I just received an RSS feed saying that the Federales in Phuket were hot on the heels of the douches who killed a bunch of businessmen in the past couple of weeks. There is nothing like a bunch of driveby shootings to get everyones' attention - especially coming from the uber LOS

One expects this in BKK or Laos or PP - Airports have nothing on this kind of damage.

BR>Jack

What shooting? Didnt see it in the news....

in phuket there were 2 murders of property developers

Is this the incident? I do not know, I cannot keep up :-(

http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/index.asp?id=7113

Police said it would be solved soon.

The OP doesn't seem to fit with the title unless we take the inference that a couple of deaths of farang businessmen will deter the rest of farangs wanting their piece of their perception of paradise. I don't think these two events will have one iota of effect on the hordes that think they can make their fortune, or live their dream, in Thailand.

The economic downturn? Now there's another question altogether but even that might have a reverse effect with people bailing out of the rat race and looking for nirvana on the beach.

Let us not forget the firebombing and near-murder of a nice farang in Hua Hin who got in a row with a dodgy property developer.

Police said it would be solved soon.

it seems like this excites/inspires a large portion of the farang living here. You know, the "Thailand is the wild wild west..." types.

The OP doesn't seem to fit with the title unless we take the inference that a couple of deaths of farang businessmen will deter the rest of farangs wanting their piece of their perception of paradise. I don't think these two events will have one iota of effect on the hordes that think they can make their fortune, or live their dream, in Thailand.

The economic downturn? Now there's another question altogether but even that might have a reverse effect with people bailing out of the rat race and looking for nirvana on the beach.

exactly,could pump the numbers up.

Maybe what need to happen is that the western press hears more about these murders and publishes it in the local rags, maybe this would influence more tourists not to come to Thailand. Might change things a bit.

it seems like this excites/inspires a large portion of the farang living here. You know, the "Thailand is the wild wild west..." types.

Yeah, I used to picture it as the wild wild west until I realized the locals were packing guns and we were packing egg beaters. Not really an even playing field.