I was just checking Pattaya news clippings and Pattaya One articles. Most of the news involves a firearm. Two musicians shot, 17 year old girl pistol whipped in road rage, woman shoots herself in head, so and so threatened with gun. Is it just that much easier to get guns in Pattaya or what?

I think it is just much easier to access Pattaya news via online media, bad news and sensationalist headlines grab peoples attention.

Most of the crimes go unreported.

The police and press consider supressing the news as a profit center.

Its because of the general increase in crime overall. You prompted me to look at Pattaya one and on the front page a tourist got bashed and in hospital because his car was reflecting the sun into a clothes vendor shop. With that type of behavior guns will be used more often for self defense.

The OP is correct - gun crime is on the increase.

I try to avoid any madness on the road now, i.e. don't blast your horn, drive defensively etc.. not easy when you see and know how bad driving standards are in Thailand. Clueless, homicidal, brainless maniacs is the only way to describe them and armed with weapons makes it even worse.

Hence the increase in road rage.

A mind set that is indoctrinated from birth telling you that you go to a better place when you / they are dead reduces the "what if" factor in a confrontation.

Poverty also breeds crime and grinding poverty breeds desperate criminals. The way of the world now...Sadly

In a town where most of the farang population are current or ex-special-forces, it's hardly surprising.

"This is not 'Nam, this is Pattaya." (There's a difference?)

Last month, in Naklua, a harmless glue sniffing Thai was shot dead by a moto taxi driver. He was making too much noise , so "Napoleon" murdered him.

Keep in mind the fact that the image of Pattaya being a safe tourist destination is false. It is created by the property developers in conjunction with TAT.

The traditional tourists know the score:

Do not get in confrontations, do not flash your wealth, smile, be smart with your cash, do not call LBs fags, be nice to the girls, and cut any phycho's loose ASAP! Etc. They also realize that Pattaya is mainly populated by uneducated Thais from Isaan who are not known for there reasoning skills, and hold in their anger until they explode. Of primary importance is the apology because it can defuse many situations. I may be thinking "F%$@ Y*& you A@#h*&e" but I smile, say sorry, and the moron gets a win, so no blood is spilled.

The newbs need to remember this: In Pattaya, with very few exceptions, if you are in a violent confrontation, no one will come to your aid!

It will continue to be the same because the cops won't do anything very few are arrested and the ones that are usually walk with out prosecution .

I think it's you.

As has been pointed out sensational stories sell newspapers. With this in mind our sources tend not to report the mundane so what reaches us here is usually bad news.

There does however seem to be an on going lack of accountability in law enforcement running through the stories though.

For example:

A recent story about a The Russian gentleman attempting to choke a waitress:

Discussions between the two parties took place but neither side could come to an amicable conclusion. Police decided to send both parties away and the case was closed.

Another example HERE a road rage victim is threatened with a firearm and from the story looks like the person is simply charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm in a public place.

Just out of interest I took the first page of Pattaya News Clippings and attempted to categorize the reports, the results of my my little exercise are here.

Gun related 3

Assault: 3

House robbery 1

Drug related 3

Knife attack 1

theft 3

Deaths 2

Suicide 2

Road accident 1

Police activity 1

Corruption 1

Events 3

Other 1

If however I were to report all the drug cases they would far out number all of the other reports.

As we know, all big cities have crime - especially in the USA where any Bozo can own a gun. In Pattaya, it seems to have its share of crime since it is a tourist town. This kind of city -full of farang and Thai outsiders makes the place more unsafe than if you were in another Thai city. What I am surprise with are the "gang" crimes -teenage thugs that have guns in Pattaya. And what is an eye opener what you see in the local newspapers is only a slice of what is going on in Sin City .

If the media were to follow up with outcomes of arrests and hearings this would make the police a bit more accountable but only on a few occasion do you see this.

i have to admit that Pattaya has really become a place where nowadays the most heinous crimes are committed. recently and in broad daylight we saw somebody smoking in a one-way street. that was the straw that broke the camel's back! we are considering to move to a crime free city like... Bangkok,