Travel U.S. Upgrades Thailand Travel Advisory, With Warnings for the South

[webfact]

Picture courtesy of wikipedia

 

Thailand gets a green light from Uncle Sam but tourists visiting the south should tread carefully. The US State Department recently upgraded its travel advisory for Thailand, confirming it's generally safe for explorers, according to Sasikarn Watthanachan, Thailand's deputy government spokesperson.

 

The bulk of the country is now at a “Level 1” advisory, indicating tourists should “exercise normal precautions”—equivalent to advice for places like Iceland and New Zealand.

 

This reassures visitors that Thai hotspots like Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi, and Chiang Mai are welcoming adventurers with open arms and minor caution.

 

However, it's not all golden beaches and bustling markets. The southern provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, and Songkhla are marked with a “Level 2” advisory. Here, travellers are urged to be more vigilant due to sporadic violence and insurgency-related unrest.

 

These areas remain under a state of emergency, limiting the US government’s ability to offer emergency services, warns the US State Department.

 

While the broader Thailand canvas remains a vibrant playground for tourists, the southern provinces tell a different story. Insurgent activities have led to ongoing security concerns, with the potential for civil unrest.

 

Despite the US's cautionary stance towards the south, tourists can still indulge in Thailand’s rich culture and landscapes, just with eyes wide open.

 

In summary, while most of Thailand presents a safe bet for tourists eager to dive into its wonders, heightened awareness is warranted in the southern reaches. 

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Thai PBS World 2025-06-17

 

 

[PeterA]

When is the travel advisory coming out for the USA? I am sure by now everyone already knows. 

[Harrisfan]

USA - level 5 crackpots. 

[kiwikeith]

34 minutes ago, PeterA said:

When is the travel advisory coming out for the USA? I am sure by now everyone already knows. 

Wear a bullet proof vest 

The USA has turned Russia, Ukraine and the Middle East into mad houses along with Israel 

[Cat Boy]

2 hours ago, PeterA said:

When is the travel advisory coming out for the USA? I am sure by now everyone already knows. 

Agreed, I feel safest being a hemisphere away from the US.

 

With each passing year since coming to Thailand in '05, that feeling grows.

 

And the very first aspect of Thailand I felt at that time was safety.

 

Having been violently mugged in San Francisco in the mid-90s, it would be impossible to overstate the importance of safety in day-to-day life and well-being. 

 

Its too bothersome, and expensive, to renounce American citizenship, and obtaining citizenship elsewhere has its own challenges, with Thailand virtually impossible, still, at 1,900 baht a year for a retirement extension of stay, Thailand remains near and dear to my heart, my forever home, disregarding the accident of birth having been born in the US. 

[hotsun]

4 minutes ago, Cat Boy said:

Agreed, I feel safest being a hemisphere away from the US.

 

With each passing year since coming to Thailand in '05, that feeling grows.

 

And the very first aspect of Thailand I felt at that time was safety.

 

Having been violently mugged in San Francisco in the mid-90s, it would be impossible to overstate the importance of safety in day-to-day life and well-being. 

 

Its too bothersome, and expensive, to renounce American citizenship, and obtaining citizenship elsewhere has its own challenges, with Thailand virtually impossible, still, at 1,900 baht a year for a retirement extension of stay, Thailand remains near and dear to my heart, my forever home, disregarding the accident of birth having been born in the US. 

Deaths per capita of both countries are around the same. Your feelings of safety are an illusion

[Cat Boy]

8 minutes ago, hotsun said:

Deaths per capita of both countries are around the same. Your feelings of safety are an illusion

Your only reference is to deaths per capita, by which I presume you mean murder, which, is roughly, as you say, analogous. 

 

However in virtually every other aspect of theft, minor and violent crime, and drug use, Thailand far and away outranks the US in terms of safety. 

 

My feeling of safety is not an illusion, though caution is always important as it's easy for anyone to fall into a false sence of security. 

 

See crime statistical comparison across the board for Thailand vs the US :

 

https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/Thailand/United-States/Crime

[hotsun]

1 minute ago, Cat Boy said:

Your only reference is to deaths per capita, by which I presume you mean murder, which, is roughly, as you say, analogous. 

 

However in virtually every other aspect of theft, minor and violent crime, and drug use, Thailand far and away outranks the US in terms of safety. 

 

My feeling of safety is not an illusion, though caution is always important as it's easy for anyone to fall into a false sence of security. 

 

See crime statistical comparison across the board for Thailand vs the US :

 

https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/Thailand/United-States/Crime

The air and the roads more than make up for it, and the fact that thai people dont do things with safety in mind. Your feelings of safety are misplaced.

[johng]

2 hours ago, kiwikeith said:

Wear a bullet proof vest 

Bizarrely  Thailand classifies a bullet proof vest as a weapon of war !

[Cat Boy]

10 minutes ago, hotsun said:

The air and the roads more than make up for it, and the fact that thai people dont do things with safety in mind. Your feelings of safety are misplaced.

That's entirely subjective. 

 

You do you. 

 

I stand by my choice. 

 

I'm not judging yours as "misguided", just not something I care to be a part of, I lived there 44 years, that's enough. 

 

You can have it. 

 

If anything, Vietnam, Taiwan or even Portugal might be a future backup, but not the US. 

 

If anything, healthcare makes that absolute and irreversible. 

[TedG]

21 minutes ago, Cat Boy said:

Your only reference is to deaths per capita, by which I presume you mean murder, which, is roughly, as you say, analogous. 

 

However in virtually every other aspect of theft, minor and violent crime, and drug use, Thailand far and away outranks the US in terms of safety. 

 

My feeling of safety is not an illusion, though caution is always important as it's easy for anyone to fall into a false sence of security. 

 

See crime statistical comparison across the board for Thailand vs the US :

 

https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/Thailand/United-States/Crime

 

To stay safe you need to avoid the big blue cities run by progressives. 

[hotsun]

4 minutes ago, Cat Boy said:

That's entirely subjective. 

 

You do you. 

 

I stand by my choice. 

 

I'm not judging yours as "misguided", just not something I care to be a part of, I lived there 44 years, that's enough. 

 

You can have it. 

 

If anything, Vietnam, Taiwan or even Portugal might be a future backup, but not the US. 

 

If anything, healthcare makes that absolute and irreversible. 

Im glad you brought up healthcare. If i had health problems i know where id rather be. You get what you pay for

[Cat Boy]

1 minute ago, TedG said:

 

To stay safe you need to avoid the big blue cities run by progressives. 

Statistically, it would appear the data you've based your comment on is incorrect. 

 

https://gigafact.org/fact-briefs/do-red-states-rank-higher-in-violent-crime-rates-than-blue-states/

[kiwikeith]

8 minutes ago, johng said:

Bizarrely  Thailand classifies a bullet proof vest as a weapon of war !

probably for civilians, they are fair prey to idiots, but not the army or police, how stupid

[hotsun]

8 minutes ago, Cat Boy said:

Statistically, it would appear the data you've based your comment on is incorrect. 

 

https://gigafact.org/fact-briefs/do-red-states-rank-higher-in-violent-crime-rates-than-blue-states/

Im not concerned about getting mugged as i dont live in San Francisco. I am afraid of the way thai people drive though. Its true, its subjective. The stats show both countries are similar though, dangerous in different ways

[Cat Boy]

Just now, hotsun said:

Im not concerned about getting mugged as i dont live in San Francisco. I am afraid of the way thai people drive though. Its true, its subjective. The stats show both countries are similar though, dangerous in different ways

I ride a bicycle 🚲, every day, in Bangkok for the past 14 years. 

 

Obviously bicycles have their own dangers. 

 

Still, one cannot live one's life in fear. 

 

With that said, highway mortality rates in Thailand are indeed alarming, and haven't improved. 

 

Largely these deaths are motorcycle drivers, and their passengers, more often than not adolescents, and mainly in provinces. 

 

Years ago I got a Thai drivers license after my US license had expired. I thought if I ever went back to the US on holiday, I'd have to rent a car, so feeble is public transit there. 

 

With that said, I never used it, not once in 6 years, not in the US, I never returned, and not in Thailand, why sit in traffic, and it's not safe. 

 

If I never drove an automobile again, I'd be fine, I've got my bicycle, that's enough 

[TedG]

15 minutes ago, Cat Boy said:

Statistically, it would appear the data you've based your comment on is incorrect. 

 

https://gigafact.org/fact-briefs/do-red-states-rank-higher-in-violent-crime-rates-than-blue-states/

My statement is correct. I said cities run by progressives.   The progressives have decided not to prosecute property crimes like shoplifting, which has led to an uptick in crime.   For instance, never leave anything in a parked car in Washington, DC, Richmond, VA, or San Francisco.  If your car is broken into, it's a waste of time to report to the police.  The city does not care. 

If you are from the US,  you know the crime hotspots. 

[hotsun]

6 minutes ago, Cat Boy said:

I ride a bicycle 🚲, every day, in Bangkok for the past 14 years. 

 

Obviously bicycles have their own dangers. 

 

Still, one cannot live one's life in fear. 

 

With that said, highway mortality rates in Thailand are indeed alarming, and haven't improved. 

 

Largely these deaths are motorcycle drivers, and their passengers, more often than not adolescents, and mainly in provinces. 

 

Years ago I got a Thai drivers license after my US license had expired. I thought if I ever went back to the US on holiday, I'd have to rent a car, so feeble is public transit there. 

 

With that said, I never used it, not once in 6 years, not in the US, I never returned, and not in Thailand, why sit in traffic, and it's not safe. 

 

If I never drove an automobile again, I'd be fine, I've got my bicycle, that's enough 

Yep, just got back from a trip from the province. Not doing it again. And crime is something easily avoided unless youre poor