Awohalitsiktoli Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I know a farang who was recently attacked by a crazy Thai on yaa baa. When I say "crazy," I mean it: certified nuts already, probably from taking yaa baa for many years. The Thai is known to virtually every person in the community, but they have this "mai pen rai" attitude about him. Anyway, the farang in question was doing nothing but walking in the local market when this crazed idiot Thai started yelling and then attacked him, throwing punches and trying to kick the farang. Apparently, in his crazed state of mind, he decided to attack a farang (farang in wrong place at the wrong time). The farang decided to not attack the Thai and went "defensive" and moved out of the way and blocked punches and kicks. Finally the police came. The first thing they asked the farang was this: Did you hit him? The farang said "no." Witnesses told the police that it was the Thais fault, the farang had done nothing wrong, the farang did not hit the Thai and that the farang was trying to not engage in a fight. The police knew the Thai as crazy and sometimes violent. The police took the Thai to jail to "cool off." I was thinking that the farang did the right thing by not attacking the Thai. I think that, had he attacked the Thai, he may have had a problem with the police. He may have killed the Thai or seriously injured him. I am curious what you would do if faced with the same attack. If you would have attacked the Thai, do you think there would have been legal consequences for you? My guess is that your reaction would depend on whether you thought you were in serious danger or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
random Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 were they asking the farang if he hit him in respect of starting the fight? There is a difference between that and hitting him in self defence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shurup Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Even if that said farang punched crazy Thai back, it would be called a defence, not an attack. Attacker is the one who starts the fight, but I know what you mean... Persanally I might have punched him or hurt him otherwise but only after he kicks me first. But then he must be really crazy since I am not a short or small guy, and I don't mean fat. Whether you get in troubles for that or no, really depends on the police at the scene and what other Thais would tell the police. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robblok Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Even if that said farang punched crazy Thai back, it would be called a defence, not an attack. Attacker is the one who starts the fight, but I know what you mean... Persanally I might have punched him or hurt him otherwise but only after he kicks me first. But then he must be really crazy since I am not a short or small guy, and I don't mean fat. Whether you get in troubles for that or no, really depends on the police at the scene and what other Thais would tell the police. I would hit back if the guy hurts me or kicks me. If he hit or kicked me a few times without doing any damage im not sure i would hit back. I would only fight to defend myself and I would not worry about the Thai police. Here they are mostly fair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiangmaibruce Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 If the farang was known in the local community (and not disliked) and if the Thai was known in the community (as a crazy) then you would probably do whatever it takes to subdue him and avoid injury to yourself. Otherwise I would say the greatest potential threat from hitting back might not be the danger of legal repercussions, but of getting a kicking from other Thais in the vicinity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shurup Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 In reply to the last 2 posters, like I said, I might have kicked him back. It really depends on many things and one is if he would be of any danger for me or could hurt me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
appropriate Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Hope he doesn't take a machete with him when he goes out to exact revenge on your farang friend. Probably didn't like being taken in by the police for attacking a farang. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huey Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Yeah it depends on the Thai, if it looks like he can be easily defended against and it's in a public area then yeah block and evade best you can till cops come. But if it was in a abandoned ally, I would prefer to incapacitate the attacker quickly and flee the scene ASAP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulysses G. Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Yeah it depends on the Thai, if it looks like he can be easily defended against and it's in a public area then yeah block and evade best you can till cops come. But if it was in a abandoned ally, I would prefer to incapacitate the attacker quickly and flee the scene ASAP. I must take this opportunity to agree with Huey. It does not happen often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSingh Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 (edited) Even if that said farang punched crazy Thai back, it would be called a defence, not an attack. Attacker is the one who starts the fight, but I know what you mean... Persanally I might have punched him or hurt him otherwise but only after he kicks me first. But then he must be really crazy since I am not a short or small guy, and I don't mean fat. Whether you get in troubles for that or no, really depends on the police at the scene and what other Thais would tell the police. I would hit back if the guy hurts me or kicks me. If he hit or kicked me a few times without doing any damage im not sure i would hit back. If he kicks you or if he kicks you a few times without doing any damage, what one ?? Edited March 13, 2011 by MSingh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awohalitsiktoli Posted March 13, 2011 Author Share Posted March 13, 2011 Yeah it depends on the Thai, if it looks like he can be easily defended against and it's in a public area then yeah block and evade best you can till cops come. But if it was in a abandoned ally, I would prefer to incapacitate the attacker quickly and flee the scene ASAP. Very interesting replies. Let me answer a few questions posed by posters in this one post: Did the police ask if he hit him and started the fight or hit him after the fight started (I do not know but since he never hit him it covers both scenarios) Was it a public place? (Yes, very public and the police were already there and walking around) Interesting point about "revenge" and taking a machete next time. The Thai is certifiably insane. That is not so bad if he is not violent. BUT, he is insane and violent. I wonder why the police do not send him off to a mental hospital before he does more damage either to another farang or Thai? They seem to take this "mai pen rai" attitude too far, IMHO. About hitting back (from what I know about my friend, he could have really hurt the Thai, so maybe he felt comfortable enough to not try to injure the Thai and simply go "defensive") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DP25 Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 He may have killed the Thai or seriously injured him. He did the right thing in not killing or maiming a seriously mentally ill person that apparently wasn't much of a threat. If a normal person for some reason did this, then it would be different Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robblok Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Even if that said farang punched crazy Thai back, it would be called a defence, not an attack. Attacker is the one who starts the fight, but I know what you mean... Persanally I might have punched him or hurt him otherwise but only after he kicks me first. But then he must be really crazy since I am not a short or small guy, and I don't mean fat. Whether you get in troubles for that or no, really depends on the police at the scene and what other Thais would tell the police. I would hit back if the guy hurts me or kicks me. If he hit or kicked me a few times without doing any damage im not sure i would hit back. If he kicks you or if he kicks you a few times without doing any damage, what one ?? Then i keep blocking no use in disabling the guy if he is no danger to me. Proportionate action. Beating someone up for lightly slapping you or something like that is not only morally bad but would be legally bad for you too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stander Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 The problem with drug crazed individuals is that no matter how hard you hit them they don’t seem to feel it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dananderson Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I know the crazy thai guy you'r talking about as do many others. He is always seen walking around punching at the air,kicking and hollering. I have always steered clear of this whacko and knew it was just a matter of time before something like this would happen. Your friend did the right thing and was lucky that this happened where it did. I hope he gets mental help as he is a danger to himself and others Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
appropriate Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I know the crazy thai guy you'r talking about as do many others. He is always seen walking around punching at the air,kicking and hollering. I have always steered clear of this whacko I usually see 'em in an orange vest. Parked up next to me at the traffic lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awohalitsiktoli Posted March 13, 2011 Author Share Posted March 13, 2011 I know the crazy thai guy you'r talking about as do many others. He is always seen walking around punching at the air,kicking and hollering. I have always steered clear of this whacko and knew it was just a matter of time before something like this would happen. Your friend did the right thing and was lucky that this happened where it did. I hope he gets mental help as he is a danger to himself and others If you know him, stay away from him. The next time he might have a knife or gun. He practices "killing people" at sunset, singing Karaoke (normal brain time) and then explodes into yelling and screaming and punching and kicking in the air (abnormal brain time). I wonder why the police do not send him away to a mental hospital. After this happened, I started reading about yaa baa (knew nothing about it) and found out that sometimes after using it a long time a person can become totally deranged and violent. Interesting point by Standar that when on heavy drugs it is possible to feel no pain. Pain or not he probably could have been subdued with a wrist lock. But that depends on the person feeling pain, I think. I do not know, not being an expert on these things. Having read all of your posts, I think my friend did the wise thing under the circumstances. Be safe and expect the unexpected! And for readers who might not know this, what we are talking about rarely happens in Thailand which is a pretty safe country to live in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slapout Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Just yesterday setting in a open to the street restaurant/bar, notice a fellow walking down the footpath with a club in his hand muttering to himself. I mentioned it to others and then we observed him down the street hitting rocks with his club across the lanes of traffic, out in the traffic lane, etc. It was time for me to go anyway and my route took me in the opposite direction to where he was. If he had been in the direction of my route, I would have changed routes. When I see those types and they are not normally hard to spot, if your aware of what is going on, I give them a wide berth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbeam1 Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 You finish by saying my quess is and so on. For sure I would defend myself to the best of my ability. Whilst trying to avoid as much fisical contact as possible with the guy. You never know where he's been? jb1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstribling Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Measured response. Your friend played it smart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richb2004v2 Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Just the other day I was out jogging along a uninhabited road when I saw a bedraggled and dirty man wandering ahead of me. He was carrying a machete which was a bit worrying. I sped up when I passed him and he didn't follow so I was worrying over nothing. I see these deranged looking types covered in dirt with hair matted together all over. I once saw one walking towards traffic down a busy highway. Cars were just avoiding him. I passed 3 hours later and he was still walking the same busy stretch. Countless Police must have passed him and done nothing I would think. Mai Pan Rai I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glomp Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 No matter what the internet tough guys say about how they would kill the guy with the power of their mind and kung <deleted> , your friend did the smart move. People who doesn't know that the thai is a crazy person might see it as a crazy farang assaulting a thai. think about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LennyW Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I would think the reason these loopy individuals are not carted away to the laughing academy, is probably the lack of someone to pay for their treatment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goinghomesoon Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I wonder why the police do not send him away to a mental hospital. \ As we discovered with one of my in-laws (a former addict with ongoing mental health issues) it is extremely difficult to get a person admitted to a hospital here for psychiatric treatment even when they are out of control and violent. Hubby and his relatives were told repeatedly by social workers and doctors at a number of hospitals in Bangkok and Khon Kaen that drug-induced psychosis and any injuries resulting are not covered by the 30 baht scheme as they fall in the "self-harm" category. Also in Bangkok I believe there are only 2 government hospitals with specialised facilities to hold violent psych patients and it can be very hard to secure a place. Ultimately we managed to get our family member treatment at a government hospital. They had no psych ward so he was tied to a bed in the orthopedic ward for a couple of weeks until his medications started to take effect. Must have scared the daylights out of the other patients as he kept insisting he was a doctor and was going to heal them all by using his magical powers on them when he was untied! He is still paying off that hospital bill. In the second event he actually attacked and injured one of our labourers, claiming he was a giant man-eating lizard and we needed to be protected. Even with 2 police officers insisting he be admitted for assessment, the psych hospital (this time in Khon Kaen) would not accept him until relatives came up with a THB10,000 downpayment against treatment costs. I imagine the man you are talking about may not have relatives nearby, or perhaps does not have anyone who can advocate for him with the health care system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstribling Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Temple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geriatrickid Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 The problem with drug crazed individuals is that no matter how hard you hit them they don't seem to feel it. +1 Defensive retreat is best. These people have a tendancy to demonstrate "super human" strength, feel no pain and often carry knives. Better to stay alive and uninjured with some loss of face, than to be a dead hero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goinghomesoon Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 A temple may help if he needs detoxing. But he may have a mental health issue from previous drug abuse and may not currently be using (as in the case of our family member). In which case I doubt the temple would be much use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim armstrong Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I wonder why the police do not send him away to a mental hospital. \ As we discovered with one of my in-laws (a former addict with ongoing mental health issues) it is extremely difficult to get a person admitted to a hospital here for psychiatric treatment even when they are out of control and violent. Hubby and his relatives were told repeatedly by social workers and doctors at a number of hospitals in Bangkok and Khon Kaen that drug-induced psychosis and any injuries resulting are not covered by the 30 baht scheme as they fall in the "self-harm" category. Also in Bangkok I believe there are only 2 government hospitals with specialised facilities to hold violent psych patients and it can be very hard to secure a place. Ultimately we managed to get our family member treatment at a government hospital. They had no psych ward so he was tied to a bed in the orthopedic ward for a couple of weeks until his medications started to take effect. Must have scared the daylights out of the other patients as he kept insisting he was a doctor and was going to heal them all by using his magical powers on them when he was untied! He is still paying off that hospital bill. In the second event he actually attacked and injured one of our labourers, claiming he was a giant man-eating lizard and we needed to be protected. Even with 2 police officers insisting he be admitted for assessment, the psych hospital (this time in Khon Kaen) would not accept him until relatives came up with a THB10,000 downpayment against treatment costs. I imagine the man you are talking about may not have relatives nearby, or perhaps does not have anyone who can advocate for him with the health care system. I'm interested to hear of this experience, because the treatment for someone with an acute drug induced psychosis is usually a fast acting medicine that is widely used around the world. It is on the WHO essential drugs list, is not expensive, and usually shows results within a few hours to a day, resulting in the patient being much calmer and less threatening. To the original post G.home maybe right. There are a small number of psychotic people whose condition is very difficult to treat, even with modern medication. Many of them are polysubstance users as well, which makes their diagnosis difficult, they are unpredictable and problematic to nurses, and have often exhausted family supports which leaves them homeless. The stats are unclear but many western countries now have good systems to manage these people, but Asian countries do not, and are more fatalistic in their attitude towards them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goinghomesoon Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I'm interested to hear of this experience, because the treatment for someone with an acute drug induced psychosis is usually a fast acting medicine that is widely used around the world. It is on the WHO essential drugs list, is not expensive, and usually shows results within a few hours to a day, resulting in the patient being much calmer and less threatening. Hi TimA, yes sorry in fact they did give him something to calm him. I'm not sure if that is what you are referring to. It took a few doses and he very quickly went from raging to super-relaxed, almost comatose. For the remainder of the two weeks in hospital they spent time dosing him up with a couple of medications that require a gradual build-up in the system before they take effect. By all accounts before he became an addict he was a placid, lovely young man. Unfortunately it's easy to forget there is a person inside that needs help when he is raging and trying to harm others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thongkorn Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 With all the good intentions of the posters, Mental health issues in Thailand are bottom of the pile . Its the same story It cost money. and some people enjoy being on drugs, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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