A Hawker Assaulted Me!

[THAICUSTOM]

I had a awful experience today on beach road.i was walking past a tailor shop when a man grabbed hold off my arm and would not let go.i turned round to see that he was trying to get me into his shop.i smiled and politely said no thanks,then he DUG HIS NAILS INTO MY ARM!!!!

As i walked on six more men were hanging around and grabbed me in the same way by the end i was so mad i went back and knocked one out which caused a almighty fuss.

I have never had any trouble with hawkers before, most are polite once they know you do not want their goods.but these are something else.this is not the first time its happenend to me.the few times ive been in khao san road i am pysicaly manhandled. also in sukumvit.this is the first time i have fought back and boy did i enjoy it.

Its really tiring putting up with this abuse.just walking down the street turns into a assault course mission.

Have other poeple had the same experience? and if so what is the best way to react?

[Jimjim]

I suggest you go live somewhere else for a few years.

[Mighty Mouse]

When they see you walking past next time they might stick a long pair of dressmakers scissors into you.

[THAICUSTOM]

So its ok to assault people for no reason? you sound very bright.

I suppose you will say THIS IS THAILAND?

I have lived here for 12 years and this problem has got out of hand.

[kiakaha]

Have other poeple had the same experience? and if so what is the best way to react?

1) walk down the other side of the rd.

2) cap, shades and earphones

[Mossfinn]

It does appear to have got worse even in Jomtien recently, just make to shake hands, throw a Brian O'Driscoll side step, use the strength of O'Connell in the line out and clear out the scrum like David Wallace, you'll be fine

Moss

[Lucifer]

What a stupid thing to do.

They'll be looking out for you. Keep away from that area. In fact, keep away from Pattaya.

Better still, move away from Thailand.

There's a good boy.

[JimsKnight]

Do your own thing OP the shadow-scared brigade are just up in arms at someone defending themselves.

The tailors do my head in as well. I've never been grabbed by one of the twts though!

[THAICUSTOM]

What a stupid thing to do.

They'll be looking out for you. Keep away from that area. In fact, keep away from Pattaya.

Better still, move away from Thailand.

There's a good boy.

I am 67 years old and been coming to thailand for over 30 years.its got lot worse and i feel i should be allowed to walk around without fear of being assaulted. its bad enough with everything else in pattaya.

[nohab]

OP lives under a bridge

[ukrules]

Have other poeple had the same experience? and if so what is the best way to react?

Not me, I normally wave them off before it gets to that, if they touched me though I would brush them off. If he dug his fingers into me then I would feel quite within my rights to flatten him.

The best way to react, if someone assaults you - put them on the ground. I think you figured that out already.

Just make sure you don't accidentally kill someone, that's the hard part.

[WeeGB]

I agree these people are very annoying, particularly when the same ones accost you several times a day.

Though to strike one was very foolish. Perhaps would have been better to act a bit "psycho" without actually hitting him. Then they'd avoid you in future, instead of you being on their blacklist. (No pun intended).

[THAICUSTOM]

Maybe i was wrong striking one but one has a boiling point.its just much every day the same people.nest time i will go to the tourist police.

[kiakaha]

Do your own thing OP the shadow-scared brigade are just up in arms at someone defending themselves.

who's smarter : the guy who wins the bar fight or the guy who predicts the fight coming, leaves before it starts and is happily drinking at another bar within minutes ?

my mind works on the premise of predicting outcomes, what is my "end game" and what are the possible courses of action that can get me there.

in thailand, your mind is a far more effective weapon than your fist.

Tailors were grabbing the OP's arm (nothing new, thats what they do, earth to mars).... the OP chose to "knock one out"...did you ponder any other courses of action ?

[Pakeha]

67 and you laid him out?

Been coming to Thailand for 30 years and this pushed you over the edge?

Pop over to India or even Vietnam for a couple of months. Then come back to Thailand and when these tailors 'grab' you you will be hugging them.

I understand your frustration but it's only going to get worse with the economic downturn. If people walk around laying others out in the street for plying their trade it's going to be very messy.

I agree with KiaKaha. Plan the outcome before the situation arises so you know what you will do in advance. This is the best way to not flip out in uncomfortable situations.

[Pakeha]

I apologise for the offence my comments caused THAICUSTOM.

Ignore my remarks and carry on as per usual. Do not think ahead. Do not avoid situations that are going to get you agro.

Good luck!

[Ulysses G.]

If the tailors really did grab a 67 year old man in the way he described, I don't blame him for walloping one. However, my guess is that the old codger said something nasty to piss them off.

Edited March 27, 2009 by Sheryl
ethnic reference deleted

[sassienie]

Never hit a man when he`s down.

He may get up again.

[daoyai]

Maybe he should just buy a new suit, or say I got no money.

[Naam]

B I N G O !

[kiakaha]

Ok kiakaha is a fortune teller but i don't have that skill of predicting the future.

So someone grabs you from behind and sticks a knife to your throat could you predict that?

you SO completely did not get/understand my point.

Good luck with your violence, weak mindedness and lack of self control.

[bonobo]

I have never had any problem in Thailand with any overly aggressive vendors, Indian, Thai, or whatever.

I did have a problem once in Singapore, though. This was quite awhile ago, though. I had entered a nice mall in order to pick up a handbag a Japanese friend of mine wanted, and an Indian tailor asked me to come into his shop to look at shirts. Since I wanted some, I did.  It turns out they were not too well made (single stitched, which he assured em was adequate, but the price was right, and I was trying to decide how many I might get. But the mall was going to close, andI wanted to pick up the bag, so I told him I would be back.

Well, he gave me a bill for $20 US for a "fitting fee."  I had read in the paper only that morning that this was illegal, not that I would have paid anyway, so I flatly refused.  So he tried to push me around, and his brother came over to shut the shop door.  WHen he grabbed me, I grabbed back and pushed him, and his "well-made" shirt ripped.  There was a scuffle but not much else, and I grabbed my things and pushed his brother out of the way so I could open the door.  As I got out, the brother grabbed me, and somehow, I don't think it dawned on me that I was in a fight. Call me slow. Anyway, I grabbed him by the shirt and pushed him up agains the wall when the first guy clocked me from behind. Call me slow, but now I realized I was in a fight.  I started after the first guy and he started running around the mall the security gurads came and got us.  The two brothers were arrested and taken to the station, and the US embassy demanded that the Singapore government fly me back to testify, but nothing came of that.

What made me wonder after was that I was a pretty fit Marine lieutenant at the time (serving in Recon in Okinawa), and the first brother was maybe 130 lbs soaking wet and maybe 5' 2".  His brother was taller, maybe 5' 9" or so, but he was possibly 150 lbs.  So neither one of these guys were really physically imposing. As weak as they turned out to be, why would they try to use physical force on me?

This has almost nothing to do with the OP's post, I guess, but hearing about overly aggressive tailors brought back the memories.

[BigSnake]

Throwing a punch wrong action, lucky you they didn't all pounce on you best thing just smile say no show empty pockets, ask if they can spare you ten baht for coffee, after awhile they will even look the other way when they see you coming, I tried it and it works just fine with most all Hawkers.

[patklang]

(Hawkers) offer a handshake,talking in cockney slang and if you respond by shaking their hand they grab your thumb and try to lead you in the shop.I gently told a couple of them that if they didnt release my thumb i will give them a good hiding,they soon stopped that caper with me.Now i dont shake hands and tell them i dont want my thumb grabbing thank you very much,if they have a problem with that i am more than happy to go one on one.

[samuibeachcomber]

dont believe the post,but it was a good story nontheless,if you want aggressive tailors try singapore.

[Shagger]

Well for me "NO IS NO" and they should respect that.

I think you did the right thing there by smacking one of them as the word will travel not to touch the "Farang" as you might get a smack.

What bothers me the most is that they did this to my son a couple of months back as we were walking down the road and also would not let go of his arm until I threatned to get the police involved. I was going to put him out but thought better of that one. Have been passed the same guy a couple of times now and he backs into his shop when he sees me now.

YES, this is a growing problem and should be dealt with.

[bonobo]

dont believe the post,but it was a good story nontheless,if you want aggressive indian tailors try singapore.

If it is my post you don't believe, so be it.  I am not in the habit of making things up, as others in TV have discovered to be the case when they had not initially believed something in my bio or that I have posted.

I am a packrat, so I probably still have the letter from the US Embassy in Singapore.  If I think about it, I will bring it out of storage when I go back to the US on a business trip next month.

[Soutpeel]

Something similar happened to me in Pattaya a couple of years ago, and the guy tried to grab my shirt to stop me passing him, in the end I grabbed his index finger and bent it back, and told him if he didnt get the f*kc out my way I was going to break his finger...still see the same guy in Pattaya, think he still remembers me as he stays well out of my way..

[Orac]

Knocking someone out becuase they grabbed hold of you seems a bit over the top, I would hate to follow you down soi 7/8 as I would be tripping over all the unconcious bargirls, or is it just a race thing?

[redscouse]

Knocking someone out becuase they grabbed hold of you seems a bit over the top, I would hate to follow you down soi 7/8 as I would be tripping over all the unconcious bargirls, or is it just a race thing?

Why highlight the race issue? maybe that would be a gender issue, but then again that would spoil your abuse of the OP as a racist when the race is not the issue for the confrontation