Editorial The Slippery Slide To Paradise Lost

[marshbags]

Wed, November 26, 2008 : Last updated 7:33 hours

EDITORIAL

The slippery slide to paradise lost

By The Nation

Official PR is all smiles about Thailand, but tourists still need to be wary of rip-offs

The Tourism Authority of Thailand's website is one of the most comprehensive sites maintained by Thai authorities. It's thorough and friendly for the navigator seeking useful information. Thailand's sandy beaches and pristine jungles lure visitors from halfway around the world. Our five-star hotels provide services at a fraction of what one would pay in New York or Paris. "Amazing Thailand", "Land of Smiles", "Smooth as Silk" … the slogans and catch phrases have become familiar. But dig just a little deeper and things don't look so pretty. Swindles and rip-offs are frequent in this industry that so many Thais depend on for a livelihood. It's the kind of thing that leaves a lasting impression on foreign victims, in spite of the fact that only a handful of greedy criminals are to blame.

Two days ago, a tour bus driver and his three male staff abandoned their vehicle - leaving about 20 tourists stranded - after it was discovered that they had stolen passengers' cash and other belongings. It was an overnight bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. Three of the tourists - who were mostly from France, Israel and the US - said they had lost Bt100,000 ($2,907) and valuables including cameras, laptops and iPods.

In defence of the honour of Thai people, we can always say that this was the work of a handful of scam artists. But let's not fool ourselves. We watch foreigners, as well as Thais, get ripped off every day in front of our eyes and we choose not to do anything about it.

Let's start with the people who are supposed to know better - the (ir)responsible officials directly and indirectly linked to the industry. Authorities at Suvarnabhumi Airport, for example, turn a blind eye to unlicensed taxis, the so-called "ghost cabs", and the drivers and touts who swarm all over passengers in the arrival hall. They will take you anywhere for a ridiculously inflated price. Foreigners, of course, are their favourite targets.

Even in town, taxi drivers picking up foreign passengers often like to play dumb by not turning on their meters so they can jack up the fare at the end. Many cabbies don't realise that many foreigners live in Bangkok and may know the roads better than some Thais. Even upcountry Thais in Bangkok for the first time often complain of the same treatment.

This is not to say that Bangkok is unique in that locals can't resist the temptation to rip off foreigners. The same attitude is found in tourist spots the world over. But it doesn't mean it's right.

When it comes to tourism, we often boast about our five stars. But a stone's throw from the big hotels, touts with jewellery shop brochures keep an eye out for potential victims. It's one thing to sell a fake Rolex on Silom Road for a few dollars to a tourist who knows exactly what he's buying, but it's an entirely different matter to sell fake gems at huge prices.

But besides ripping off foreign visitors and newcomers to the city, Thais also do themselves a great injustice by exploiting the environment for quick cash. Safety around public transportation is another headache for both foreigners and locals. Many bus drivers drive like bats out of hel_l, giving absolutely no consideration to the safety of passengers. As shocking as it is true, we wait for ferries to capsize before passing out life jackets.

What the TAT websites and brochures do not show is the trash that fouls the roads up and down Koh Samet; the restaurants whose owners give little heed to regulations that prohibit them from building three-storey facilities on beachfronts or extending cement floors over the sand; or the bus or train conductors and cargo personnel who go through people's luggage and steal their personal belongings.

Perhaps the English poet was right. Paradise will always be lost.

Unquote

Sadly, This in reality is just skimming the surface on what is a daily occurrance here in the tourist areas of Thailand which are the main offenders when it comes to scams, along with the main entry area into the country ( and exit ) the airport / airports

We can all add to this with personal experiences witnessed over our stay in Thailand.

Knowing most of what happens in this area of concern is of great importance to us, unfortunately those who are new arrivals do not benefit from experience as we do.

Am i knocking the country, NO, but wouldn,t the quality of life improve and the living enviroment be so much better for everyone.

IMHO as always

marshbags

Edited November 26, 2008 by marshbags

[Ijustwannateach]

In general, I consider the "if you don't like it, stay home' remarkers to be inflammatory, so I am deleting the comment and giving a public warning not to persist in such comments.

[apetley]

In general, I consider the "if you don't like it, stay home' remarkers to be inflammatory, so I am deleting the comment and giving a public warning not to persist in such comments.

I will never understand the people who say things like "if you don't like it, stay home".

I love Thailand, my family and home are here but I am not oblivious to it's shortcomings.

Think how much better it would be if instead of ignoring the faults, scams and ripoffs we codemned them and not the people who want and know things can improve.

[Ta22]

one can only be at peace with the surrounding if you willing to co exisit.

Yes we have the choice to make a rent or even go against the flow , but in the process . nature is far.

While you gain someone loses . while you live someone die .

the balance is alway there . while one end unwilling to give in the other end got to live with less.

so paradise is really your own oasis .

while i am typing this i am watching news on tourist whom flight been cancel . or got stcuk at the airport

. i wonder what those guy do wrong .. did there live life too kind that - the other ends while fighting for their Right had eaten into the freedom of others .

is this the kinda paradise that is tip son one end , - while the focus of news is in bangkok now , the rest of thailand very much live with balance .

so i hope this FLU will get well soon .

[Scott]

It would be interesting to know how much money is actually generated (or should I say lost) through rip-offs, tea money and other forms of corruption.

[Ta22]

one can stay clean if he choose to dig the dirt , one can't be bright if he choose to alway walk the dark path ,

one jumping in the pool of blood can't come out clean .

if you dig you might get bury , if he walk the darkness you might get lost and if you dive in the blood you may be drown .

. sometime we know but is best we just know .

the one who lost most is not those that pay but those trying to afford .

[bkkjames]

one can stay clean if he choose to dig the dirt , one can't be bright if he choose to alway walk the dark path ,

one jumping in the pool of blood can't come out clean .

if you dig you might get bury , if he walk the darkness you might get lost and if you dive in the blood you may be drown .

. sometime we know but is best we just know .

the one who lost most is not those that pay but those trying to afford .

Ok there Ta, I mean Socrates

[marshbags]

In general, I consider the "if you don't like it, stay home' remarkers to be inflammatory, so I am deleting the comment and giving a public warning not to persist in such comments.

I will never understand the people who say things like "if you don't like it, stay home".

I love Thailand, my family and home are here but I am not oblivious to it's shortcomings.

Think how much better it would be if instead of ignoring the faults, scams and ripoffs we codemned them and not the people who want and know things can improve.

Thanks for expanding on to my thoughts, apetley, which i purposely tried to put as a personal take in the last sentence on what i consider would be achieved for all who live or holiday here.

I also read the " don,t like " ect. post which was negative and way off in relation to my added remarks which when having a Thai family are surely reasonable. IMHO

I decided to ignore it and not respond as many others have already done so on many occasions in other threads, time and again.

Without sounding condescending

Thanks to IJWT for seeing it as none productive and acting on it in a fair minded way.

Of course I / we who stay here are happy, but what is wrong with wanting to improve the situation in relation to the articles subject matter.

We should also be able to make known our feelings in support of all who have been victims of such acts and everyone effected by the aftermath and always aspire to make things better.

Most Thai citizens get genuinely upset by what goes on, possibly more so than we do.

marshbags

Edited November 26, 2008 by marshbags