20 Sleeping Tourists Robbed

[Rico3000]

Thailand has one of the world's highest per-capita murder rates – when the UN last counted it in 2000, it stood at 5,140 per year, though the annual total is now speculated to be more than 6,000.

In the years 2003 to 2006, 17 of these victims were UK nationals, according to the FCO. These murders include a sexually motivated killing of a young British woman; a Thai police officer executing two backpackers in a crowded street; shootings, throat cuttings and two cases of other Westerners murdering UK nationals; and, more pertinently, several cases of Thai wives or their family members slaying British husbands. On average, about 50 civilian UK nationals are murdered around the world each year (excluding terrorist attacks). This means that almost 10 per cent of all murders of Britons abroad are committed in Thailand – a chilling figure, given that Thailand comprises only 0.6 per cent of all foreign travel from UK shores.

[tors]

as I understand it, the people were mugged while they where sleeping, then they woke up and found out;

They then made the bus stop, and demanded the staff to be searched (by them) and only then the driver and the staff fled, which could indicate they felt intimidated

and yes, it is still possible that they were the robbers, but so far, we do not know this, it is even possible that one of the passengers tried his luck;

Actually with the given info, nobody can be sure about what happened

But it is something completely different from the original posting, which stated that they woke up 'in the middle of nowhere robbed and abandoned'

I work in the tourism business, and Thailand is among the safest to travel in;

maybe some of the people posting here should stop this ridiculous constant criticizing of the country where they choose to live and keep on travelling and stay somewhere else

[favre360]

Thailand has one of the world's highest per-capita murder rates – when the UN last counted it in 2000, it stood at 5,140 per year, though the annual total is now speculated to be more than 6,000.

In the years 2003 to 2006, 17 of these victims were UK nationals, according to the FCO. These murders include a sexually motivated killing of a young British woman; a Thai police officer executing two backpackers in a crowded street; shootings, throat cuttings and two cases of other Westerners murdering UK nationals; and, more pertinently, several cases of Thai wives or their family members slaying British husbands. On average, about 50 civilian UK nationals are murdered around the world each year (excluding terrorist attacks). This means that almost 10 per cent of all murders of Britons abroad are committed in Thailand – a chilling figure, given that Thailand comprises only 0.6 per cent of all foreign travel from UK shores.

14th place really isn't that high, even Mexico is higher than that and many people i know consider Mexico relatively safe.

Heres some stats: http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_...ders-per-capita

Wiki-Stats- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_count...y_homicide_rate (Thailands actually in the 30's on wikipedia)

[Rico3000]

Tors,

Please square your posting with mine just above it.

It seems to me you are anxious to shore up your tourist business - at the cost of the truth.

[Rico3000]

favre360,

14th out of nearly 200 isn't bad. Nor is a figure in the 30's.

These 'estimates' are irrelevant. The really interesting statistics are underlined in my first post.

[christcourt]

This isn't the first time the "Baggage Ninjas" made a strike on a Tour Bus, though a little more brazen than usual.

Though without the cloak of masks and waiting only for their unknowing victims to fall asleep could they have masterminded such devious behavior.

In my own experience, the Suratthani "Don Sak Pier to "Thong Yang Pier" bus ride operated by Songserm Tours (I think they are the longest operating "fly by night operator on Samui") who have an office across the street from the Nathon Pier constantly have problems with the where boys between the ages of 9-15 crawl into the luggage/cargo hold of the bus and rifles through the bags.

They have a regular little "mafia operation". Most Passengers don't recognize they have a problem until

They have already gone onto the ferry or checked into their room. the UK

I actually watched from my coach window the boy coming out of the bottom cargo hold with a lossely filled bag (probably small items like money, jewelry, gameboys, ipods etc. while passengers were getting off in the confusion.

It took the police 15 minutes to get there for my report, and I never saw my items again. Tourist Police also say sometimes the boys will get off at a previous stop to avoid all detection by passengers.

Also "conveniently", before you can quickly get off of the bus/coach "taxi" drivers and "accommodation touts" board the bus while you are still in your seat. This may be part of a planned diversion to the overall "slight of hand" in your bag fleecing.

The "tour guides" on the bus and possibly even the driver may be fully aware of the situation.

I refuse to use the "Don Sak Pier to "Thong Yang Pier" service and will only use the "Don Sak Pier to "Nathon Pier" since you can carry your bags with you on the ship (which has its own issues) and the bus goes onto the ferry with you.

Best thing is to keep money, traveler checks, passport, etc. on your person and carry separately anything of value in your day pack.

Thailand is one of the safest countries in the world. Even during coup attempts, Thailand is safer than most places including America, UK and Australia's "safer" cities by percentage.

However, like every highly touristic area in the world, petty crime, pickpockets and con artists congregate in concentration in areas where people foreign to the area are unlikely and unwilling to do more than file a police report.

The thieves have no racist view since even Thai tourists are victims and stolen from on these farang tour buses.

The upside is the Thai Police and the Thai Government frown upon ANY crime against tourism the nation's No. 1 industry. Thieves caught and convicted go to jails and prisons for extended periods of time, and any anyone caught of robbery in Thailand spend their time in prison with leg irons and chains similar to those used on slave ships for the WHOLE duration of the prison term.

-Try not to look like the most 'lost' tourist on location. Thieves, Touts and Con-men can smell the fear. 

-Be mindful of your possessions

-Keep "priority" possessions with you at all times.

-Rule of thumb is if you can't afford to lose it on your trip… keep it secure on you or DON'T BRING IT!

-Put things in perspective… if the items are of small value and can be replaced.. consider the mishap as part of your "Adventure" and not let it eat at the rest of your holiday.

When these things do happen to me and they are not big items I think that I probably would have given these items as a gift "if asked" for them, and leave it at that thinking they took it before they could ask me. Otherwise you spend the next week feeling victimized and defiled. It is worth it for the $20 "Street value" of the item? I guess sometimes it pays to have Travel Insurance huh?!

Everything in this life is impermanent. Don't get caught up in the past. Live for today and be mindfully and carefully aware of your actions and surroundings at all times.

Chok Dee

While I agree with most of what you have said, YOU are way off the mark by saying Thailand is safer than the UK.

[favre360]

favre360,

14th out of nearly 200 isn't bad. Nor is a figure in the 30's.

These 'estimates' are irrelevant. The really interesting statistics are underlined in my first post.

They're not that interesting. How many Brits move to Colombia or South Africa and get married? And how many of them are unaware of the risks in Thailand before they depart from the UK?

[backsoon]

20 sleeping tourists robbed

AYUTTHAYA : Twenty foreign tourists were robbed in their sleep on a bus and awoke to find they had been left in the middle of nowhere in Bang Pa-in district early yesterday morning. Local police came to help the tourists from Europe and the US after four bus crew stole their belongings and abandoned the bus after parking it on the side of the Asian Highway about 6am.

The victims said they took the bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok on Sunday night with four male staff, including the driver. Exhausted by the trip, the tourists fell asleep during the night, unaware of the plot to steal their belongings. It was believed the driver stopped the bus by the roadside early in the morning and the crew stole valuables, laptop computers, cameras, hand-held game consoles, and cash from seven bags, totalling more than 150,000 baht, before fleeing. Police contacted a tour agency on Khao San road where the tourists bought their package deals. The agency did not manage the bus in question, but had outsourced to a bus company. The outsourced bus owner, Sirada Boonme, 26, said the bus belonged to her father's company. After hours of negotiations with the tourists, she agreed to pay compensation of half the amount that had been stolen in cash and the rest by bank transfer. She refused to give any details about the bus staff. Police suspected Sirada's father might be one of

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.net/251108_News/25Nov2008_news13.php

[harleyclarkey]

How is it that the Bus's owner Sirada Boonme, 26 refuses to provide the names of the 4 thieves in her employ..Shouldn't she be arrested for hindering a police investigation?

Afraid not....the police just don't care when crime is perpertrated on foreigners. Now if a foreigner did this to a bus load of Thais.....what do you think the police would do? hel_l to pay....jail...courts...maybe a beating or two...blacklisted?? Yes. justice is very even handed in Thailand...like hel_l.

Can you imagine the sheer hassle of replacing all you had on your laptop--phone---iPod??? Not to mention your wallet and all it contains. Days and days of work taken from your holiday and the expense of all the contacts.

A really rotton crime by scumbags.

[Rico3000]

favre360,

14th out of nearly 200 isn't bad. Nor is a figure in the 30's.

These 'estimates' are irrelevant. The really interesting statistics are underlined in my first post.

They're not that interesting. How many Brits move to Colombia or South Africa and get married? And how many of them are unaware of the risks in Thailand before they depart from the UK?

You're saying that farangs who marry Thais should be prepared for death at the hand of the beloved?

Stories about Mexico, Colombia, Sth. Africa (throw in Iraq, New Orleans, Rio etc.) are interesting but irrelevant.

[tors]

Tors,

Please square your posting with mine just above it.

It seems to me you are anxious to shore up your tourist business - at the cost of the truth.

Thailand is still for many (young and old) people from Europe the first country they visit outside of Europe

This is because it is considered safe and easy, so the profile of the tourists to Thailand is different from many other countries,

on the other hand, since Thailand is welcoming tourists for several decades, you have a lot of hardened visitors

that are using the Thai visum system to stay here on an semi-permanent basis, with a lot of specific problems (like the marital disputes)

that all show up in your statistics, but are not representative in comparison to other countries;

for people with a little bit of respect for the Thai culture (of not being agressive or intimidating toward Thai people) I can assure you that Thailand is wonderfully safe!

But people that think they are doing a good deal buying a bus ticket of 60 bath from BKK to CNX should be aware something is not right

[Roachiebkk]

but it's about a million times lot more likely to happen on a tourist bus from Bangkok to Suratthani than on a tourist bus from Bristol to Penzance.

I understand this to be your conclusion, but for those of us who aren't too good at math and statistics and stuff, you know, the kind of data you've used, can you show us the calculations you've used to reach your specific conclusion.

If I told you MILLIONS and MILLIONS of times STOP exaggerating!

[dotcom]

I remember someone telling me that the latest scam was to put sleeping gas through the A/C system. I thought they were being a bit paranoid but maybe they were correct!

So I guess if you see the driver donning a gas mask it's time to get off.

btw. Had the cops impounded the bus I'm sure the owner would have turned up ..... eventually.

I wonder if the driver RAN away?

[koheesti]

In my time in Thailand (around 10 months), I always found the people who ripped you off were the same people who ripped Thai nationals off. They're just shady people. I never lived or booked tours from KSR though, so my experience might have been different than the common tourist.

I'm in vietnam now, and getting ripped off is a daily occurance. <deleted>' frustrating to say the least.

Don't buy any powdered milk!

[mangostays]

as I understand it, the people were mugged while they where sleeping, then they woke up and found out;

They then made the bus stop, and demanded the staff to be searched (by them) and only then the driver and the staff fled, which could indicate they felt intimidated

and yes, it is still possible that they were the robbers, but so far, we do not know this, it is even possible that one of the passengers tried his luck;

Actually with the given info, nobody can be sure about what happened

But it is something completely different from the original posting, which stated that they woke up 'in the middle of nowhere robbed and abandoned'

I work in the tourism business, and Thailand is among the safest to travel in;

maybe some of the people posting here should stop this ridiculous constant criticizing of the country where they choose to live and keep on travelling and stay somewhere else

Tors, how on earth can you, even for one moment, believe that the bus staff were not 100% responsible for this? If bus staff would have been able to even put forward the most of ridiculous of excuses to the police, do you think the owner of the bus would have paid even 1 satang to the tourists?

Yes, Thailand is 'relatively' safe considering it's geographical location, but what is frustrating most of the readers of this thread is the method by which the police dealt with the complaint, i.e. blatantly got paid off by the bus owner to NOT pursue the cuplrits AND the arrogance of the bus owner in not giving the names of her staff to the police and obviously bullshitting the tourists with the promise of a future money transfer.

As I said earlier, if tour operators did a little more to protect the tourists interests instead of pampering to and blowing smoke up the asses of the local mafia and Police then perhaps tourist numbers wouldn't be looking so bleak.

And yes Tors, this includes cowards like you.

[tors]

as I understand it, the people were mugged while they where sleeping, then they woke up and found out;

They then made the bus stop, and demanded the staff to be searched (by them) and only then the driver and the staff fled, which could indicate they felt intimidated

and yes, it is still possible that they were the robbers, but so far, we do not know this, it is even possible that one of the passengers tried his luck;

Actually with the given info, nobody can be sure about what happened

But it is something completely different from the original posting, which stated that they woke up 'in the middle of nowhere robbed and abandoned'

I work in the tourism business, and Thailand is among the safest to travel in;

maybe some of the people posting here should stop this ridiculous constant criticizing of the country where they choose to live and keep on travelling and stay somewhere else

Tors, how on earth can you, even for one moment, believe that the bus staff were not 100% responsible for this? If bus staff would have been able to even put forward the most of ridiculous of excuses to the police, do you think the owner of the bus would have paid even 1 satang to the tourists?

Yes, Thailand is 'relatively' safe considering it's geographical location, but what is frustrating most of the readers of this thread is the method by which the police dealt with the complaint, i.e. blatantly got paid off by the bus owner to NOT pursue the cuplrits AND the arrogance of the bus owner in not giving the names of her staff to the police and obviously bullshitting the tourists with the promise of a future money transfer.

As I said earlier, if tour operators did a little more to protect the tourists interests instead of pampering to and blowing smoke up the asses of the local mafia and Police then perhaps tourist numbers wouldn't be looking so bleak.

And yes Tors, this includes cowards like you.

Tourists get the tour operators they deserve

[madcatlady]

For years now on other websites (particularly the backpacker oriented ones, if not this one) people have reported thefts on private buses.

Why on earth anyone seems to think it is necessary to book a "package" on Khao Saan Road of all places is beyond me.

Feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but I have never heard of this sort of thing happening on the scheduled Govt run transport system.

So to all those who are new to this country; Thailand is still very safe and relatively crime free but you increase the risk by dealing with some of the "agents" who prey on vulnerable tourists.

Travel on scheduled Thai transport like Thais and I am sure you will have no problems.

A close friend of mine was robbed on a Chiang Mai - Bangkok 'tourist bus' last month and lost 20,000 baht in cash from her backpack that was stowed in the hold under the bus, and a further 2,000 baht from her wallet that was in the bag on her lap. We took her to see the tourist police back in Chiang Mai and they were totally unsurprised at her story. They told us that ALL tourist buses are illegal as they are unregistered and uninsured. They said that they had many similar stories. We asked why they didn't go after the bus operators when they know they are illegal and they told us that the buses are different every time.

I spoke to several tour guide friends of mine about this who said that the police are getting paid off by the bus companies to turn a blind eye. They warned me never to take a 'tourist bus' and recommended the public bus, which rarely (if ever) has a problem like this AND is insured!

They also told me stories of tourists being drugged either through free drinks or some kind of gas in the aircon system. Dunno if this is true but it seems entirely possible.

My friend finally got 10,000 back again after she went to the police station every day for a week. The police declined to comment on what would happen to the tour company or its employers.

Be very careful...

MCL

[Samuian]

Still better than waking up in a tub fulla ice...

like in the thicket of urban legends?

..........

A close friend of mine was robbed on a Chiang Mai - Bangkok 'tourist bus' last month and lost 20,000 baht in cash from her backpack that was stowed in the hold under the bus, and a further 2,000 baht from her wallet that was in the bag on her lap.

.......

Sorry but I consider this, besides irresponsible and highly unsafe, for completely insane!

Edited November 25, 2008 by Samuian

[HYENA]

When I first visited Thailand in 2006, my partner (Who lives there) and I traveled by bus to Krabi and he had told of an occurrence like this in which the driver and stagehands had pumped fentanyl into the cabin to put everyone to sleep first. Luckily, we didn't experience this but it certainly gives one pause to travel anywhere in the country by bus. Certainly, the theft alone would leave a bad taste in your mouth but to have the authorities not pursue the case especially when they know who did it is not something that reflects very well on the country. Personally, I think this should be taken up with no less than the King and Queen for in lieu of what is happening with PAD, the bombings, etc., it will likely have an effect on tourism at a time when the economy can ill-afford it.

Thankfully, no one was injured.

This and the post about the people "who deserve it" for not watching their luggage are what makes these replies no better than the outcome of the police investigation. Fentanyl is an opiate...That would be like saying someone was pumping codeine or morphine into the cabin, blah, blah...(fentanyl being 1000 times stronger than morphine would accidentally KILL whoever would be closest to the inlet...that is IF it were possible to vaporize it and "pump" in the first place (fantastic sounding but not plausible). And for someone who deserves it for not watching their luggage? You'd think someone would feel relatively safe on a BUS they hired. Where is the thinking to blame the victims every time. So one can't book a tour from a reputable company (so they think) without having to fret over every piece of baggage and belonging and if they get robbed-it's a long trip and god forbid they fall asleep and it's their fault?

Don't think you realize the potential for interaction and so many varying medical conditions that pumping anesthetics into a compartment with diverse people, varying medical histories would certainly kill a few. A typical robbery becomes an urban legend post right before our eyes!

Great posts!

Edited November 25, 2008 by HYENA

[mangostays]

as I understand it, the people were mugged while they where sleeping, then they woke up and found out;

They then made the bus stop, and demanded the staff to be searched (by them) and only then the driver and the staff fled, which could indicate they felt intimidated

and yes, it is still possible that they were the robbers, but so far, we do not know this, it is even possible that one of the passengers tried his luck;

Actually with the given info, nobody can be sure about what happened

But it is something completely different from the original posting, which stated that they woke up 'in the middle of nowhere robbed and abandoned'

I work in the tourism business, and Thailand is among the safest to travel in;

maybe some of the people posting here should stop this ridiculous constant criticizing of the country where they choose to live and keep on travelling and stay somewhere else

Tors, how on earth can you, even for one moment, believe that the bus staff were not 100% responsible for this? If bus staff would have been able to even put forward the most of ridiculous of excuses to the police, do you think the owner of the bus would have paid even 1 satang to the tourists?

Yes, Thailand is 'relatively' safe considering it's geographical location, but what is frustrating most of the readers of this thread is the method by which the police dealt with the complaint, i.e. blatantly got paid off by the bus owner to NOT pursue the cuplrits AND the arrogance of the bus owner in not giving the names of her staff to the police and obviously bullshitting the tourists with the promise of a future money transfer.

As I said earlier, if tour operators did a little more to protect the tourists interests instead of pampering to and blowing smoke up the asses of the local mafia and Police then perhaps tourist numbers wouldn't be looking so bleak.

And yes Tors, this includes cowards like you.

Tourists get the tour operators they deserve

Tors, as someone who works in the tourist business, I am absolutely fascinated as to what makes you think that tourists get the tour operators they deserve?

Do you see tourism as a Darwinian test of survival?

Do you think that if a 'Newb' picks the wrong bus company on the Koh San Road and then gets done over then this is a form of natural selection?

Do you want to see innocent people punished for picking the short straw?

Please PLEASE tell!

[mangostays]

Tors,

Please square your posting with mine just above it.

It seems to me you are anxious to shore up your tourist business - at the cost of the truth.

Thailand is still for many (young and old) people from Europe the first country they visit outside of Europe

This is because it is considered safe and easy, so the profile of the tourists to Thailand is different from many other countries,

on the other hand, since Thailand is welcoming tourists for several decades, you have a lot of hardened visitors

that are using the Thai visum system to stay here on an semi-permanent basis, with a lot of specific problems (like the marital disputes)

that all show up in your statistics, but are not representative in comparison to other countries;

for people with a little bit of respect for the Thai culture (of not being agressive or intimidating toward Thai people) I can assure you that Thailand is wonderfully safe!

But people that think they are doing a good deal buying a bus ticket of 60 bath from BKK to CNX should be aware something is not right

You are simply attempting (and failing) to quantify the possibility that the theives on the bus are the victims and not the tourists. You should go work for TAT, you'd do really well, you turncoat.

[henryalleman]

I will not minimize the theft but please put it in perspective, an be happy that no one is hurt. And this kind of things and many times more worse are happening all over the world. And be honest also in the so called developed countries.

In my own country they put cameras on public buses and trams to stop the violence, recently a man was kicked till he died because he asked some youngsters to behave, another bus driver was kicked into hospital just for the fun of it. Theft is a curse on public transport over here. In some parts of major towns the bus make a detour because too dangerous. because they trow stones to them.

In big cities their are even guards on the trams to keep it safe.

And I'm talking about Belgium, not some third world country. And I know for a fact that its the same in every big town all over Europe.

And personally I feel ten times more safe in LOS than in some parts of my home town. In major towns older people are afraid to walk on the streets after dark.

30 years ago its was not like that, but now there are a lot of people came over here who shouldn't be in Europe, and they have a different lifestyle and religion.

And lets be honest, its more likely that in LOS your bus has an accident than its get robbed

[tors]

as I understand it, the people were mugged while they where sleeping, then they woke up and found out;

They then made the bus stop, and demanded the staff to be searched (by them) and only then the driver and the staff fled, which could indicate they felt intimidated

and yes, it is still possible that they were the robbers, but so far, we do not know this, it is even possible that one of the passengers tried his luck;

Actually with the given info, nobody can be sure about what happened

But it is something completely different from the original posting, which stated that they woke up 'in the middle of nowhere robbed and abandoned'

I work in the tourism business, and Thailand is among the safest to travel in;

maybe some of the people posting here should stop this ridiculous constant criticizing of the country where they choose to live and keep on travelling and stay somewhere else

Tors, how on earth can you, even for one moment, believe that the bus staff were not 100% responsible for this? If bus staff would have been able to even put forward the most of ridiculous of excuses to the police, do you think the owner of the bus would have paid even 1 satang to the tourists?

Yes, Thailand is 'relatively' safe considering it's geographical location, but what is frustrating most of the readers of this thread is the method by which the police dealt with the complaint, i.e. blatantly got paid off by the bus owner to NOT pursue the cuplrits AND the arrogance of the bus owner in not giving the names of her staff to the police and obviously bullshitting the tourists with the promise of a future money transfer.

As I said earlier, if tour operators did a little more to protect the tourists interests instead of pampering to and blowing smoke up the asses of the local mafia and Police then perhaps tourist numbers wouldn't be looking so bleak.

And yes Tors, this includes cowards like you.

Tourists get the tour operators they deserve

Tors, as someone who works in the tourist business, I am absolutely fascinated as to what makes you think that tourists get the tour operators they deserve?

Do you see tourism as a Darwinian test of survival?

Do you think that if a 'Newb' picks the wrong bus company on the Koh San Road and then gets done over then this is a form of natural selection?

Do you want to see innocent people punished for picking the short straw?

Please PLEASE tell!

Thanks for leaving the name calling aside...

Of course I am appalled by what has happened

I can however not agree with all the assumptions and generalisations about Thai people

You just cannot expect coming to Thailand and have the same protections you have in our overprotected countries

you actually have to look around you and ask yourself the questions why some tour operators offer a 12 hour bus ride for 60bt

this has been going on for a decade, and has been widely reported, even in the backpackers bible

So stop buying tickets with these crooks and choose for a reasonably priced, thrustworthe agent

[solent01]

This is an awful thing to happen, I pity the tourists, they must be feeling rather p1ssed off at the moment, and I wouldn't blame them for feeling angry with Thai people in general.......

But being honest, I have only just stopped gut laughing, after reading this 15 mins ago.......... (sick sense of humour I know)

You got to hand it to the perps, it's kind of a ballsy thing to do.........

Edited November 25, 2008 by solent01

[mangostays]

as I understand it, the people were mugged while they where sleeping, then they woke up and found out;

They then made the bus stop, and demanded the staff to be searched (by them) and only then the driver and the staff fled, which could indicate they felt intimidated

and yes, it is still possible that they were the robbers, but so far, we do not know this, it is even possible that one of the passengers tried his luck;

Actually with the given info, nobody can be sure about what happened

But it is something completely different from the original posting, which stated that they woke up 'in the middle of nowhere robbed and abandoned'

I work in the tourism business, and Thailand is among the safest to travel in;

maybe some of the people posting here should stop this ridiculous constant criticizing of the country where they choose to live and keep on travelling and stay somewhere else

Tors, how on earth can you, even for one moment, believe that the bus staff were not 100% responsible for this? If bus staff would have been able to even put forward the most of ridiculous of excuses to the police, do you think the owner of the bus would have paid even 1 satang to the tourists?

Yes, Thailand is 'relatively' safe considering it's geographical location, but what is frustrating most of the readers of this thread is the method by which the police dealt with the complaint, i.e. blatantly got paid off by the bus owner to NOT pursue the cuplrits AND the arrogance of the bus owner in not giving the names of her staff to the police and obviously bullshitting the tourists with the promise of a future money transfer.

As I said earlier, if tour operators did a little more to protect the tourists interests instead of pampering to and blowing smoke up the asses of the local mafia and Police then perhaps tourist numbers wouldn't be looking so bleak.

And yes Tors, this includes cowards like you.

Tourists get the tour operators they deserve

Tors, as someone who works in the tourist business, I am absolutely fascinated as to what makes you think that tourists get the tour operators they deserve?

Do you see tourism as a Darwinian test of survival?

Do you think that if a 'Newb' picks the wrong bus company on the Koh San Road and then gets done over then this is a form of natural selection?

Do you want to see innocent people punished for picking the short straw?

Please PLEASE tell!

Thanks for leaving the name calling aside...

Of course I am appalled by what has happened

I can however not agree with all the assumptions and generalisations about Thai people

You just cannot expect coming to Thailand and have the same protections you have in our overprotected countries

you actually have to look around you and ask yourself the questions why some tour operators offer a 12 hour bus ride for 60bt

this has been going on for a decade, and has been widely reported, even in the backpackers bible

So stop buying tickets with these crooks and choose for a reasonably priced, thrustworthe agent

Tors, you haven't answered my questions and you blatantly assume that naive tourists deserve criminal retribution.

What worries me is that in your case, and as somebody who works in the tourist business, you ideology is simply irresponsible and quite frankly, plays with the lives of innocents.

For somebody who lives in Thailand, either your time so far has been very sheltered, you're simply being ostentatious or you're clambering for the moral high ground simply for the sake of scoring point in an argument.

[dougieboy]

Without reading all the replies:

Sometimes they slip drugs into those free cokes.

Also, if you put your laptop, game, wallet, etc under the bus or ANYWHERE where you can't feel it being taken from you, well then you deserve what happens to you. Travel safe and use common sense.

I disagree, don't get me wrong, I would never condone what these low life thieves have done, but, if they want something bad enough they will get it anyway and if you happen to be one of the many people who are not confident enough to stand up to these people, then I would argue, its better to lose your laptop than your hand, arm, eyes or maybe even your life. I don't know why nobody woke up but perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. Someone recently walked into my apartment and while I dozed on the armchair he casually walked out with a laptop, taken from 12 inches away from me, if I had woken I dont know how badly I would have beaten him, but if my wife had walked back in the room, what might he have done to her?

I personally believe that as long as we continue to give soft punishment there will always be plenty of crooks to fill the niche. We have to learn to make them regret their actions, only then will they realise that STEAL & MURDER = MUCH PAIN & SUFFERING & MAYBE DEATH. Oops I'm starting to go on a bit and my blood pressure is rising.

[outtherebabe]

There is no back up for tourist who get a raw deal on trips. Our speed boat broke down and we lost half a day snorkelling on from Ko samui to Koh tao with grand discovery tours. No compensation and on the way back the mini bus driver drove like a complete nutter - ting tong!

Edited November 25, 2008 by outtherebabe

[DonGato]

Man... this is surprisingly annoying!!!

This people payed a tourism agency to get robbed!!!

The only -real- way to stop this kind of inner crime is with hard hand!

Isn't only that those who actually did it are not punished... the agency who was trusted and payed should loose all the way its license and the government should get the "Rip-me-off bus company" out of a single business (please read: chance to rob tourist again)...

Simply amazing... this people is finding -all the time- a new way to surprise everyone while damaging deeply the image and economy of their own country... Or they thought that no one would know who they are?

Second half of the money by bank transfer... yeah right!... perhaps will send checks on a white elephant...

[pooket]

so compensation, and that's it ???

Well, that the harsh punishment ....sure they won't do it again

when the criminals find out that crime pays with minimal repercussions this could be popular like robbing trains was a century ago

Robbing buses booked out of Khao San Road has been infamously popular for years! Usually they just go through the bags stowed underneath and don't abandon the bus on the side of the road. Abandoning was the stupid part. If they were cool about it, they would've gotten away with it before anyone noticed.

[bonnylad]

Karma

Good job it wasn't 20 Nigerians.....or they would've flogged the bus on ebay....3 or 4 times