Rising Crime By Foreigners A Cause For Concern

[ThaiLife]

Rising crime by foreigners a cause for concern - From an Article in Nation Opinion

Has it become too easy for criminals from outside to enter and leave the country?

In recent months there has been a spate of crimes involving foreign suspects - bank robberies, jewellery thefts, house break-ins, purse-cutting and even kidnapping. The foreign criminals are only adding salt to the wounds of the locals already suffering from the crimes committed by their compatriots.

Many cases have been reported in tourist cities like Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket.

These are in addition to drug trafficking and Mafia-type acts committed by foreigners that target their compatriots as well as Thais, such as extortion rings and gangs of beggars.

Also, criminals who escape the hand of the law in their countries - bank robbers, fraudsters, murderers, swindlers and paedophiles - find a new haven somewhere in Thailand. Fortunately, many of them have been arrested, in most cases at the intervention of authorities in their country or Interpol, because Thai police do not have their criminal records.

Police inevitably become the first target of blame for the frequent crimes by foreigners, although arrests of suspects have been made recently.

Some critics accuse the police of getting into neutral gear, hinting at intentional inaction, and they link the surge in crimes by foreigners to decreased spirits within the police force as a result of "political intervention" over the appointment of a new national police chief.

However, it is intriguing that more and more foreigners are committing criminal acts, particularly larceny, here.

Do they see more affluent Thais as easy targets? Do they see flaws in the country's justice system? Do they find it easy to enter the country and leave after committing crimes? Is it because of the government's policy of welcoming as many visitors as possible into the country to boost tourism revenue? Or is it a combination of all those reasons?

Recent larcenies involving foreigners targeted victims who operate jewellery shops. They carried away a large amount of gold ornaments. The value of the stolen jewels in each case ranged from less than Bt1 million to more than Bt50 million. In most cases the perpetrators did not use weapons and, working as teams, simply confused or deflected the attention of their victims before taking away the valuables.

There appears to be a perception among many arrested foreign suspects that they can bribe their way to freedom. There were many cases in which Thai authorities rejected such offers and instead added the charge of bribery against the suspects. But critics say many successful cases of bribery go unreported.

It is perhaps a matter of national pride. Police are unlikely to accept bribes from foreign suspects, especially if the offers are done too obviously, such as in front of other officers at a police station. That was exactly what two Vietnamese pickpockets did after their arrests near Bangkok's Victory Monument.

Judging from accounts given by many of the arrested suspects of larceny from neighbouring countries, it is easy for them to travel from the border areas to Bangkok. Suspects from neighbouring countries in the East said they simply sneaked across the porous borders and took a train to the capital, where they could find plenty of possible victims. After they got their money, they just left the country. Criminals from faraway countries often rushed to the nearest airport and flew away. It would be days, if not weeks, before the police could find out about their identities.

Many foreign criminals find the policy of promoting tourism favourable to them. They can apply for visas on arrival to stay in the country for at least 15 days, in addition to tourist visas that allow visitors a maximum 60-day stay.

The government policy of promoting tourism has been so successful that visitor arrivals topped 14 million last year. And despite an economic downturn, the number of arrivals is 9.8 million in the first half of this year, according to records from the Immigration Police Bureau.

Article Link Here

TL

[astral]

It would be interesting to see how these crimes fit in with the general statistics for crime in Thailand.

They may make good newspaper headlines, but I suspect they are only a tiny fraction of the total.

Newspapers like The Nation and Bangkok Post do not report crimes by Thais.

You need to read the Thai press to see what is really happening.

Many foreign criminals find the policy of promoting tourism favourable to them. They can apply for visas on arrival to stay in the country for at least 15 days, in addition to tourist visas that allow visitors a maximum 60-day stay. (Nation)

Blaming Immigration policy does not help anyone,

least of all Thailand............

[aussiejosh]

I doubt many of these 'criminals' care about the immigration laws... As for BiB not being likely to take money, haha yeah right. Its just if the price is right every time.

[tijnebijn]

' Police are unlikely to take bribes from foreign suspects ' must be the quote of the month isn't it ?

What a joke article this is .

Those Russians and Nigerians are the biggest scammers and brothel holders in the World perhaps ,

don't think the Thai police will not take their piece of cake of whom are operating in Thailand , they

are one of the most corrupt Police Departments in the World themselves ......

Funny how they keep their heads in the sand those folks .....

Edited September 28, 2009 by tijnebijn

[Dakhar]

The BIG would not take a bribe from some Vietnamese pick pocketers....... Oh dear, failed negotiations, ie not enough money, "Off to jail with you..."

Oh and remember, when bribeing a member of the police force, one must do so in a politically correct manner.....

So essentially, taking a bribe is OK, if it is a bribe from a Thai, but a bribe from a non-Thai---- Sh3t, one must have their morals!!!!!

Craziest article I have read in a while.

[bendejo]

My 2 satang on this:

once someone spends some time here and understands that law is selectively administered by a rogue police force, they may just start wondering how they can use this environment to their advantage. And if caught a few dollars can go a long way. I'm not just referring to Thailand but all the countries in this region.

Personally I wouldn't think of anything of the sort because the people in these parts have too good of a memory of farang faces.

[bendejo]

There appears to be a perception among many arrested foreign suspects that they can bribe their way to freedom.

You mean they can't? Since when?

There were many cases in which Thai authorities rejected such offers and instead added the charge of bribery against the suspects.

These are documented cases are known as "arrests." Not many of them, there's no profit in it.

So essentially, taking a bribe is OK, if it is a bribe from a Thai, but a bribe from a non-Thai---- Sh3t, one must have their morals!!!!!

Indeed! Price should be at least double!

But I can see how Thais may have such animosity toward their regional neighbors that yes, they may prefer to beat them up and send them home in a burlap sack -- after emptying their pockets, of course.

Edited September 28, 2009 by bendejo