Safe To Live In Thailand?

[mistina]

Hi all,

New to this forum so would like to say hello to all the members!!

Me and my wife have holidayed in Thailand a few times, staying in Pattaya or surrounding areas. We have been discussing moving to Thailand, around Pattaya some were.

Ive been asking people who i know live there or go on holiday there what there opinion is of this. A friend of mine as an house in bang lumung in a gated complex, which ive stayed at a few times.

Me and my wife have looked at a few propities in Pattaya and surrounding areas, we have seen a couple of houses in there own grounds with walls and metal gate etc, when asking people

if they would live out there but not in a gated community they have said 'oh no, thats a bit dodgy'....

Is this true??

Is it safe to live out of a gated community??

My personal opinion is yes! ive stayed in Pattaya for months at a time all over and never had any drama, but committing to living there full time is it wise to be living on your own??

Hope some of you guys can shed some light on this.

Many thanks

Mistina

[Beetlejuice]

I wouldn`t live there for all the tea in Thailand.

If you don`t believe; check the Thailand News clippings on this forum.

[cdnvic]

I'm going to put this in the Pattaya forum for better local input.

[mistina]

Thank you very much! :-)

[H2oDunc]

Pattaya isn't Thailand.

Try having a trip around Thailand and see the big difference in other parts of this beautiful country before you decide.

The thought of having to live in a gated property would fill me with dread. I have been all over Thailand and have never once felt threatened anywhere.

[PhilHarries]

One thing you will notice about gated "communities" is that each house also carries it's own security systems from bars on the windows to full on alarm systems.

Reason: the weakest link in these places with their supposed 24/7 "security" is just that, the security guards. Anytime there's a burglary in one of these places the smart money is on the involvement of the security guards. Who else knows what house every person lives in and who else knows who is in and who is away?

An individual house with it's own physical security is as good, if not better, than these communities where you can't even rely on the place being kept clean and free from stray dogs.

Don't take any notice of the Pattaya bashers, these people are like those machines on the pier at Brighton where the parrot in the cage squawks as people walk by set of by a PIR detector. They also have a very similar level of intelligence.

Pattaya is what you seek in life, seek the dirt and you shall find the same.

[sarahsbloke]

The most gdangerous thing for you in Thailand....

Are the hoardes of younger women throwing themselves at your husband.

Most men only manage to resist for a little while.

I certainly wouldn't bring a husband here!

[guzzi850m2]

Pattaya isn't Thailand.

Try having a trip around Thailand and see the big difference in other parts of this beautiful country before you decide.

The thought of having to live in a gated property would fill me with dread. I have been all over Thailand and have never once felt threatened anywhere.

I been living in Phuket + Bangkok & and now I live in Pattaya. I really likes it here, the town/city is buzzing with life and you can do many things here from beach life to shopping and eating out cheaply. Sadly Pattaya attracts many "rotten" eggs, both Thais and foreigners so be careful.

We live in a gated village which in my opinion is a must for security, but as others also said, you need your own added security like iron bars and so on. In our village almost 30% are Thai doctors and they all have iron bars on their windows (alway listen to the locals regarding things like that).

There are so many foreign couples here that the Ladies have their own club and I think they meet every week or so and are also involved in charity work for local kids.

Yes before moving to permanently to Pattaya check other parts of the Kingdom before you decide, I especially likes Chang Mai but that is only my opinion.

Good luck.

[FarangBuddha]

One thing you will notice about gated "communities" is that each house also carries it's own security systems from bars on the windows to full on alarm systems.

Reason: the weakest link in these places with their supposed 24/7 "security" is just that, the security guards. Anytime there's a burglary in one of these places the smart money is on the involvement of the security guards. Who else knows what house every person lives in and who else knows who is in and who is away?

An individual house with it's own physical security is as good, if not better, than these communities where you can't even rely on the place being kept clean and free from stray dogs.

Don't take any notice of the Pattaya bashers, these people are like those machines on the pier at Brighton where the parrot in the cage squawks as people walk by set of by a PIR detector. They also have a very similar level of intelligence.

Pattaya is what you seek in life, seek the dirt and you shall find the same.

Completely agree...a house, in a village compound or outside is only as good as it's own security. As anyone living here will corroborate, robberies are almost always an inside job (either the guards and their friends or a spurned lover who copied the keys). I live in a no guard village and not a single problem in 4 years.

[sarahsbloke]

Yes before moving to permanently to Pattaya check other parts of the Kingdom before you decide, I especially likes Chang Mai but that is only my opinion.

Good luck.

I live just outside CM, small mooban, we often don't even lock the doors or shut the windows when we go out ........ I've lived here 1 year and nobody has any robbery stories to tell.

[craigt3365]

You need to differentiate between Pattaya proper and the surrounding areas. Pattaya proper is a basic, ugly, Thai style town. Near the beach, you have loads of beer bars and go go's. For many of us, we don't visit there often. Usually when tourists are in town and they want to see Walking Street. Or to shop at Central Festival.

Outside Pattaya, there is a variety of options to chose from. The "dark side", the area you have already stayed in, Nakula, Jomtien, NaJomtien, Bang Saray, etc. Each is different, and other than parts of Nakula or Jomtien, none are like Pattaya.

With regards to your query, yes, security is an issue. A big one. I know few people who leave their houses empty. And all have alarms or bars on the windows...sometimes these things work, sometimes they don't. But house robberies here are a big problem.

With that being said, many have lived here, in a house, and have never had a problem. Others have been broken into several times. If your house is on the perimeter wall, and just outside is a shanty town of Burmese workers...well...you will probably have problems.

But you do need to be aware it is a problem...and steps need to be taken to secure your house. Alarms, dogs, security guards in gated communities, etc., all help...but all can be overcome by a smart and determined robber. Luckily, they are mostly looking for small stuff as they usually have to jump a high wall to get out again. So no carrying off 55" TVs, etc. But even that does happen.

As mentioned above, don't let the Pattaya bashers get to you. Most live in Central Pattaya. And they are right. I would live there if you paid me. It's just not a pretty place to live.

If you have time, rent a car. Head down to Bang Saray. On the way back, turn left off Suk to explore all along the coast. Head out to Silver Lake Winery, Buddha mountain, Phoenix Golf Course. Lot's of great places to see...just not in Central Pattaya.

PM me if you want contact info for members who live outside of town and might be able to help with more info.

[timekeeper]

i live out in the wilds of Mabrachan lake and love it

few cars, no hawkers, peace and quiet with only birds, snakes and lizards for company

i live on a single plot with my own security measures in place

i would not live in a gated community if you paid me

you just need to understand that if you scream out here, no one is going to come.

so you better make some plans for the eventuality.

no problems so far.

my only worry is that one day Pattaya will come to me.........

[craigt3365]

i live out in the wilds of Mabrachan lake and love it

few cars, no hawkers, peace and quiet with only birds, snakes and lizards for company

i live on a single plot with my own security measures in place

i would not live in a gated community if you paid me

you just need to understand that if you scream out here, no one is going to come.

so you better make some plans for the eventuality.

no problems so far.

my only worry is that one day Pattaya will come to me.........

We live in a gated community and love it. We walk around and see the kids riding their bikes up and down the sois. We wander from house to house saying hello to our friends. They stop by for lunch or to just have a chat. I've met a lot of really nice people since living here. Ones I would not have met had I been out by myself.

As for the security...they are minimum wage. You get what you pay for. But at least nobody gets into the village without first being checked. All visitors have to leave an ID at the gate when entering. Keeps out the riff raff.

[timekeeper]

i live out in the wilds of Mabrachan lake and love it

few cars, no hawkers, peace and quiet with only birds, snakes and lizards for company

i live on a single plot with my own security measures in place

i would not live in a gated community if you paid me

you just need to understand that if you scream out here, no one is going to come.

so you better make some plans for the eventuality.

no problems so far.

my only worry is that one day Pattaya will come to me.........

We live in a gated community and love it. We walk around and see the kids riding their bikes up and down the sois. We wander from house to house saying hello to our friends. They stop by for lunch or to just have a chat. I've met a lot of really nice people since living here. Ones I would not have met had I been out by myself.

As for the security...they are minimum wage. You get what you pay for. But at least nobody gets into the village without first being checked. All visitors have to leave an ID at the gate when entering. Keeps out the riff raff.

i am happy for you Craig

you sound like you have found your version of Utopia, but its not mine

the kids would annoy me, Soi friends in my experience are always a needy bunch, and lunching & chatting with those neighbors who have got nothing better to do is certainly not on my menu

i prefer to be a miserable, reclusive bastard who chooses my own company and gets what i need from Pattaya and its surrounds, when and where i need it.

its a good thing we are not all the same.........

[LennyW]

The most basic security measures are usually the best, the main point being - make your property less attractive to a burglar than your neighbours house.

1) Spike rail around your perimiter wall.

2) Dogs.

And thats it, people do get paranoid about security here, and yes in some places that is justified, been here 9 years and have no problems but i always have had single houses on their own with my dogs - i could never live in a gated community but thats just me, i come from the wilds of Scotland and i like my space around me.

I know of so many people that have had problems in these gated communities but as another poster said - usually some involvement from the so called security!!, you look at some of these bigger gated communities with maybe 3 / 400 houses on them and a maze of small connecting sois - a robbers dream!!, 2 security guards at the gate have no chance of ever catching anyone around that rat runs!

But on the other hand, i also know a lot of people who live in small village communities like Ban Nok and Wang Hin out in Huay Yai who dont even have walls around their property and regularly leave their doors/gates open without a problem, the thing there is that all the locals know who should and should not be around, it's the best environment by far that i have found here, gives you a good feeling.

I feel that if you need to go to the extremes of fitting bars to your windows, security cameras etc, then you really should choose another area to live, but in saying that i do understand also that in some places it is an unfortunate necessity!

At the end of the day you really need to evaluate what suits you personally and what you feel comfortable with - take your time with that.

[craigt3365]

i live out in the wilds of Mabrachan lake and love it

few cars, no hawkers, peace and quiet with only birds, snakes and lizards for company

i live on a single plot with my own security measures in place

i would not live in a gated community if you paid me

you just need to understand that if you scream out here, no one is going to come.

so you better make some plans for the eventuality.

no problems so far.

my only worry is that one day Pattaya will come to me.........

We live in a gated community and love it. We walk around and see the kids riding their bikes up and down the sois. We wander from house to house saying hello to our friends. They stop by for lunch or to just have a chat. I've met a lot of really nice people since living here. Ones I would not have met had I been out by myself.

As for the security...they are minimum wage. You get what you pay for. But at least nobody gets into the village without first being checked. All visitors have to leave an ID at the gate when entering. Keeps out the riff raff.

i am happy for you Craig

you sound like you have found your version of Utopia, but its not mine

the kids would annoy me, Soi friends in my experience are always a needy bunch, and lunching & chatting with those neighbors who have got nothing better to do is certainly not on my menu

i prefer to be a miserable, reclusive bastard who chooses my own company and gets what i need from Pattaya and its surrounds, when and where i need it.

its a good thing we are not all the same.........

We live in a relatively hi-so village. Lots of BMWs and MBs here...not in my garage though! So no needy ones here. Neighbor even pours Dom when throwing parties. Not bad. Most guys work, a few are retired...and we are away from the main road where the kids play...but still fun to walk over and play kick ball with them. It's quite a social community.

And I am sure you are NOT a miserable, reclusive bastard...at least most of the time! :jap:

[timekeeper]

i live out in the wilds of Mabrachan lake and love it

few cars, no hawkers, peace and quiet with only birds, snakes and lizards for company

i live on a single plot with my own security measures in place

i would not live in a gated community if you paid me

you just need to understand that if you scream out here, no one is going to come.

so you better make some plans for the eventuality.

no problems so far.

my only worry is that one day Pattaya will come to me.........

We live in a gated community and love it. We walk around and see the kids riding their bikes up and down the sois. We wander from house to house saying hello to our friends. They stop by for lunch or to just have a chat. I've met a lot of really nice people since living here. Ones I would not have met had I been out by myself.

As for the security...they are minimum wage. You get what you pay for. But at least nobody gets into the village without first being checked. All visitors have to leave an ID at the gate when entering. Keeps out the riff raff.

i am happy for you Craig

you sound like you have found your version of Utopia, but its not mine

the kids would annoy me, Soi friends in my experience are always a needy bunch, and lunching & chatting with those neighbors who have got nothing better to do is certainly not on my menu

i prefer to be a miserable, reclusive bastard who chooses my own company and gets what i need from Pattaya and its surrounds, when and where i need it.

its a good thing we are not all the same.........

We live in a relatively hi-so village. Lots of BMWs and MBs here...not in my garage though! So no needy ones here. Neighbor even pours Dom when throwing parties. Not bad. Most guys work, a few are retired...and we are away from the main road where the kids play...but still fun to walk over and play kick ball with them. It's quite a social community.

And I am sure you are NOT a miserable, reclusive bastard...at least most of the time! :jap:

lots of reasons there Craig for me not to join you....... ''hi-so village, Lots of BMWs and MBs, Neighbor even pours Dom .....''

you are wrong by the way, i am all of that and more and love my life

[craigt3365]

lots of reasons there Craig for me not to join you....... ''hi-so village, Lots of BMWs and MBs, Neighbor even pours Dom .....''

you are wrong by the way, i am all of that and more and love my life

Wow...Sorry to hear that...but glad you won't be visiting our happy community...the folks here are real decent people.

[timekeeper]

lots of reasons there Craig for me not to join you....... ''hi-so village, Lots of BMWs and MBs, Neighbor even pours Dom .....''

you are wrong by the way, i am all of that and more and love my life

Wow...Sorry to hear that...but glad you won't be visiting our happy community...the folks here are real decent people.

me too, sounds a bit pretentious to me

[FarangBuddha]

lots of reasons there Craig for me not to join you....... ''hi-so village, Lots of BMWs and MBs, Neighbor even pours Dom .....''

you are wrong by the way, i am all of that and more and love my life

There WERE lots of bemers and mercs in Ireland and the UK until recently but it was all borrowed money. Likely the same in your moobaan. Agree that some moobaans are nice but my misses doesn't like the fact that most keep out the food vendors

[craigt3365]

me too, sounds a bit pretentious to me

Apologizes. :jap: The reason I pointed out the cars was in reference to this comment you made:

Soi friends in my experience are always a needy bunch, and lunching & chatting with those neighbors who have got nothing better to do is certainly not on my menu

I tried to show they are not needy and for sure have better things to do. Few are retired, most work and have a busy life with that and kids. About the only time you see them is after work while they are walking around with their kids. I am fully aware of other villages that fit your description, but it is not ours. No Thai guy running his biz in the front yard, or playing karaoke until the wee hours. Just not done here.

Again, I apologize. But hope you understand my intention.... :jap:

There WERE lots of bemers and mercs in Ireland and the UK until recently but it was all borrowed money. Likely the same in your moobaan. Agree that some moobaans are nice but my misses doesn't like the fact that most keep out the food vendors

For sure! We miss the food vendors also. They do come by, but stop at the front gate. Luckily, we have a few nice restaurants within walking distance...which is OK this time of year, but for sure a drive in the car with AC come April/May!

I don't know about the cars. A few of the guys are truly quite wealthy. I'm not in that bucket....

[timekeeper]

me too, sounds a bit pretentious to me

Apologizes. :jap: The reason I pointed out the cars was in reference to this comment you made:

Soi friends in my experience are always a needy bunch, and lunching & chatting with those neighbors who have got nothing better to do is certainly not on my menu

I tried to show they are not needy and for sure have better things to do. Few are retired, most work and have a busy life with that and kids. About the only time you see them is after work while they are walking around with their kids. I am fully aware of other villages that fit your description, but it is not ours. No Thai guy running his biz in the front yard, or playing karaoke until the wee hours. Just not done here.

Again, I apologize. But hope you understand my intention.... :jap:

There WERE lots of bemers and mercs in Ireland and the UK until recently but it was all borrowed money. Likely the same in your moobaan. Agree that some moobaans are nice but my misses doesn't like the fact that most keep out the food vendors

For sure! We miss the food vendors also. They do come by, but stop at the front gate. Luckily, we have a few nice restaurants within walking distance...which is OK this time of year, but for sure a drive in the car with AC come April/May!

I don't know about the cars. A few of the guys are truly quite wealthy. I'm not in that bucket....

mefinks thou protesteff to mut

[GM1955]

Pattaya has a lot of burglary, then again, so does London.

Many guys I know in the O&G business were victims, simply because they would go away for 4 weeks to work.

They would also have a good chance of getting robbed in UK under the same circumstances.

I have a Condo in Pattaya and a House up country, I wouldn't feel good leaving a house alone for 4 weeks at a time in Pattaya, condo so far no problem, and so far, no problem up country with the house.

My friend has a house in Pheonix Golf Course, he never leaves it unoccupied, it's just too risky, his words, not mine.

So for me, Condo in Pattaya, house up country.

And it's certainly not just central Pattaya that has burglaries, I'd rather be in Central Pattaya than the Darkside if I had to have a house here.

But even then, it's not as bad as people make it out to be.

[FarangBuddha]

Pattaya has a lot of burglary, then again, so does London.

Many guys I know in the O&G business were victims, simply because they would go away for 4 weeks to work.

They would also have a good chance of getting robbed in UK under the same circumstances.

I have a Condo in Pattaya and a House up country, I wouldn't feel good leaving a house alone for 4 weeks at a time in Pattaya, condo so far no problem, and so far, no problem up country with the house.

My friend has a house in Pheonix Golf Course, he never leaves it unoccupied, it's just too risky, his words, not mine.

So for me, Condo in Pattaya, house up country.

And it's certainly not just central Pattaya that has burglaries, I'd rather be in Central Pattaya than the Darkside if I had to have a house here.

But even then, it's not as bad as people make it out to be.

More uninformed Farside bashing from someone living in a central Pattaya condo

As previously stated, burglaries happen anywhere in Pattaya where a house is left unsecured. A properly secured house, wherever it's located usually is fine. As has also been stated, most houses have rather high walls and secure gates around them so carting off heavy items is not in the cards (washing machines, large flat-panel TVs, and the like). Small electronic items, jewelry, watches, and cash are what they are looking for. These items are easily secured or don't need to be had in the first place. They can also be easily replaced.

I live in an unguarded moobaan in a secured house (decent locks and window bars) and have left it unoccupied for up to a couple weeks at a time and not had any problems.

[phaethon]

And don't forget the spiders as big as cats, the snakes that eat dogs, the crocodiles that eat the snakes that eat the dogs, and then there's the mosquitos and malaria and dengue fever that makes your head explode and liver flukes and tapeworms and lightning strikes and bar girls and ghosts and spirits and blood-sucking floating heads and retired special ops who can kill you with their thumb, and corrupt police, and honest police who are just having a bad day, and rogue elephants... And did I mention the snakes? And drunk drivers and mind-numbing soap operas, and tsunamis and bird flu and swine flu and Phuket Air, and stampeding Burmese. And then there's red-shirts and yellow-shirts and blue-shirts and black-shirts and no-shirts and multi-coloured shirts and Russians wearing Speedos... And did I mention the snakes? And then there's the earthquakes and flash-floods and slow floods and giant lizards in the parks and tokays that eat children's livers while they sleep (the children sleep that is, not the tokays, that would be silly), and the mudslides and the industrial pollution and the smog and the stubble burning and the motocycles on footways, and everything has rabies, even the goldfish, and the trip hazards and the low headroom hazards, and the missing sewer covers, and the collapsing scaffolding, and the man-eating soi dogs (who have rabies and bad breath) and the child-eating cats (who have rabies and claws), and the strange brown floaty things in the sea, and the under-cooked street food and the over-cooked street food, and the kamikaze-trained tuk-tuk drivers, and the pedestrian crossings, and the typhoons, and did I mention the snakes? And everyone has HIV, including the goldfish. And then there's the embassy staff, any embassy staff, and the tigers and the falling coconuts and the thieving monkeys and cute police (or vice-versa, can't remember) and stonefish and lionfish and sharks and Australians... And don't get me started on the snakes...

Edited November 18, 2010 by Rimmer
Very funny but just to be safe

[lovelomsak]

I have been in the same house for over 3 years no problem. I go away for a month at a time never a problem. But my home is secured in the way that it is only possible to come and go through the front gate. There is only one way in and one way out. I have enclosed the back area with metal decorative tubing. Even the top. Everyone in the area knows. If someone tried to rob my house they definitely couldnot escape through the back. Front door only. Works for me.

[contemplating]

Its funny, someone ask a simple question about living in Pattaya, and after a few opinions, then everyone starts bashing each other, about our different life styles and who has the best security. Im from the Dark Side, and hear of robberies all the time, of course hard to know which story is true or false, but things do happen here. If you want good protection, you Do have to have a Fortress Mentality. For some of us, its a natural thing, for others, its very hard to live that way. You do need walls, spikes, dogs, alarms, strong doors and windows, cannot trust the security, cannot trust neighbors outside the community, and seems that no one is really interested in catching the robbers, or putting heads together and doing anything to deter another robbery.

Some of us seem to get by on luck, and because of the good luck, think that they have the right answer, but its just Luck! Gated communities seem to offer a bit more protection, but then it may just be the feeling. Some gated communities even have electric topped walls, and that hasn't stopped the thieves. Dogs are poisoned so that isnt even a sure answer.

Does that sound terrible? Most people have gotten used to it, and live with it, to a certain extent, but its not for everyone. I have been in and out of Thailand for 25 years, and never felt threatened, untill the last couple of years. Things change, and Thailand has changed. There are a lot of desperate people hear now, and they are not concerned with what will happen if they get caught, Just read the post on TV, or read the news paper, and you can see, that many of these crimes are as stupid as can be, but still happens.

Think about it, before you commit yourself to living here. There are a lot of nice things in Thailand, but since the question was about security, then this is my opinion, and everyone has their own opinion and stories.

[FarangBuddha]

Im from the Dark Side, and hear of robberies all the time, of course hard to know which story is true or false, but things do happen here. If you want good protection, you Do have to have a Fortress Mentality. For some of us, its a natural thing, for others, its very hard to live that way. You do need walls, spikes, dogs, alarms, strong doors and windows, cannot trust the security, cannot trust neighbors outside the community...

Not sure where you come from but from where I came from (San Francisco Bay Area) those are all just common sense precautions anyone takes with their homes...nothing "fortress" like to it...just normal and routine.

I don't think anyone has denied that burglaries take place in Pattaya (as they do anyplace humans have settled from time immemorial). The point some are trying to make is that they do not depend on the part of town where one lives or the type of accommodation they choose but how they go about securing their residence. There is no need to be paranoid IMO, but just use common sense and conform to local security standards [i.e., window bars]. Maybe this is a "fortress mentality" for some but it's just normal for others.

Also can't agree with there being more "desparate" people here than before. I've been here a decade and believe me, there were lots more hungry and unemployed Thais here after the 1997 economic crash than there are now. Thailand's economy is booming and there is basically zero unemployment so if anything, economic crimes are down from prior years.

Edited November 18, 2010 by FarangBuddha

[alexanderthai]

31 years in Thailand. I still alive. I don't think it 's dangerous.

[ciaociao]

I have been in the same house for over 3 years no problem. I go away for a month at a time never a problem. But my home is secured in the way that it is only possible to come and go through the front gate. There is only one way in and one way out. I have enclosed the back area with metal decorative tubing. Even the top. Everyone in the area knows. If someone tried to rob my house they definitely couldnot escape through the back. Front door only. Works for me.

A condo only has a front door. Lived in a condo for 25 years and never has a problem.