Loy Kratong - Good Luck To Bad Luck This Evening For Me

[kaz49]

Yes, really stupid i know, wasnt wearing the money belt but had it in my small shoulder bag, placed shoulder to hip and in front of me. At the river front at Saphin Taskin under the bridge where it gets shoulder to shoulder. Unzipped bag pulled out camera in left hand, kratong in the other, didnt close zip on bag it had jammed,  tried to turn back in the crowd, and two women, one quite elderly just linked arms and refused to let me back step, so quickly moved to the right near a brick wall, too late it had been slipped out in a second. Funny thing was, as I turned to face the group, not a soul in sight, at least ten people had just disappeared and there was a big gap where a few minutes before it was crowded to get to the waters edge.  Anyways lesson learnt big time.  Passport, credit card, cash etc all gone. Didnt take any of that stuff last year, but thought I might duck up to central world later and see if that was open in the evening and do some shopping.

Anyway blow the kratong just left it on the ground and high tailed it back through the crowds to find a BIB. Took ages finally found two together they didnt speak a lot of english but they were really nice.  Asked me if I wanted to go to the police station and make a report or just go home.  I wanted to go straight to the nearest station at Surasak and make a report and cancel my cards etc while there, but couldnt remember exactly where the station was located.  They went off searching for a motor bike taxi and one of them gave the moto driver 20baht to take me to the station, he then gave me 100baht and said it was OK because it was an emergency, I thanked him etc. and asked him for his phone number, and name and promised to return it.  He was a bit apprehensive about giving me his mobile number at first  (yes, just another pushy farang lady I know!).  He wrote down his name and mobile number.

After a lengthy time at the police station, I happened to mention the good deed of this young policeman to the head guy (put in a good word more or less) and he laughed and said it wasnt very far and I probably could have walked!!!!!yes well, I just smiled etc. They were all nice there too actually, and they were very busy handling a car accident report, and another guy who's wallet had been taken from his back pocket at the same place. They also did check with me that I had enough money for a taxi to get home before I left.

I will get a Thai friend to phone said policeman on my behalf to return the money.  Should I give him a tip, if so how much? Would he lose face or something if I gave him extra, it is after all a small amount for me. Would it be appropriate to buy a small Thai gift/card, maybe not appropriate?  Should it be in an envelope? Also wont ask him to my apartment of course, (ummmm, although the thought has crossed my mind!?ha, ha, joking of course..dream on...)   not keen to leave money at the police station for him to collect unless he will be there.  Any suggestions? Advice?

tks

PS apologies for the rant, but probably still in shock, and annoyed at myself for being complacent with my stuff and for not getting my offering for the New Year in the river..

To be continued with more threads e.g. how to get my latest visa into a new passport?

 

[katana]

Sorry about your loss. Nice to hear a positive story about the BIB for once!

[bruceboy]

Could have been worse I guess. Good luck!

[photojourn]

Lesson #1 for being in a foreign country. NEVER let anyone you don't know embrace you or touch you like that. So much for maintaining a high level of personal security and awareness.

[jackr]

Lesson #1 for being in a foreign country. NEVER let anyone you don't know embrace you or touch you like that. So much for maintaining a high level of personal security and awareness.

Hey, smart ass; according to the op, she didn't let them link arms, they manhandled her. Instead of imparting your pedantry will-nilly, offer up some useful info or, better still, bugger off elsewhere.

Kaz49, sorry to hear about your misfortune. Met you at the CM TV party on the weekend, nice lady.

Don't know what type of visa you had, but it maybe possible to get an extension to save overstaying by taking the police report to your embassy/consulate, getting it certified and then hot-footing it to immigration with your new passport. You won't be able to get a new non-immigrant visa within Thailand if that's what you had but best to start a thread in the visa forum to bend the ear of the visa crew. Hope it all works out. All the best.

[popshirt]

Last year I was at Saphan Taksin on Loy Kratong in a similar crush of people. I was suddenly aware of a movement at my front pocket (where I had stashed my wallet and papers because of being in the crowd), reached down and grabbed a small hand that was inside the pocket. It was a young child, I twisted his arm and pushed him away almost brutally and noticed an old Thai woman watching very closely. They were working together. Nothing was taken. But this year we did Loy Kratong at Lumpinee Park, much safer and more pleasant as well.

Sorry for your inconvenience and the bad experience.

[JimsKnight]

Sorry to hear your loss, good hear there were some BIB dudes who took care.

I am always wary in crowds like that. But the linking arms thing is a new one on me, seems they are getting pretty creative now.

[ThaiPauly]

Don't give up hope of getting your stuff thats of no value to them back.

My Wife had her handbag stolen at the begining of the year.

The theives sent back passports, ID card, Bank cards and the bag via EMS !!

If you had an address in the bag ,they may do the same.

Makes better Karma for them so I am told....no sign of the camera, mobile, jewlery...but we were happy to get back what we did.

Hope you can be just as lucky

[bravingbangkok]

I have had nothing but positives experiences with BIB ! They have let me go for minor road offences on numerous occasions.

[sassienie]

It is possible through carelessness that when you pulled out your camera and this

Kratong thing you accidentally pulled out the moneybag which could have dropped onto the ground? Once this happened maybe someone picked it up and done a runner.

As for tipping the police, just use common sense. It depends on how much you consider their kindness was worth.

Edited November 13, 2008 by sassienie

[torrenova]

Sorry to hear about the OP's incident but as a warning to others, don't take all your cards with you and whatever you do, never, never take your passport with you. If plod wants to see your passport he can accompany you to your residence to see it.

[jackr]

Kaz, any update on passport/visa?

[kaz49]

Thanks Jackr for support and to others posting here for advice and suggestions really appreciate it.  As to any abusive posts that may come my way, up to the mods of course to delete, and do a great job on this forum, but like water off a ducks back to me...after working in mental health areas in my early days (where occasionally people not taking their meds become agitated and abusive) and later with politicians where death threats from the public were not uncommon, I am used to it...hence my procrastination to return to my home country to work!!  

Back on topic, took your advice Jackr, went straight to embassy and it was suggested an emergency passport.  They processed this for me by the end of the afternoon.  Went to immigration on Friday morning and they have given me a stamp for one month not to January as the stamp had been in my old passport. They asked me a couple of times what date I went to mae sai, as  "there is nothing in system from Mae Sai" I thank them and say "must have had a dream that I go to Mae Sai and receive stamp for sixty days, this gets some giggles and they tell me to go to level 4, to speak with another officer. The officer after some initial questions makes a call to Mai Sai, and then asks me to come back at 1.00. I thank her for her time etc. 

I recall not having the original departure card in my passport  just a photocopy to give them at Mae Sai more carelessness on my part and perhaps this confused the data entry person/process). I also had that copy with me on Friday and a copy of the previous 1st entry stamp/number and a copy of the visa.

Well as luck would have it (as per ThaiPauly's  post) entering into immigration building at 12.50, I get a call from the embassy and someone had handed in my money belt, passport, cards, only cash/unused DTAC card missing which was to be expected. I went up to see said officer and told her my passport was at the embassy and I would go straight down to collect it and bring it back that afternoon if she would like.   OK, OK, OK the officer says come back Monday or Tuesday. I will go back in the morning and take the old and new passport.

The person who handed in my money belt left a contact phone number and I called to thank her, my Thai friend chatted to her also, my friend suggested that a voucher or such from Central World would be a good idea. But she declined and my friend said she would be rewarded in the next life.  She had found it at the BTS skytrain.

All this has been really exhausting and worrying the last few days, cancelling cards/renewing etc not to mention cost involved in phone calls to home country banks etc  to get new card sent over etc. its just not worth being complacent with important docs/valuables/passport when out and about amongst the crowds. I will still be out amongst it in Bangkok, will just take more care as I did when I first arrived.

Thanks again and keep safe.

 

 

 

[midas]

Sorry to hear about the OP's incident but as a warning to others, don't take all your cards with you and whatever you do, never, never take your passport with you. If plod wants to see your passport he can accompany you to your residence to see it.

But it was my understanding that if you are stopped by immigration

they certanily will not " accompany you to your residence to see it "

and are more likely to take you to the monkey house

[Scott]

Best thing to do is carry a photocopy of your passport and visa. Yes, they can cause you a problem, but generally they are pretty accepting of this.

[chickenslegs]

Many photocopy shops will make a laminated credit-card-size copy of your passport and entry visa.

Another good tip (which I almost certainly picked up from a TV post)

Scan your passport, visa's, drivers licence, and any other important documents and send them to yourself as e-mail attachments. Then you have access to them wherever you are.

[barryofthailand]

Lesson one, don't carry these bags. Put your money in your pocket, and either carry your camera, or put it in another pocket. people that are looking to rob people look for foreigners with bags, or backpacks.

Barry

[kaz49]

Hey their has been some really good tips on here.  I have already scanned both passport and visa and sent to my email address. Tomorrow going to get them laminated. I always carry and store extra copies of passport but with this latest experience it shows its wise to have the visa copied as well. There can be no dispute if you have these. I got quite a stern warning from the immigration officer to be more careful in Bangkok. Rightly so. Even worse from my old Mum who was at the same festival and place three years ago with my sisters and didnt take her bag, she kept her money in her bra!!!!

[Underdog]

It is possible through carelessness that when you pulled out your camera and this

Kratong thing you accidentally pulled out the moneybag which could have dropped onto the ground? Once this happened maybe someone picked it up and done a runner.

As for tipping the police, just use common sense. It depends on how much you consider their kindness was worth.

Exactly! You are in a foreign country, you have lost everything you need, and some cop goes out of his way to help...there is so much negativity about the BIB, it is nice to hear a tale like this, make his day, give him a tip, surely you can afford it! (probably a lot more than he could).