Chiang Mai - Is It Safe?

[fridgemagnet]

As regards safety - where are these iffy areas Mr. Paggai? A definitive geography of danger may well be of interest to residents of CM.

Firstly, I think some in this thread have been getting me wrong. I actually think CM is a relatively safe place for Farangs; indeed safer than many places in the west, including Norwich But the same is not true for many locals, which was my point.

Like any city CM has its nice, not so nice, and down right dodgy areas. But one should be vigilant anywhere, saying this is a "Safe area" invites a false sense of security. But since you asked........

iffy areas: I guess others can add to this list but, generally, in my opinion (and mainly for Thai people late at night), much of Tambon Chang Puek, except maybe for the areas immediately adjacent to Huay Kaew. Particularly the Sois, around Thanin Market, Santitham, Wat Jed Yot and Chang Puek Soi 4 (near the Tessabaan especially - though some may quite like the "attractions" there ). Big late night venues such as Differ or Xanta. Tambon Sripum. around Wat Ku Tao, all the Muan Dam Pra Kot area and around Rajapat; also the whole Kamtieng area. Some of the areas off the Mae Rim and Mae jo roads, north of the Superhighway (those with lots of cheap rooming houses). The area south of the moat/Pratu Chiang Mai, especailly between Suriwongs and Siridonchai rd. Chiang Mai Land, after dark. I could go on but......

Though the most dangerous place for a Farang is still Spicy at 4 a.m.

Yes - I would definitely avoid Spicey late at night - tho it's fun to have a late night snack opposite side of the moat & watch the goings on.

Thanks for the other info...

[Unfaithful]

I am usually in (somebody's) bed by midnight.Sammi Noi lives in Santitam.No prob.

[KevinHunt]

Yes - I would definitely avoid Spicey late at night - tho it's fun to have a late night snack opposite side of the moat & watch the goings on.

Thanks for the other info...

My nickname for Spicey's is The House of The Rising Sun - partly because it doesn't close until about 5.00 am and also because of the immortal line 'It's been the ruin of many a small boy ..'. If young guys ask me where to go after hours I tell them that there are plenty of small bars in the back sois that open late, as well as John's Place, but whatever you do .. don't go to Spicey's (Oh Mother, tell your children, not to do as I have done.....).  As you might expect, they do go to Spicey's and you don't see them for about 2 weeks. They're never quite the same afterwards, though.

As regards to people watching, The Mayflower Belgian restaurant on Loi Kroh is a good spot to observe the Human Zoo opposite.

[Paagai]

My nickname for Spicey's is The House of The Rising Sun - partly because it doesn't close until about 5.00 am and also because of the immortal line 'It's been the ruin of many a small boy ..'.

In respect of Spicy I suspect there are more than a few on this forum who could identify with the next line too......."And God I Know I'm One"

Excellent Song though, I've even been known to sing it in another CM "House of the Rising Sun" before now

[Stumbo]

Seems every few months this topic comes round again.........

And every time I read all the, "it's so safe here" comments I wonder if I live in the same city

Sure, for the vast majority of Farang's living here, it is a reasonably safe place, especially if you don;t drink, don't ride a motosai, don't go out late at night and stick to tourist/ex-pat venues or ex-pat club meetings. Yep, you can enjoy a long and happy life here waiting for heart disease, or cancer to get you

But, step across the tracks into the Thai side of town and its a very different story. I've lived in some rough places before but here in CM, among Thais, and especially Tai Yais, I've seen more fights, nastier fights, the biggest bar brawls, more guns, knives machetes, samurai swords, sling shots, serious wounds inflicted by all of these weapons, more drugs, more people effected by drugs, more people stealling anything to feed their addictions (Drugs and gambling), more people with serious alcohol problems (lao Kaao) more people killed or maimed in motobike accidents, more people mugged for their motosai or torasap, more kids savagely beaten because of the school they attend, big gang fights, etc, etc, etc than I ever did even in the roughest places in the west.

The OP may have a sucessful "No riff raff" policy and Farang orientated bars are largely probelm free (apart from the occasional drunken Farang trying to restart the last world war), but get out into the burbs and its another world. Whilst personally I've never had a problem, I've seen many local people hospitalised from violent incidents here, not to mention a good friend violently murdered. If you think CM is really a safe city it's time to wake up and smell the coffee.

Anyway, "Safety First" I always go out with my infamous bodyguards and leave the fighting to them Or if the bodyguards are busy there's always the Katoeys - No one messes with them

Edit: Second thoughts, that's two friends murdered in the last year, and another acquaintance in jail for murdering someone else! And another scumbag who ought to be in jail is still happily walking the streets.....

Chiang Mai like most places in regards to safety will reflect your lifestyle. That you have a bunch of gay guards is a sad reflection of where you need to be, but your choice. For most it is safe and nothing to worry about and you probably know that, so why post such inflammatory crap?

Years ago I was running a business that had complications, I had people turn up at my home with guns, even some were sent after I had bolted to put a bomb under my car, but that was just because of the scenario I had inadvertently entered. Most people never will go there.

These days I live not in a moobaan, I live in a stand alone house and feel perfectly safe. Trouble finds trouble seekers or those that like to live on the edge, that has nothing to do with most expats here, relax and enjoy a nice city.

[Paagai]

For most it is safe and nothing to worry about and you probably know that, so why post such inflammatory crap?

Why? For the pleasure of reading your replies of course

[piercefilmlid]

Trouble finds trouble seekers or those that like to live on the edge, that has nothing to do with most expats here, relax and enjoy a nice city.

Agreed 100%.

Chiang Mai has its share of crime, some of it violent, but in 12 years all the expats and Thais I have known who have been injured or met an untimely death, have suffered that fate through:

1. Alcohol abuse.

2. Road traffic accidents involving alcohol.

3. Road traffic accidents not involving alcohol.

4. Domestic violence.

I have lived in one of the so called "iffy areas" and have always felt perfectly safe, even late at night. Air pollution is the threat to my health that I see, but that's another topic.

<Paagai> now seems to agree that his posts on this topic are inflammatory crap, and its all a bit of wheeze!

You should feel fortunate to live in such a lovely city.

Edited November 26, 2009 by piercefilmlid

[vagabond48]

Trouble finds trouble seekers or those that like to live on the edge, that has nothing to do with most expats here, relax and enjoy a nice city.

Agreed 100%.

I have lived in one of the so called "iffy areas" and have always felt perfectly safe, even late at night. Air pollution is the threat to my health that I see, but that's another topic.

You should feel fortunate to live in such a lovely city.

Amen to that.

[Paagai]

Chiang Mai has its share of crime, some of it violent, but in 12 years all the expats and Thais I have known who have been injured or met an untimely death, have suffered that fate through:

1. Alcohol abuse.

2. Road traffic accidents involving alcohol.

3. Road traffic accidents not involving alcohol.

4. Domestic violence.

Ah, another one of the rose tinted glasses brigade . If you took them off you would see the biggest problem facing this city is DRUGS, metamphetamines (AKA Yaabaa) to be precise. You never mentioned that in your list, yet I cannot believe anyone who has lived here 12 years can be unaware of the problem, or never seen any of it's consequences. Drug abuse has been a direct contributory factor in the two murders I mentioned previously - and certainly NOT by the victims.

Drugs are ruining the lives of many, many young people, and feeding most of the violence and crime in and around CM. Meanwhile, some get ever richer from the misery they are creating which is escalating unchecked. Farangs living here can ignore it if it helps them feel happy in their false reality of this "lovely city", but ignoring a problem doesn't make it go away, quite the opposite. Until people do speak out and force the authorities to take real action against the problem, and the corrupt influences supporting it, the crisis will grow and grow. Not that I'm advocating another "war on drugs", that clearly didn't work before. A more measured approach and education is required.

I'm sure I will again get accused of moving in the "wrong circles", by those who know nothing about me and who would rather put down someone else than make a valid contribution to the discussion. Anyway, I know I NEVER touch illegal substances; if others don't believe me it's their problem.

<Paagai> now seems to agree that his posts on this topic are inflammatory crap, and its all a bit of wheeze!

O.K. so I made a tounge in cheek comment about the body guards The rest is serious stuff; I challenge anyone to find something I said which isn't true.

You should feel fortunate to live in such a lovely city.

Believe me I do, and for me it IS very safe, and a wonderful place to live. But I never forget that around the next corner may be another smiling face, but this time with drug induced false intentions

[Ulysses G.]

I find Paagai's posts about danger in Chiang Mai interesting as it is pretty obvious from speaking to Thais that many of them would concur with him.

I feel pretty safe here, but only in certain situations.

[Paagai]

Reading today's Bangkok Post is seems I'm not alone in my views:

<snip>

[caf]

Chiang Mai has its share of crime, some of it violent, but in 12 years all the expats and Thais I have known who have been injured or met an untimely death, have suffered that fate through:

1. Alcohol abuse.

2. Road traffic accidents involving alcohol.

3. Road traffic accidents not involving alcohol.

4. Domestic violence.

Ah, another one of the rose tinted glasses brigade . If you took them off you would see the biggest problem facing this city is DRUGS, metamphetamines (AKA Yaabaa) to be precise. You never mentioned that in your list, yet I cannot believe anyone who has lived here 12 years can be unaware of the problem, or never seen any of it's consequences. Drug abuse has been a direct contributory factor in the two murders I mentioned previously - and certainly NOT by the victims.

Drugs are ruining the lives of many, many young people, and feeding most of the violence and crime in and around CM. Meanwhile, some get ever richer from the misery they are creating which is escalating unchecked. Farangs living here can ignore it if it helps them feel happy in their false reality of this "lovely city", but ignoring a problem doesn't make it go away, quite the opposite. Until people do speak out and force the authorities to take real action against the problem, and the corrupt influences supporting it, the crisis will grow and grow. Not that I'm advocating another "war on drugs", that clearly didn't work before. A more measured approach and education is required.

I'm sure I will again get accused of moving in the "wrong circles", by those who know nothing about me and who would rather put down someone else than make a valid contribution to the discussion. Anyway, I know I NEVER touch illegal substances; if others don't believe me it's their problem.

<Paagai> now seems to agree that his posts on this topic are inflammatory crap, and its all a bit of wheeze!

O.K. so I made a tounge in cheek comment about the body guards The rest is serious stuff; I challenge anyone to find something I said which isn't true.

You should feel fortunate to live in such a lovely city.

Believe me I do, and for me it IS very safe, and a wonderful place to live. But I never forget that around the next corner may be another smiling face, but this time with drug induced false intentions

Paagai, you and Ulysses are right. But you will never convince the rose tinted glasses brigade. They believe what they want to believe

[anonymouse]

Paagai, you and Ulysses are right. But you will never convince the rose tinted glasses brigade. They believe what they want to believe

I think it's more like they believe what they see, I live in a nice middle class housing complex a dozen or so km's outside town, when I come into town I tend to drink in expat bars, eat in western restaurants etc I never see any criminal activities which is probably a similiar lifestyle to a lot of expats on CM.

I've been here long enough, seen enough and heard enough to know otherwise though

I'd still mantain it is a pretty safe place for your average non-Thai though

[Ulysses G.]

Paagai, you and Ulysses are right. But you will never convince the rose tinted glasses brigade. They believe what they want to believe

When they see 20 members of the Samurai Gang in their rear view mirror out in the middle of nowhere, they will wish they had listened to us!

[sticklebrick]

Paagai, you and Ulysses are right. But you will never convince the rose tinted glasses brigade. They believe what they want to believe

When they see 20 members of the Samurai Gang in their rear view mirror out in the middle of nowhere, they will wish they had listened to us!

oh yes, keep bumping into them! Can't turn a corner without getting sliced to pieces