Phuket Gangs Shoot It Out In Patong

[shawndoc]

I've read the background it just sounds like two gangs fighting to me, regardless of whether one was a big Patong landlord or not.

So if a gang tries to drive you out of your house, and you refuse, that makes you a gang too? Simply because you refused to be bullied and forced out.

[Dkalasz]

Another blow for the tourism industry ,

Right now a lot of Scandinavians start their vacation to Thailand , and most of them goto Phuket.

Maybe not for long.

Australians already are very wary of Phuket, British wary because of the airport extortion case, then Danish just the other day.

It seems Thailand seems to make some kind of negative news on monthly basis where the main story is about either extortion of foreigners or how unsafe the country is.

Keep it up Thailand!

Oh come on. Thailand is as safe as most places in the world if not safer. Wait a year or two until the depression has bitten into every urban centre in the world and then you'll see what trouble is ! Stop moaning about Thailand and enjoy the amusing posts earlier in this thread.

"Wait a year or two until the depression has bitten into every urban centre in the world"--- Have you been hiding in the cave? the rest of the world has been already in depression and recession for the past year if not more, it is Thailand that has not been hit at all(according to Thai government and BOT)

And looking at other country's how often do you hear of day time gun gang wars in the city center?

I'm fron the US and i can tell you there are cities that this is a daily accurance not all of course i'd say new york los angels detroit "gary indiania" and probably most other major cities see stuff like this quite frequent

[LivinLOS]

off-topic, but brought to mind:

way back in 1968, my brother and I were asked by my dad (then CIA) to show a couple Ghanian men (Ghanian secret service?) around Washington DC on their first day in the USA. We duly powered up our pink convertible day-glow spray painted VW bug, and met the two serious looking dudes in business suits. Not knowing where the heck to go, we rambled aimlessly, and found ourselves going down streets, with smoke coming out of buildings, people ransacking stores (carrying TVs, still in the box), and looking at us strangely. A couple guys walked menacingly toward us carrying baseball bats, we sped off. Turns out we timed our little escapade for the very day Martin Luther King had been assassinated, and blacks throughout American cities were rioting.

ok, I now know the connection to this thread: just when you think it's crazier than looney tunes in Phuket or Pattaya, you can just think back to a time and place where it was just as crazy.

So your essentially saying Phuket is not as bad as a race riot ??

Most people dont want to book a vacation to riot zones.

[d0om4gloom]

And looking at other country's how often do you hear of day time gun gang wars in the city center?

I think it wouldn't take long to find a few news stories of much the same thing and then of course you forget the recent bombings in Jakarta. My point is: stop knocking Thailand at every opportunity, despite today events its still quite safe.

[sanmiguellight]

Shootings over prime real estate sounds as if theyre a higher class of scumbag then what you get in Pattaya.

[moskito]

.......Everyday a shooting or foreigner mugged or robbed and everyday there are more and more incidents.

May be a good idea to now not only offer free visa's but also free medical and personal bodyguard for every person.

Maybe a good idea to post something like this to your EMBASSYS and Newspapers and ask WHY they dont react or write about it!

Its the only way to gain attention of Thai Authoritys.

Some month ago the swedish and german Embassy warned tourists of muggins in Phuket. It seemed it helped a little bit. Only international attention

can make things better here OR btw. I dont want too many tourists in Phuket anyway I liked it ten or twenty years ago much more

AND another thing, this shootout was not the first one in Patong, remember half year ago this guys on motobikes with Uzzis=? are they in jail already=?

or is it like always? .....sit it out and wait, in a week nobody will talk about it anymore

[maxtingtong]

With all what is happening in Phuket why go there at all. Pattaya is starting to lok like paradise comperid to Phuket.

Hmmm.. not at all.. in Pattaya too crime is upscaling so much!

[Donnyboy]

Police chased a number of the gunmen down backstreet sois and arrested at least two men.

-Phuket Gazette

[harleyclarkey]

Beautiful day to day in Phuket went for a nice walk at Cape Lam Promthep great wind not hot some people flying remote controlled gliders in the wind it was fun to watch. Sea had some nice surf today. Watched my granddaughters playing tonight at home and enjoyed the evening. Life is what you make it!

Well Cap....weren't the folks walking and basking in the warm sunshine on the lovely golden sands of Patong doing the same as what you were enjoying on the Cape?? That is untill these scumbags started thier dirty war among lots of innocent people.

[Arkady]

Somehow one assumes that the police are involved in this dispute on one side or the other or even both and that is why it was allowed to get to the stage of a gun fight in a tourist street. They always seem to know very well who the criminals are but do nothing to stop their activities.

The powers that be rest on their laurels from the successes of the 80s and 90s and imagine that Thailand has no competition in the global tourist industry. They will never understand why people came or why they stopped coming. Meanwhile, totally new destinations for winter sun have sprung up closer to Europe like the Gulf and old destinations like India have developed more infrastructure. Closer at hand Vietnam is growing fast and Burma will be the final nail in the coffin of Thai tourism when it eventually gets its act together. The disgraceful stories of the British couple and the Irish government scientist scammed and extorted with the involvement of the police at Suvarnaphumi and currently getting huge coverage in their home countries are likely to have a palpable effect on arrivals this high season but the person behind the business at Suvarnaphumi is a big time crook with great political connections. So the tourism business will just have to suffer to save his arrogant face.

[shawndoc]

Police chased a number of the gunmen down backstreet sois and arrested at least two men.

-Phuket Gazette

It was initially thought other people had been arrested and taken to the Patong police station, but these were witnesses, being interviewed.

Also on <reference to publication deleted to respect the publication's wishes>

Edited July 22, 2009 by Maestro

[cmiuc]

Police were aware of the ongoing dispute and he was confident of arresting all of the men involved in the shootout very quickly, he said.

So lame...

to be CONFIDENT TO ARREST the others... what planted?

It makes me want to me want to choke how casual law enforcement is... to take it so casual... what would have happened if bystanders would have been the way...

time and time again when someone, specially foreigners get popped... they are so relaxed. yet this is town is at least 1/2 farangs...

I don't know why Thai's are so jai yen yen even to life threatening events...

I think the government needs to be more astringent on its own people... get serious.

Might help the current problems that are so out of control in the political arena.. red, yellow...etc... get tough guys!

Change the name of LOS to Mafia land... Gangsta's (maybe scarface, al capone are around somewhere)

[ScubaBuddha]

This reminds me, yesterdy as I passed one of the military checkpoints on my way out of town I saw a soldier clearing a handgun he had apparently just found inside the car he was searching.

[moskito]

.......and currently getting huge coverage in their home countries......

is it possible to get a LINK to this coverage? or is it just wishfull thinking......I personally hope newspapers all over the world cover stories like this, but they are not intrested I guess. If there is sex involved maybe, but only a shootout or some corrupt policeguys at an airport? They need action, its bad but unforunately no tourist died in the shooting, so NO NEWS at all. Maybe next time

[LivinLOS]

Police chased a number of the gunmen down backstreet sois and arrested at least two men.

-Phuket Gazette

Its been posted in news that the police do not claim to have made arrests.. They have some people questioned as witnesses..

Of the two the latter is providing far better coverage (again).

[skyman191]

Its the same the world over. I am an English guy working in Trinidad, here we have 2 or 3 murders per day !

Anyone want to find me a construction job in Thailand and i will be there.

[capt_canada42]

Police were aware of the ongoing dispute and he was confident of arresting all of the men involved in the shootout very quickly, he said.

So lame...

to be CONFIDENT TO ARREST the others... what planted?

It makes me want to me want to choke how casual law enforcement is... to take it so casual... what would have happened if bystanders would have been the way...

time and time again when someone, specially foreigners get popped... they are so relaxed. yet this is town is at least 1/2 farangs...

I don't know why Thai's are so jai yen yen even to life threatening events...

I think the government needs to be more astringent on its own people... get serious.

Might help the current problems that are so out of control in the political arena.. red, yellow...etc... get tough guys!

Change the name of LOS to Mafia land... Gangsta's (maybe scarface, al capone are around somewhere)

Okay Okay alright already I got my tough pills out what a bunch of belly ache's. God how many times I almost died in the surfing, racing in the war and from girl friends. Went home to California to check my house went down to my favorite bar for a drink and to see old friends and some guys car had broken down in front of the bar(it was on the street) a customer an ex GI buddy of mine from Nam days went to see if he could help them so they shot him and drove away turned out they had been doing that all night and had shot 5 people already. Went home another time and went to opening of an old bar Jack London used to drink at when I left i got a little lost trying to find the freeway entrance I noticed a car coming down the street towards my truck it was going awful slow suddenly all these guns sticking out of the car opened up on a house they were passing. Then just as I got to the house, the house opened up on me in my truck thinking I must have blasted them. Oh well peddle to the metal and I was gone.

God surfing sure can be dangerous so is driving a motor bike, how about having a few wives, heh do you want to sell land with me that sure can get you shot.

Anyways such a nice night tonight and all you unhappy people with nothings better to do but complain. In case you havn't noticed no where is perfect and if you don't like it here leave, it sure was nice when there was only a few of us guys living here years ago, it seems all of you coming has brought problems money and success usually brings problems. In fact when I came to Phuket the jail was empty a friend of the kings pointed this out to me. Years later he said now the jail is full and over flowing, he said all the gangs had moved to Phuket. So if you don't like it here leave we won't miss you.

Anyways night swimming has sharks but its a good time to spear fish, Canadian Richard never missed many nights out spear fishing he used to drop bags full of fish off at our house yelling as he drove bye and throwing the bag which we shared among the neighbors. Yes he finally died after falling off his motorbike while drunk and going home to sleep severe concussion.

Yes life is what you make it, I think I will go swimming tomorrow and for a nice walk and maybe work on my old Hot Rod and play with my grand children.

[odysseus966]

Lousy shots. Eight guys and they only hit four of each other. Somebody needs accuracy training.

sounds like a man who's never been under fire

too many bob lee swagger stories?

odysseus

[ILOOKFORWORK]

Lousy shots. Eight guys and they only hit four of each other. Somebody needs accuracy training.

Hahaha. Sure enough. That's what I was thinking too.

[expatudon08]

Interesting that because no farang is mentioned,its all a big laugh, someone died.

good point no shock horror just a thai but to be honest if you play with FIRE somebody will get burned ba bum

[yeeowww]

gimme a break. i lived for 25 years in venice beach california & saw more than my fair share of murder and mahem. but that doesn't stop the touristos from decending on the beaches from all over the globe every single summer. nor does it dissuade the east coasters and europeans from flooding out en masse to glom on to property and artificially inflate the value of real estate 'cause they all want a piece of "sunny southern california". it became one big obnoxious melting pot of gangs and affluent snobs & it made me sick. it's the real reason i now call the u.s.a. my ex-country (that and the presidents "bush"). the majority of people posting here need to quit being so frikk'n sarcastic and/or whining & get a real life... enjoy what you've got or simply get the hel_l out of thailand for all the smack talk your laying down. what happened in phuket happens every day in most populated spaces on this planet. get real for christ's sake...

Beautiful day to day in Phuket went for a nice walk at Cape Lam Promthep great wind not hot some people flying remote controlled gliders in the wind it was fun to watch. Sea had some nice surf today. Watched my granddaughters playing tonight at home and enjoyed the evening. Life is what you make it!

Yes you right.

People in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel love their life and enjoy it, until one day they take a bus or go to the market or shopping center or just for a walk and get blown up or shot.

Life is what you make it, but when people go on holidays they go to sunny weather and warm water they do not go for holiday to end up in the middle of the gun fight-day time-in the city center.

[tropo]

With all what is happening in Phuket why go there at all. Pattaya is starting to lok like paradise comperid to Phuket.

As it has been for the last 5 years

[wanderluster]

Interesting that because no farang is mentioned,its all a big laugh, someone died.

But this has to be the farongs fault... If farong not come to thailand then the property would not be so vaaluable, and the good buddist thais would not become so infested with greed. therefor thai way of thinking is that it is farong fault...

[onomataho]

This would barely make the news in Oakland, California!

[hardy1943]

Another blow for the tourism industry ,

Right now a lot of Scandinavians start their vacation to Thailand , and most of them goto Phuket.

Maybe not for long.

Australians already are very wary of Phuket, British wary because of the airport extortion case, then Danish just the other day.

It seems Thailand seems to make some kind of negative news on monthly basis where the main story is about either extortion of foreigners or how unsafe the country is.

Keep it up Thailand!

Yup, the Airport closure was chum change to all of this.

[hardy1943]

This would barely make the news in Oakland, California!

True, but who plans a vacation to visit Oakland ?

[Nickel]

Lousy shots. Eight guys and they only hit four of each other. Somebody needs accuracy training.

Assuming they were using pistols and from any sort of distance, try using one yourself and see how accurate they really are. Those 'Wild West' shoot outs you have seen on the movies are a myth. Depending, of course, on the number of shots fired It was perhaps a pretty good hit rate.

[DonGato]

Soon to be the hottest selling item in Patong

No self respecting tourist will be seen without one.

issued as you depart the plane, a mask for the flu, and vest for the bullets.... and heck have some condoms too

don't forget to have enough money to pay for any missing bar mats and please make sure you pop in our ever popular duty free shop at BKK on departure;)

Amazing... isn't it...

[garyh]

Interesting that because no farang is mentioned,its all a big laugh, someone died.

But this has to be the farongs fault... If farong not come to thailand then the property would not be so vaaluable, and the good buddist thais would not become so infested with greed. therefor thai way of thinking is that it is farong fault...

It's a TV Farang gang plot to reduce the number of Farangs in Thailand

[mrukman]

Who in there right minds would want to holiday with there family in a resort ( ha ha) where the mafia run the roost and curruption and scams are the norm. From now on its back to greece for me no chance of getting caught in a gangland shootout on kos or Rhodes. I pity the falangs that have to live in patong and have to put up with that crap day in day out. Even if you do make a succses of something your threatened to hand it over or else. When is the mafia Tuk Tuk boss getting his extra 170 new tuk tuks he has requested. Simple question to the thais reading this = scammed at the airport with the full jurisdiction of the police, no action taken yet on this practice to ease falangs worry's double priced because we are westerners, treated as illegals if we live there, and have to report montly like a common criminal , and the latest shoot outs in a populer resort during the daytime, what would have happened if a falang child would have been hit, you just dont give a toss its just money and greed. When this hits the uk and it will it will drive your nail further and it is what you deserve LOS more like land of scum.