Funny having this kind of rating now, following the reports of bad relations between Thailand and USA

I personally said long time ago, when Thailand refused to extradite Victor and spoke against USA wishes in regards to Burma that USA will find some diplomatic way to punish Thailand.

I think this is just the beginning of the punishment,there could be more to come

Yeaa, turn the Gulf of Thailand into Bay of Pigs!

P.S. If Thailand is a high risk country, where would you go?... Just be careful and don't stay at your home country!

I am amazed by the constant USA bashing on this site. It appears that Maplecroft is a UK-based company (Registered in England and Wales, 24th Oct 2001)...

I'm am by no means saying that the USA is a "model of excellence"; in fact FAR FAR away from it! USA deserves bashing on a lot of issues.... but please check the facts before assuming that everything bad is originated from the USA.....

I think you misunderstood, i am the last person to bash USA.

In my opinion, good lesson has been taught to Thailand-Never bite a hand that feeds you!

I mean in reality, refusing to extradite V.Bout with the excuse that Thailand does not recognize FARC as being terrorist organization is such an insult to your "friend" who has been supporting you in so many ways.

Not to mention his extradition had no impact on Thailand at all.

Speaking against USA in regards to Burma, this is also something that you do not do in public to embarrass your friend. You either keep your mouth shut or discuss it in private.

Thailand decided to show the teeth and bite, fine so now there is no "food" for the hungry dog.

Just another perfect example that it helps to think prior to acting, and for every action there always is a reaction.

I really do not think its important what any of us Thai Visa members think. safe or not safe or whatever else.

Bottom line is Thailand has been placed in the 9th spot and this is where it will stay, "till further notice"

Impact of this ranking could be devastating for Thailand, not only in terms of tourism but also investment and relations. Should it turn violent in the next few weeks, it will only make the matters worse and really place Thailand in hot waters.

I wonder where or to whom they will run to seek help????

Understood.... and very well put. Thanks for the clarity.

Sorry, who/what is Maplecroft to make these statements????????????

Even their home page does not offer any answers,

just a load of waffle about "global risk indices".

No real credentials as far as I can see.

True. Absolutely true. Risk to what? Human life? Well US should ranked even higher in that case. Incidences of gun shots and mugging are way to high in places like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Just because some fancy definition their law does not qualify such acts as crime, they don't get registered in statistics. How ridiculous it is.

US and it's friends, are so good at using such Statistics and prediction models to confuse the world. It is all matter of playing with words. I know of story for sure. Sometime back the Health Department or whatever it is called redefined the condition of 'constipation'. Initially it used to be 3 days of inactivity of bowels. Now it is 7 days of inactivity of bowels. Result? Suddenly the health index Showing health of average American improved. WoW.

Makes me think about all such analysts and Risk forecasters. Reminds of term 'arm chair intellect'. These are the ones who discuss poverty in Africa whilst sipping on some expensive French wine. No connection to ground reality nor the world at large. Ranking Iraq and Thailand, in sort of same category looks so farcical that it is hard for me to believe this report at all.

Go and live in the deep south where there is a very serious problem and a huge death toll. There is more to this place than Bangkok and a few beach resorts! you appear tp be 'the arm chair intellect' by making no reference to this, and please respond on the issue is the south in your reply and not just slate me on principle.

I have lived in deep south, for 6 months. Yes, there are problems, however, I feel the media has exaggerated the situation. If you looks around, seldom you find a country not having political problems. I spent time studying the website of the Maplecroft and still can't figure out the parameters of their analysis. Exactly as some said above, I have lived here in Thailand, long enough and almost everywhere. Not just in Bangkok or some fancy beach resort. From such personal experience, I find the findings of Maplecorft a bit strange. Terror threat, is the term they have used. Places like Philippines, Pakistan, many parts of Malaysia and part of Indonesia are far too unstable with terror activities then Thailand. I do say, by any standard Thailand is much safer place. Armchair intellect I am not. At the same time, I have also spent enough time in US, UK and many Latin American countries. The entire statistical report, discussed here in this thread seems to be based around 'Terror Risk' factor where as the results show they are based on something completely different. Indeed the report is very ambiguous. :D

Does the Buddist faith teach following wisdom?

I am not a church goer so I guess you can say I belong to no religion, as Jesus advises below:

⁵And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.⁶But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words

Matthew 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword.

Above are from Jesus.

¹⁰ Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. ¹¹ He said, "This is what the king (government) who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. ¹² Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. ¹⁴ He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. ¹⁶ Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. ¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. ¹⁸ When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king (government) you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day."

1 Samuel said to Saul, "I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king (government, as the people demanded the Lord to do) over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD. ² This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. ³ Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy [a] everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.' "

²¹"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. ²²But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.

Exodus 23:2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment

Matthew 12:25 . . .every city or house divided against itself shall not stand

Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

Rev 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword

Romans 13:18 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Deu 15:¹At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. ²And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD's release.

Lev 25:²³The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine, for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.

Rev 3:¹⁶So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. ¹⁷Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked

Immigration departments and concept of citizenship are inherently unbiblical and thus unsustainable evil:

Leviticus 19:33 And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him.

Leviticus 19:34 But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 24:22 You shall have the same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I am the LORD your God.’”

Leviticus 25:35 ‘If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. 36 Take no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you. 37 You shall not lend him your money for usury, nor lend him your food at a profit. 38 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.

On why CDO's are failing (collateralized debt obligations), banks failing, derivatives failing, and on why to not cosign for a loan for someone else, etc.:

Proverbs 6:

1 My son, if you become surety for your friend,

If you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,

2 You are snared by the words of your mouth;

You are taken by the words of your mouth.

Proverbs 11:15

He who is surety for a stranger will suffer, But one who hates being surety is secure.

On Why Socialism & Communism fail:

Proverbs 1:

11 when they say, "Come on! Let's gang up and kill somebody, just for the fun of it

12 let us swallow them up alive as the grave, and whole, as those that go down to the pit;

13 we shall find much precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil;

14 cast in thy lot among us, let us all have one purse""

15 my son, walk not thou in the way with them; restrain thy foot from their path;

16 for their feet run to evil and make haste to shed blood.

17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird!

18 And they lie in wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.

19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy for gain, which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

Acts 4:32 Now the multitude of those who believed [at Jerusalem] were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. 34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

On why pensions, wage withholding, worker's compensation insurance, & Social Security are frauds from the beginning:

Leviticus 19:13 " Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him.

"Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight.

James 5:4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

Might want to look at how they define 'terrorism' if Thailand is on this list. Probably includes airport sit-ins, traffic blockades and similar dastardly acts.

I would say more likely the weekly bombings, decapitations beatings shootings

and general mayhem in the deep south, versus the non-regular things happening up north.

Traffic blocades happen in France almost monthly,

doesn't make the international news unless the whole nations unions go on strike.

Airport sit-ins happen in UK and many other places, but don't last as long.

The police forces and leadership are typically a lot less what will be will be Budhist in their leanings.

Dastardly Acts are not solely the repository of the disputing factions of the north,

but not exclusive to the southern insurgents either. Still what's happening Hatyai and south

would be the real reasons for this rating.