Pickpocket At Asoke-nana

[Boudak]

Crack is not heroin. Crack is a street name for cocaine. Crack is in a rock form of cocaine powder. Cocaine is snorted up the nose and crack is free-based and smoked. Heroin is a differemt bad monkey. Avoid it all!

[bizman]

This problem is seriously getting out of control. Prime areas I've encountered are at the entrance to Nana, walking soi 4 between Nana and Omni, just around the corner from Nana on Sukhumvit, and especially walking between Robinson's and Soi 15. All of these areas have groups of ladyboy's that are apparently immune from police intervention. I confronted the "pack" near Soi 15 and tried calling the police. After 5 minutes of waiting for someone to answer, I finally just hung up and left.

Until Bangkok gets its police under strict control, things are only going to get worse. And it's not just with the pickpockets! Last week as I was walking down Sukhumvit near Soi 12 and stepping around mounds of garbage and avoiding thais urinating along the pavement, I had just the rolled into a little ball filter remains of a cigarette in my hand. I flicked it down amongst other trash and was stopped by one of the boys in brown and promptly fined a 1,000 baht.

My advice? Stay away! It's only going to get worse.

[Ping]

^Close - it wasn't a fine, it was tea money. The correct fine (I believe) is B2000 - someone will correct me if I'm wrong. It had its genesis as an official crackdown on littering by the local authorities, which erected little police boxes at various places around some parts of the city. The fine is out of step with the usual penalties (much higher than any traffic offence that doesn't get you locked-up) and, being a good earner, developed into a lovely little scheme that started running in Bangkok about five years or so years ago. Usually they tell you the correct fine but then seem to take compassion and offer a 'first offender' discount of B500 - so you must have looked like you could afford the extra. I actually thought that this practice had ceased. I got nabbed soon after this scam started and they had already pocketed the B500, but after much persistent ducking, weaving and shared laughs, I got them down to shouting a couple of B10 drinks from the nearby 7/11 and they handed me the B500 back. Mind you, that was the last time I was in Bangkok (I don't particularly like that part of the country); but the scam is well known. (Pity that they spent so much on those little police boxes but didn't bother to put any litter bins around.)

[huggybear]

I posted this as a warning. This guy did not get my money but he did get away. I made this post so someone else on thaivisa.com would not get victimized by this guy. However, I guess some wise guys think that they are too "smart" for something like this to happen to them. When it does happen to you, maybe I'll be there to laugh at you!

A long time ago, maybe 10 years ago a German pal and I walked into a disco, and my pal felt a pull, reached back just as his wallet was being passed to someone else, then someone else, then gone.......he grabbed the guy immediately behind him, who shrugged and put his hands up, "Arai, Arai?"

My lesson learned. I don't carry a wallet when I go out in Thailand. It's a clip with my cash, ID and ATM card, in my front pocket.

[mauiguy90]

A long time ago, maybe 10 years ago a German pal and I walked into a disco, and my pal felt a pull, reached back just as his wallet was being passed to someone else, then someone else, then gone.......he grabbed the guy immediately behind him, who shrugged and put his hands up, "Arai, Arai?"

My lesson learned. I don't carry a wallet when I go out in Thailand. It's a clip with my cash, ID and ATM card, in my front pocket.

Hey Huggybear,

Fancy meeting you here! Sage advice from a true gentleman! (Hope you enjoyed the games this weekend!)

MG

[burman]

Keep the wallet in your front pocket, should never have a problem.

[philliphn]

It is foolish to walk around with a Back Pack, in that it says, look at me I am a tourist, and don't know my way around!

To keep your wallet in the Back Pack is also even more foolish.

If you keep your wallet in your back pocket you are asking for it.

They are able to pick pickpocket your front pocket as well. This is more difficult, but they do it.

If going out for the evening it is wise not to carry more funds than you expect to spend that evening.

[mauiguy90]

It is foolish to walk around with a Back Pack, in that it says, look at me I am a tourist, and don't know my way around!

Whoa!!!...Backpack sales are dropping by the thousands! Street vendors around Bangkok are closing their businesses as we speak!

On that subject, I did speak to some thai friends who said that there is increased theft in many areas around Bangkok, including thai neighborhoods, where thieves wait outside homes until people leave their homes then break in. There are also many incidents of motorcycle thieves ridding by grabbing purses and other items from unsuspecting victims including the Sukhumvit area(try telling your wife not to carry a purse!). Although it is now high season, lots of thai are out of jobs due to the economic slowdown. Coming to a neighborhood near you!!!

P.S. I travel light nowadays but still use my "shoulder pack" to carry my gym clothes and tennis gear around, as do many others that travel around the city. Have a good day!

Edited January 22, 2008 by mauiguy90

[garnet]

somthing was taken from my small backpack last thursday in exactly the same area as the OP

sukhumvit soi 8 soi 6 soi4

i have walked this area pretty much everyday for the past 4 years with this backpack going to

and from my gym without anything like this happening so it seems more than a coincidence

that this should take place the next day

all that was taken was a spectacle case containing 100 baht spectacles but it would have required

considerable skill to lift them without alerting me that somthing was happening

some people have mentioned gangs of ladyboys but i think this is more a problem of the evening

what happened to me was in broad daylight about noon

it seems extraordinary that someone could carry this off in this area at this time of day without

other people witnessing what was going on so be on the alert maybe theres a gang specifically

working this area at the moment

[blizzard]

does the elevator reach the top floor as far as theses gangs go. i mean they must understand backpacks are not usually where the valuables are.

[selftaopath]

As an old bangkok hand I should have known better, but last year i was walking near the pantip area (opposite side near Pratunam) and there are areas of the sidewalk that are impassible with hords of people. I was walking with a mate of mine and noticed that my wallet was lifted, but unlike the afformentioned thief, I believe the crooks in this area are female.

Stupid as it may sound, but having a female push up behind me didn't draw my suspicion. Needless to say the Tourist police had nothing to offer other than with a chuckle "you need to be careful, this area very bad". Lucky for me I live here so replacing the credit cards, bank cards was relatively painless (except bangkok bank of course) but can only imagine what tourists go through when this happens to them.

I for one now put my wallet in a front pocket when around these types of crowds - the way I figure it, if some gal is gonna reach in there to take it, she will be the one in for a surprise.

Repeatedly I read/hear "Thai police do nothing." Now it even includes tourist police. Man o' man.

Thanks for the heads up and a reminder that the Thai Security or Police will not be helpfull when you need them.

That punk needs his face smashed in.

[huggybear]

A long time ago, maybe 10 years ago a German pal and I walked into a disco, and my pal felt a pull, reached back just as his wallet was being passed to someone else, then someone else, then gone.......he grabbed the guy immediately behind him, who shrugged and put his hands up, "Arai, Arai?"

My lesson learned. I don't carry a wallet when I go out in Thailand. It's a clip with my cash, ID and ATM card, in my front pocket.

Hey Huggybear,

Fancy meeting you here! Sage advice from a true gentleman! (Hope you enjoyed the games this weekend!)

MG

Hey bra,

oooooyyyy my Chargers went down, best running back in football out, QB coming off midweek surgery............

Cheers bra,

HB

[mauiguy90]

A long time ago, maybe 10 years ago a German pal and I walked into a disco, and my pal felt a pull, reached back just as his wallet was being passed to someone else, then someone else, then gone.......he grabbed the guy immediately behind him, who shrugged and put his hands up, "Arai, Arai?"

My lesson learned. I don't carry a wallet when I go out in Thailand. It's a clip with my cash, ID and ATM card, in my front pocket.

Hey Huggybear,

Fancy meeting you here! Sage advice from a true gentleman! (Hope you enjoyed the games this weekend!)

MG

Hey bra,

oooooyyyy my Chargers went down, best running back in football out, QB coming off midweek surgery............

Cheers bra,

HB

Huggy Bear,

They made a good run, beat the 2nd best team in the league and made Patsfangr happy. All this with a limping QB, LT out and a number of walking wounded. Can't ask more of them, if you ask me...

[mauiguy90]

As an old bangkok hand I should have known better, but last year i was walking near the pantip area (opposite side near Pratunam) and there are areas of the sidewalk that are impassible with hords of people. I was walking with a mate of mine and noticed that my wallet was lifted, but unlike the afformentioned thief, I believe the crooks in this area are female.

Stupid as it may sound, but having a female push up behind me didn't draw my suspicion. Needless to say the Tourist police had nothing to offer other than with a chuckle "you need to be careful, this area very bad". Lucky for me I live here so replacing the credit cards, bank cards was relatively painless (except bangkok bank of course) but can only imagine what tourists go through when this happens to them.

I for one now put my wallet in a front pocket when around these types of crowds - the way I figure it, if some gal is gonna reach in there to take it, she will be the one in for a surprise.

Repeatedly I read/hear "Thai police do nothing." Now it even includes tourist police. Man o' man.

Thanks for the heads up and a reminder that the Thai Security or Police will not be helpfull when you need them.

That punk needs his face smashed in.

If you ask me, the police are here for show only. Sometimes that's good enough, but most of them time they are there to serve thai people and only thai people. Friend of mine had his apartment broken into 'cept that he was at home when it happened. When he reported those people to the police, they told him "Why you lie about these good people?", laughed at him and sent him home. In any case, the government aparrently doesn't think much of them either since they don't equip the police with cars or motorcycles to pursue criminals. Guess it might be a blessing as they might run over some of us for sport....

[siam2007]

Certainly glad he got his wallet back, but who would keep their wallet in a pocket in a backpack while walking down a busy tourist street in a major thrid world capital?

TH

couldnt agree more.....

[mauiguy90]

Certainly glad he got his wallet back, but who would keep their wallet in a pocket in a backpack while walking down a busy tourist street in a major thrid world capital?

TH

couldnt agree more.....

At least I caught the guy who took my wallet. Since you come from "Groongthep", you apparently didn't catch the guy who stole your dictionary!

Edited January 26, 2008 by mauiguy90