Late Saturday night or early Sunday morning our internet service provided by TOT quit working. Since this happens on occasion we didn't think to much about it. So about 10:30 Sunday morning we complained to the Condo manager that our internet and telephone service wasn't working and ask him to check and see if his phone worked. He checked and it did not work so he said he would report it to ToT. About 10:00 this morning we were advised that it could be three days before it was back up as someone had stolen about one kilometer of the the main telephone line. Apparently for the copper content. in the cable. Fortunately it was back in service about 1 hour ago.

Times are tough all over.

Quite a common event in Thailand. I have some American friends who built a beautiful house on a deserted beach in Khao Lak and got the local electricity company to install 1km of cable/poles to their paradise location.

The copper cable was being stolen so many times that when they are not in residence, they pay some Thais to live in the house and to patrol up/down the road to disuade anyone from stealing the cable

Simon

I had the same thing happen once whilst renting a private house near Pattaya. TOT tried to charge me for the replacement cable. I emphasize the word "tried"

here we go ...

Well, at least they left the meter....

Simon

We used to have this a lot with a private cable we ran from an office directly into a telephone exchange. It stopped after a while though when the thieves realized they were stealing fiber optic cable and not copper.

This worries me too. I have heard a lot of this going on up here in the countryside.

When I had ToT install my phone and internet I had to grease some palms for it to happen (TiT)

They had to put in a cable 1200 metres long and I was told that if it disappears, it's down to me.

I've looked along the road where it runs and it's too low to the ground in my opinion.

I'm just waiting for the day when someone swipes it. I feel joy everyday that it's still there...

Copper price is pretty hight right now, so this kind of thefts happens all over the world. Here in Sweden many church having problem whit stolen copper from roofs, walls etc, some time ago a whole park went out of light because someone had stolen the newly installed copper cables. Sometimes the thiefes judge them self to the chair when they try to steal the cables from a electric high power station...

Copper price is pretty hight right now, so this kind of thefts happens all over the world. Here in Sweden many church having problem whit stolen copper from roofs, walls etc, some time ago a whole park went out of light because someone had stolen the newly installed copper cables. Sometimes the thiefes judge them self to the chair when they try to steal the cables from a electric high power station...

People in the UK are also regulaly getting fried on train tracks trying to steal copper.

Crazy.

This has happened to me also, about 3 or 4 times, I was told by the TOT crews that it was commonplace & for the copper in the lines. I remember thinking, <deleted>? Also, obviously the recycle joints are aware of what they are buying but nobody seems to want to crack down on this sort of thing (BIB ).

It must cost TOT a fortune.

This cable was taken from poles right next to the highway between Hua Hin and Bangkok. I think I would have selected a more out of the way location. But then no one noticed so I guess it does not matter, perhaps the TOT crew thought they had a bonus coming?

Are there any underground installations of utilities in Thailand.? Would stop a lot of this and look a darn sight better than poles carrying wire.

I've been reading such stories from all over the world since the commodities bull run began about ten years ago. The last time I visited Portland, Oregon, three years ago, thieves had taken to stealing the copper tubing from air con condensers, but much worse, stealing manhole covers. You hit one of those holes going a decent speed and it could be all over for you. And yes, of course the scrap metal yards know exactly what they are buying.

this has been going on in chicago and Id assume most major cities for decades.

similar, butt not quite the same is my experience on koh phan ngan.

many houses lay water pipe overland to a reservoir in the mountains.

we have our waterlines stolen on two separate occasions.

it usually happens when the reservoir is loww. when the rains come we realize we need to replace.

this has been happening for years, another favourite is the bolds on cellphone and electric towers. nobody realizes they are gone until there is a wind.

Edited June 21, 201016 yr by t.s

They even nicked the cables to the tsunami warning towers in Phuket a couple of years ago.

This has happened to me also, about 3 or 4 times, I was told by the TOT crews that it was commonplace & for the copper in the lines. I remember thinking, <deleted>? Also, obviously the recycle joints are aware of what they are buying but nobody seems to want to crack down on this sort of thing (BIB ).

It must cost TOT a fortune.

I know a dust heap owner and she pays around 60 000 ฿ per year to the police for not get controlled...

She said without the thievery it would be hard to survive .

they steal dust too? i hope they dont get a peek behind my tv and stereo where the maid fears to tread.