat and pepper spray.

[girlx]

Not sure where you get these ideas from, but again, you are wrong. My husband had trouble with a cousin and his own brothers came and apologized for his behavior and told him, in front of family, that if he continued to make trouble he would find himself in bigger trouble. If a family member assaulted me, he would pay. Family takes care of its own, at least on my side of the hill. Again, you make the mistake of assuming that TNP is indicative of all Thai people on the island or that the people you know represent everyone here.

yes all within the family, i see. what i am saying is this mental guy is part of a large family here who know he is dangerous and should make an effort to prevent his being in a situation without his medication in which he might harm others who are not in their family... but when that comes up, suddenly everyone forgets he's family. no one wants to take responsibility.

[GuestHouse]

I can't help wondering what the need is to stay around trouble.

I'd be out of there by now.

[WaiWai]

We're having reports here that some posters are not giving this subject the gravity and respect that it deserves.

When we have references to PMS & chastity belts ( ho, ho, ho ! ) I know we are seeing an attempt to paint someone as a hysterical female.

Whatever you think, it seems girlx is in a frightening and potentially dangerous situation. Attempting to make fun of her reveals so much about the attitude of some posters, it is almost equally frightening.

Let's just try to give her some good advice.

[PeaceBlondie]

We're having reports here that some posters are not giving this subject the gravity and respect that it deserves.

When we have references to PMS & chastity belts ( ho, ho, ho ! ) I know we are seeing an attempt to paint someone as a hysterical female.

Whatever you think, it seems girlx is in a frightening and potentially dangerous situation. Attempting to make fun of her reveals so much about the attitude of some posters, it is almost equally frightening.

Let's just try to give her some good advice.

Sorry, WaiWai, I had not read all the posts. I would give her the advice of Gandhi, King, Jesus, and some Buddhist monks. And if she still believed her life were in danger and nobody would help her, get out. As GuestHouse said, better not to stay around trouble.

I forget which topic mentioned it lately, probably the one about getting arrested by Thai police, but if you run with wolves and get drunk with idiots and frequent all the wrong places, trouble finds you much faster than it finds other folks.

[Ulysses G.]

If you are insistent on carrying a weapon, one of those battons used to make som tum would be a good choice. With a good swing you could easily break a bone with it & the police would have no choice but to accept the excuse that you are carrying it around just to make som tum should you feel the sudden urge.

Soundman.

A long metal flashlight is better.

That is why the police carry them.

[WaiWai]

Sorry, WaiWai, I had not read all the posts. I would give her the advice of Gandhi, King, Jesus, and some Buddhist monks. And if she still believed her life were in danger and nobody would help her, get out. As GuestHouse said, better not to stay around trouble

.

I agree. It's not right that she should have to, but I think, from all she has said here, that it looks like the best course of action.

Think how nice it would be to explore a new place, girlx. Notice that one other poster said it took a few moves to find good neighbours, but now they're very happy.

I forget which topic mentioned it lately, probably the one about getting arrested by Thai police, but if you run with wolves and get drunk with idiots and frequent all the wrong places, trouble finds you much faster than it finds other folks.

We're suggesting this now, about girlx ??

Edited August 4, 2007 by WaiWai

[soundman]

A long metal flashlight is better.

That is why the police carry them.

You'd look like a cat burglar carrying around a 15" long maglite! Great tool to clobber something with though...

[meemiathai]

If you are insistent on carrying a weapon, one of those battons used to make som tum would be a good choice. With a good swing you could easily break a bone with it & the police would have no choice but to accept the excuse that you are carrying it around just to make som tum should you feel the sudden urge.

Soundman.

Best advice!

[Ulysses G.]

A long metal flashlight is better.

That is why the police carry them.

You'd look like a cat burglar carrying around a 15" long maglite! Great tool to clobber something with though...

A guy would keep it in his gym bag. It is probably too easy to take it away from a girl.

[meemiathai]

If you are insistent on carrying a weapon, one of those battons used to make som tum would be a good choice. With a good swing you could easily break a bone with it & the police would have no choice but to accept the excuse that you are carrying it around just to make som tum should you feel the sudden urge.

Soundman.

Very funny. However, I don't believe any woman in Thailand would need to worry about police questioning her having weapons. That would be different for a man. I carry a very expensive surgically sharp, precision spyderco quick flip open combat knife with me at all times and know very well how to use it. I hope and pray that I never need to use it in Thailand, but I accept that if I have to use it in Thailand, I will pay hel_l for it, but I'd rather be alive than dead or maimed. I don't need to hear from anybody about why I carry this nor hear any condemnations. I've had the need and used it before, and it's the best way to even the score against multiple assailants.

I carry a very expensive, sharp, sober, fast processing brain with me at all times and know very well how to use it. I leave a place as soon as I do not feel comfortable.

I will not live in a place where I think I would need guns or machetes. Well of course unless if I have no choice.