Whilst I was back in the UK a guy who lives opposite me got chatting whilst waiting for our car to be serviced. He’s been in and out of jail all his life, ranging from a lot of drugs offenses, but particularly a lot of violence, and was last locked up for horrific attack on his girlfriend. He’s one of those really bad lowlifes you meet, never worked a day in his life but thinks everyone owes him something.

Anyways he tells me “I’M GETTING OUT OF THIS S*** HOLE AND MOVING TO SOUTH EAST ASIA ME”.

Meanwhile he gets generous government handouts, free help (cos he got a drink problem innit), and a free house. So much for being a hole.

You know what country they’re talking about when they mutter those infamous words ‘south east Asia’. He tells me he’s moving to Thailand, got some ‘connections’ going on there.

I am just curious what is attracting these criminals to Thailand ?

What is in it for Thailand ? They will come to Thailand to try and earn money, which will follow a criminal path. He will be bringing his violence to Thailand, that will not change. Some innocent poor soul is going to get their head smashed in.

We are already seen such awful behaviour all over social media, our own experiences of badly behaved visitors. Yet there appears to be no push back by those in charge. Instead on the contrary they seem to be wanting more.

I know a lot of Thais are getting increasingly frustrated. Whilst i get tourism is vital to the country, why is it exporting in so much horrific individuals without any checks and balances. The only ones not seemingly concerned are those in charge. Property developers do benefit.

If there are checks and balances please tell me what they are. My sister was denied an ESTA for America because of a driving offense she committed ten years ago, but seemingly no checks on going to Thailand for anyone.

Where in any of the process are criminal record checks for long stays? If not, then what is the motivation for not requesting this? Every country has a criminal check body.

You read the papers, and literally every criminal runs of to Thailand. Pick up another paper and another Brit caught smuggling drugs out of Thailand.

We come for the beautiful Thai culture, lovely people yet the country is being diluted by just mass open immigration. You see racists complain about immigration in their own country, but the exact same is happening here with mass open immigration.

As someone posted the other day why do these violent thugs not behave like this in Dubai? They don’t behave this way in Malaysia or Singapore either.

It’s just a getting a bit depressing of late.

The lowlifes have always been attracted to countries with reputation for very slack law enforcement.

IF he has carried out any sentences and paid fines for his past actions - then he's free to travel wherever he wishes (within the bounds of the law).

Fortunately, the average member of population does not decide who can and cannot travel.

I get your point about 'wrong-un' being here - but they have as much right to be here as we do... until they don't.

As a counter to your comment - I see perfectly resonable law abiding people, come here and drive / ride drunk etc.

If this guy is as bad as you say - then trouble will find him and he'll be deported soon enough anyway - fortunately, these characters are attracted to same area's and are easily avoided.

21 minutes ago, Bally Jaggers said:

Some innocent poor soul is going to get their head smashed in.

I feel sorry for people working as bouncers in clubs. He will inevitably end up drunk and violent in a bar somewhere. Although bouncers maybe enjoy that stuff.

If you avoid bars where most of these folks hang out, Thailand feels a lot safer than back home.

Back home, I nearly got attacked on 3 or 4 separate occasions for no apparent reason. Just wrong place at the wrong time and some thug decided he needed someone to beat up on.

Western countries have by far the highest proportion of crazy and dangerous people on the planet maybe? Must be the fluoride in the water.

1 minute ago, save the frogs said:

Just wrong place at the wrong time and some thug decided he needed someone to beat up on.

Then don't go into the "wrong places" at any time"!

🍻🥊

The level of violence and these criminal types you see in Thailand now have increased massively after Covid.

Some very soft policing (due to government policy of not wanting to offend tourists), and relaxed drug laws have attracted these sorts.

It's been an eye opener of late how many people are just openly doing drugs. That was never the case in the past.

I am not sure why there is no criminal record check for DTV, etc It's certainly been designed with flaws, which seems very deliberate.

What happened to those 'death penalty' signs at the airport for drugs - who took them down and why ?

8 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

The level of violence and these criminal types you see in Thailand now have increased massively after Covid.

Some very soft policing (due to government policy of not wanting to offend tourists), and relaxed drug laws have attracted these sorts.

It's been an eye opener of late how many people are just openly doing drugs. That was never the case in the past.

I am not sure why there is no criminal record check for DTV, etc It's certainly been designed with flaws, which seems very deliberate.

What happened to those 'death penalty' signs at the airport for drugs - who took them down and why ?

Walking around in the UK, (where I am currently, but maybe not for long..), I seem to smell the same amount of cannabis smoke as I did in Thailand and Laos :)

3 hours ago, simon43 said:

Walking around in the UK, (where I am currently, but maybe not for long..), I seem to smell the same amount of cannabis smoke as I did in Thailand and Laos :)

Not really. Like most countries people smoke it, but i rarely if ever has smelt it around any city centre. It's also legal in some states of America, but strictly enforced against any public smoking. If you are caught smoking cannabis in California in public you face jail time. That is the problem in Thailand - they simply cannot enforce the law and have the resources to police people not smoking it in public. So you essentially have a free for all - and the image of soft policing, lawless Thailand.

This of course then opens up the scene to harder drugs. And i'm shocked lately at the volume that is flooding Thailand. The criminal element itself entering Thailand and pushing it on a grand scale.

Mix all this into the pot and you have the bad behaviour.

On 1/23/2026 at 11:01 PM, DonniePeverley said:

Not really. Like most countries people smoke it, but i rarely if ever has smelt it around any city centre. It's also legal in some states of America, but strictly enforced against any public smoking. If you are caught smoking cannabis in California in public you face jail time. That is the problem in Thailand - they simply cannot enforce the law and have the resources to police people not smoking it in public. So you essentially have a free for all - and the image of soft policing, lawless Thailand.

This of course then opens up the scene to harder drugs. And i'm shocked lately at the volume that is flooding Thailand. The criminal element itself entering Thailand and pushing it on a grand scale.

Mix all this into the pot and you have the bad behaviour.

I walked out of Boots this morning - there were a group of young teens, about 14 years old - all smoking joints in broad daylight....

On 1/23/2026 at 5:38 PM, save the frogs said:

I feel sorry for people working as bouncers in clubs. He will inevitably end up drunk and violent in a bar somewhere. Although bouncers maybe enjoy that stuff.

Where does it mention bouncer in the OP?

On 1/24/2026 at 1:58 AM, simon43 said:

Walking around in the UK, (where I am currently, but maybe not for long..), I seem to smell the same amount of cannabis smoke as I did in Thailand and Laos :)

What has cannabis smoking to do with violence?

On 1/23/2026 at 1:43 PM, DonniePeverley said:

The level of violence and these criminal types you see in Thailand now have increased massively after Covid.

Some very soft policing (due to government policy of not wanting to offend tourists), and relaxed drug laws have attracted these sorts.

It's been an eye opener of late how many people are just openly doing drugs. That was never the case in the past.

I am not sure why there is no criminal record check for DTV, etc It's certainly been designed with flaws, which seems very deliberate.

What happened to those 'death penalty' signs at the airport for drugs - who took them down and why ?

I'll have to have a word with my mates wife... she sparked up a joint and we all had a laugh...

... didn't realised the next time we all go on holiday we're going go mental on meth...

Marijuana is no more a 'gateway' drug than alcohol is...

On 1/23/2026 at 6:01 PM, DonniePeverley said:

. If you are caught smoking cannabis in California in public you face jail time.

Isn't it just a fine treated the same as smoking tobacco in prohibited areas ?

Foreigners don't understand that Thai prisons are totally different from elsewhere. Their job is to punish, not rehabilitate, criminals. I have to visit prisons now and then as part of my work and the foreign prisoners don't look so confident after a few years. It just isn't worth it.

Not all South East Asia

I see Philippines have arrested another vlogger foreigner yesterday

If you behave the same way in say Angeles City as Pattaya what happens?

If you recall they arrested famous vlogger Vitaly as well you yesterday posted his smuggled video out of the Philippines prison he was in

RATS !!! Mosquitos he said and showed from his prison cell on his bribed phone ...he was sharing a cell with African guys,he posted this yesterday on YouTube, unfortunately still joking in his prison cell "don't drop the soap "

I love Vitaly

Thailand needs to be like the Philippines and arrest foreigners and jail them just like Vitaly

An 78yo American man is in jail in Philippines Cebu for growing a marijuana plant for 3 years

I see all vloggers have now left the Philippines....good riddance

When I applied for residency in Thailand at the the Thai embassy as a UK national living in Switzerland, (Zurich) for four years, 2006-2010, with a residence permit. one of the conditions was i had to produce a document from the UK police showing if any my police record, in my case there was none which was stated in the document. what has happened to that procedure.

3 hours ago, himmel said:

When I applied for residency in Thailand . . . .

These guys aren't applying for residency. They'll be doing any sort of mix of visas/exemptions etc which don't require police checks.

13 hours ago, Purdey said:

Foreigners don't understand that Thai prisons are totally different from elsewhere. Their job is to punish, not rehabilitate, criminals. I have to visit prisons now and then as part of my work and the foreign prisoners don't look so confident after a few years. It just isn't worth it.

Good. I think people should definitely not want to return to jail or regard it as a kind of rite of passage. People should be frightened of jail.

But no rehabilitation is a recipe for recidivism. Anyone seen how the Japanese run their jails? Watch a documentary on it. It's a real eye opener. It ain't Wandsworth Toto.

Having said that, one of the few things I agree with US justice for is 'life without parole'. Or multiple life sentences to be served consecutively lol. There are some who are not reachable for rehabilitation or whose crimes were beyond horrific and I simply want them off the streets. Don't want to run the chance of me or a loved one suddenly bumping into them when they've had a skinful and the girlfriend just dumped 'em and they can't find any gear and isn't life so cruel and I'm so angry. Sod that.

Every country should have an Angola.

5 hours ago, himmel said:

When I applied for residency in Thailand at the the Thai embassy as a UK national living in Switzerland, (Zurich) for four years, 2006-2010, with a residence permit. one of the conditions was i had to produce a document from the UK police showing if any my police record, in my case there was none which was stated in the document. what has happened to that procedure.

I was required once to produce a police record in order to spend some time as a monk in Thailand lol ...

On 1/23/2026 at 11:12 AM, Bally Jaggers said:

I know a lot of Thais are getting increasingly frustrated. Whilst i get tourism is vital to the country, why is it exporting in so much horrific individuals without any checks and balances. The only ones not seemingly concerned are those in charge. Property developers do benefit.

I think the idea that "tourism is vital to the country" (which the current Thai government espouses) is a flawed one. Tourism-based economies are incredibly fragile and this push to bring as many farangs as possible into the country at all costs doesn't seem to be based on a solid long-term strategy: what are they doing with the cash coming in? Developing more tourism-oriented infrastucture, or investing in their domestic resources and economy?

Thailand used to have a solid economy based on rice and seafood exports, as well as pillars such as rubber and automotive parts production. This is what allowed the country to absorb climatic or political crises such as the 2011 floods or the 2014 coup. Had it been a fully-fledged touristic economy in those days, it would have been hit a lot harder.

What is the real plan with this current endeavour to make Thailand 'just another stopover for the global citizen'? I'm not impressed by what I am seeing so far.

No news here.

The first thing I noticed when I came to Thailand is that it's full of prison leftovers from the West.

49 minutes ago, pub2022 said:

No news here.

The first thing I noticed when I came to Thailand is that it's full of prison leftovers from the West.

What were you in prison for before you came to Thailand ????

On 1/26/2026 at 12:33 AM, simon43 said:

I walked out of Boots this morning - there were a group of young teens, about 14 years old - all smoking joints in broad daylight....

Minehead hasn't changed much then, that's down to Butlins, or at least the workers...