Thai Men Impersonating Police Robbed German Tourist Of Bt300,000

[svtbg]

Is it just me, or does it seem in the last year or so that open season has been declared by crooked Thai officials and crooked Thai Thais on foreigners? We've always been targets, but it seems I am reading more and more of the in-your-face, out in the open, on camera, bold face, you-wanna-do-something-about-it crime purpetrated against foreigners.

The fake cops in BKK holding The Nation reporter and his son (ethnic Indians) at gun point last week, trying to rip them off? ... the jet ski thugs, with their crooked Royal Thai Police partners, openly threatening and scamming tourists (on camera)? ... the murder of the Canadian tourist in Pai by the Royal Thai Police? ... the Thai 'Litter Police' in BKK methodically extorting foreign tourists for allegedly littering? ... this thing? ... and on, and on, and on?

Is this accelerating?

Is it possible that every Thai who has the slightest bit of larceny in them now knows there is no protection for foreign victims in Thailand, and that nothing will happen to Thai criminals if they go after foreigners?

I've lived here 10+ years, and this feels to me like a tipping point, where lawlessness is now a daily risk for any foreigner seen on the street, and no Thai institution has the ability, or an interest, to stop it?

I am thinking of what happened to Jamaica years ago, from which it has never recovered. Is anyone else here sensing this?

I was here last year and this year on holidays for around 4-6 months each time and never had a problem with litter police, fake cops, etc. Of course I don't think you have much of a chance to win if they do something bad to you since the system here is racist towards the foreigners. In my opinion you need to keep low profile, don't parade with wealth and be extremely careful with whom you associate and what you talk. You must know that there are no bigger gossip spreaders than the Thais. I know some Thai language and have witnessed on numerous times when I tell a Thai something in english, he immediately tells it to his coworkers, friends, etc. All in all, don't associate with the Thais and you will be fine here.