Threatened By Thai At My Condo

[TommoPhysicist]

I know the motorcyclist and the taxi driver were at fault, but I would not have been parked there if people had abided by the rules and parked only one car there,

By that logic,

The Thai man would be thinking if you hadn't come to Thailand, he wouldn't be having a parking problem.

Aha but it is my MIL's car that my wife uses, and she bought the condos before she was married to me, so the problem might still have occured

But your Thai wife would had more sense than to bring it up with reception while the Thai guy with two cars was listening.

[VintageTQ]

There are rules at my condo too.

No Dogs - Loads of people have dogs

No alcohol in the outside areas - There are always people drinking beer/whiskey

No smoking in the outside areas - Smokers always

I dont go grassing people up everytime i see someone breaking the rules and neither does anyone else for the matter, if you did you would become extremely unpopular very quickly

Must be a dump by now then if theres no enforcement?

Its actually very nice, but whats your point? whether my condo is a dump or not is not the issue here

[lukey1979]

I don't know who some of you think you are kidding. Id hazard a confident guess that a very high percentage of you, who have responded that you would react violently to somebody threatening you with a baseball bat, would in reality sh1t your pants and cry. Cheers for the laughs guys.

[giddyup]

I don't know who some of you think you are kidding. Id hazard a confident guess that a very high percentage of you, who have responded that you would react violently to somebody threatening you with a baseball bat, would in reality sh1t your pants and cry. Cheers for the laughs guys.

Oh yeah, plenty of keyboard warriors here.

[Payboy]

Time to form a Thai Visa vigilante group of all the keyboard warriors to be summoned at short notice for such occasions.

[Pseudolus]

Its actually very nice, but whats your point? whether my condo is a dump or not is not the issue here

I don't think it is a case of what your condo is like. Another persons viewpoint might be;

"Would you prefer living there is the smokers were not wafting smoke into your condo?

"Do the drunks make you a tad irritated sometimes?

Is stepping on dog shit and having yappy dogs barking all day and night a little annoying?

You have developed a very good mai pen rai attitude; but unfortunately the condo you live in is perhaps considerably less nice because of your and everyone elses attitude there. Mai Pen Rai - loose translation; not help the kid at school getting beaten up even though it is the right thing to do and I might get a smack as well.

[scorpio]

i for one am sick of hearing and seeing this kind of thing in thailand, maybe he lost face ? so what , you are entitled to approach him without him having to threaten you, i dont back down from them anymore , ive had a couple of run ins and you soon learn not to take it anymore after biting your tongue for so long, even if it means getting him back your own way or going to police then do it mate.

[GarryP]

Anyway - here's what you do. Go to the hardware shop. Buy 8 2 inch screws for wood (sharp at the point). At night, rest on each at the front and back of each tire at 45 degree angels. He now needs 4 new tires for his truck. job done and serve the prick right for pulling a baseball bat on you.

You sure?

It should look like an accident, no?

How about a nice cool drink with just a smidgen of plutonium?

A nice chunk of soi dog crap stuffed in the exhaust wouldnt hurt either.

And if they don't have any dogs, I am sure Pseudolus could help out. He collects it by the bagful.

[Pseudolus]

Anyway - here's what you do. Go to the hardware shop. Buy 8 2 inch screws for wood (sharp at the point). At night, rest on each at the front and back of each tire at 45 degree angels. He now needs 4 new tires for his truck. job done and serve the prick right for pulling a baseball bat on you.

You sure?

It should look like an accident, no?

How about a nice cool drink with just a smidgen of plutonium?

A nice chunk of soi dog crap stuffed in the exhaust wouldnt hurt either.

And if they don't have any dogs, I am sure Pseudolus could help out. He collects it by the bagful.

I put it in the bin though, carefully wrapped up and sealed. Afraid I can't help as I am storing mine for the old bag down the road

[McMagus]

I have observed that Thais have no experience in modulating their anger. No doubt because in Thai culture anger is suppressed. There have been a couple of times I wanted to just deck the little prick... but I've been here long enough to know that one night, or one week, or one year later, he and his mates will get back ... just can't lose face. Good that a police complaint is being made.

[Will2011]

I don't know which condo you're living in, but, anyway, it's not recommended to point out at anyone or anything in Thailand. If you play the 'clean guy' all over, you don't let any room to be threatened by some jerks. Being smart does help...

[Forethat]

It's a Buddhist thing, if you don't like it go home

[OZEMADE]

Once a taxi driver punched me in the face after I refused to pay the price he quoted. Instinctively, I punched him back - he then ran to his car and took out a big, long knife and came running towards me. As I used to do kung <deleted>, I adopted a stance waiting for him to attack - he stopped walked round and walked back to his car and drove away. Showing 'no fear' is important. Back then the alcohol, rather than the martial arts training gave me more courage I think.

Surely every Thai in a 10 km radius joined in to defend their compatriot, Muay Thai'd you all over, then pulled their guns out and shot you to death 100 times then charged you for the bullets? Like what usually happens.

Well the Topic and all the answers have been a good laugh. This one reminds me of the cops in the US that shot a murderer about 80 times. When the news guy asked him how come they shot him about 80 times , the cop replied, well thats all the bullets we had.

[Styx]

stay polite but don't make him think you are afraid of him otherwise he will take an advantage of it and bully you forever

[Pseudolus]

I have observed that Thais have no experience in modulating their anger. No doubt because in Thai culture anger is suppressed.

Correct, but not for that reason.

Imaging a single child family in the west where the dad is away a lot, and to compensate the mum let's little Johnnie do and have anything he wants. Fast forward to the little boy is 8 with 8 solid years of no discipline, no strong father figure, and getting anything he wants when he wants it knowing that throwing a tantrum will get what he wants, and he will be placated by his mummy telling him he's a good boy. The mummy will also tell little Johnnie that he is right, and will defend him against anyone and everyone who says he is wrong. If someone does something to him when mommy is not their to defend him, he is too scared to to anything himself and will tell his mum / dad / friends later who will then en masse sort out his problems for him or stand by him as he throws his toys out of his pram.

That little spoilt brat with no understanding of accountability is your typical Thai male; no matter how old he is. His mummy loves him and he is always right. There is no reasoning with him. He has never learned compromise; he has never had to. Upset them they will run to their mummy or if his family (real or of friends) is around him he will switch into full tantrum mode.

I wonder if when Thailand becomes a regional hub for surgical treatment they could start by inserting a back bone into the populace?

[VintageTQ]

Its actually very nice, but whats your point? whether my condo is a dump or not is not the issue here

I don't think it is a case of what your condo is like. Another persons viewpoint might be;

"Would you prefer living there is the smokers were not wafting smoke into your condo?

"Do the drunks make you a tad irritated sometimes?

Is stepping on dog shit and having yappy dogs barking all day and night a little annoying?

You have developed a very good mai pen rai attitude; but unfortunately the condo you live in is perhaps considerably less nice because of your and everyone elses attitude there. Mai Pen Rai - loose translation; not help the kid at school getting beaten up even though it is the right thing to do and I might get a smack as well.

i get what your saying, but there are no issues with any of the above because whilst people break the rules they still have respect for other people.

Ive seen dogs but never seen dog sh#t, ive seen people sat outside drinking but never once seen anyone pissed, and whenever im sat outside people would never sit near you and smoke.

And maybe even if the condo would be a nicer place to live if all these things didnt go on, i would still rather live here than a place where people backstab, bicker and make your life unpleasant over such a trivial thing

[Kananga]

I have observed that Thais have no experience in modulating their anger. No doubt because in Thai culture anger is suppressed.

Correct, but not for that reason.

Imaging a single child family in the west where the dad is away a lot, and to compensate the mum let's little Johnnie do and have anything he wants. Fast forward to the little boy is 8 with 8 solid years of no discipline, no strong father figure, and getting anything he wants when he wants it knowing that throwing a tantrum will get what he wants, and he will be placated by his mummy telling him he's a good boy. The mummy will also tell little Johnnie that he is right, and will defend him against anyone and everyone who says he is wrong. If someone does something to him when mommy is not their to defend him, he is too scared to to anything himself and will tell his mum / dad / friends later who will then en masse sort out his problems for him or stand by him as he throws his toys out of his pram.

That little spoilt brat with no understanding of accountability is your typical Thai male; no matter how old he is. His mummy loves him and he is always right. There is no reasoning with him. He has never learned compromise; he has never had to. Upset them they will run to their mummy or if his family (real or of friends) is around him he will switch into full tantrum mode.

I wonder if when Thailand becomes a regional hub for surgical treatment they could start by inserting a back bone into the populace?

Spot on.

[lukey1979]

No word from Beano since last nights meeting then? Maybe they drank a bottle of Regency to smooth it all out. Hope so.

[PaullyW]

Here's the thing.

Thais are a heavily group oriented nationality where relationships and status matter far more than rules. That's just true. As a foreigner who perhaps has not lived in Thailand for a very long time, it may be difficult to appreciate how much effort Thais will often put into these kinds of relationships and status building activities. Who knows? The guy could have spent considerable effort to convince the management (or even someone higher up the ladder) to allow him to park his cars there. I mean, this sh!t does go on here and often. He could have befriended someone in management and helped them with some other issue that they had or attended one of their families' funerals or supported them in some other capacity.

So, what can happen sometimes is that we farang just trounce over all that because we care about RULES -- <snip> relationships if they flaunt the rules, right? Obviously, this doesn't work well in a place that is so relationship heavy. A much better way to handle these types of situations in Thailand (and the rest of the 3rd world Asia) to always first try the soft route. This is what Thais typically do with each other. Ask the guy, "hey, those are your two cars? nice. (smiling genuinely now) -- how did you get them to let you park two there? that's so convenient." blah blah blah. It takes much more effort than we farangs like, but it shows some respect for the status/relationship crap that Thais care most about. Doesn't always work.

And, of course, some people are just crazy as bat sh!t and nothing short of standing firm in the threat of violence will work.

Just some food for thought.

Edited August 18, 2012 by PaullyW
: Profanity

[robblok]

Here's the thing.

Thais are a heavily group oriented nationality where relationships and status matter far more than rules. That's just true. As a foreigner who perhaps has not lived in Thailand for a very long time, it may be difficult to appreciate how much effort Thais will often put into these kinds of relationships and status building activities. Who knows? The guy could have spent considerable effort to convince the management (or even someone higher up the ladder) to allow him to park his cars there. I mean, this sh!t does go on here and often. He could have befriended someone in management and helped them with some other issue that they had or attended one of their families' funerals or supported them in some other capacity.

So, what can happen sometimes is that we farang just trounce over all that because we care about RULES -- <snip> relationships if they flaunt the rules, right? Obviously, this doesn't work well in a place that is so relationship heavy. A much better way to handle these types of situations in Thailand (and the rest of the 3rd world Asia) to always first try the soft route. This is what Thais typically do with each other. Ask the guy, "hey, those are your two cars? nice. (smiling genuinely now) -- how did you get them to let you park two there? that's so convenient." blah blah blah. It takes much more effort than we farangs like, but it shows some respect for the status/relationship crap that Thais care most about. Doesn't always work.

And, of course, some people are just crazy as bat sh!t and nothing short of standing firm in the threat of violence will work.

Just some food for thought.

If i read it correctly you are saying because the guy spend time and effort to bribe / befriend people to break the law its ok ? That is like giving people in high places carte blanche to commit murder (and it has happened) I am totally not ok with this and many Thais also hate the class justice part. Just look at the outrage when a hi so drove into the bus passengers. Too bad there was no follow up to keep pressure on beause the guy probabably gets away with it.

Has nothing to do with farang or Thai but equality under laws and i believe and most of humanity believes that people are equal under the law. I wont say that shit does not happen but accepting it is of course a crazy thing.

This is how i read your piece if it was not intended like that then sorry..

[PaullyW]

Here's the thing.

Thais are a heavily group oriented nationality where relationships and status matter far more than rules. That's just true. As a foreigner who perhaps has not lived in Thailand for a very long time, it may be difficult to appreciate how much effort Thais will often put into these kinds of relationships and status building activities. Who knows? The guy could have spent considerable effort to convince the management (or even someone higher up the ladder) to allow him to park his cars there. I mean, this sh!t does go on here and often. He could have befriended someone in management and helped them with some other issue that they had or attended one of their families' funerals or supported them in some other capacity.

So, what can happen sometimes is that we farang just trounce over all that because we care about RULES -- <snip> relationships if they flaunt the rules, right? Obviously, this doesn't work well in a place that is so relationship heavy. A much better way to handle these types of situations in Thailand (and the rest of the 3rd world Asia) to always first try the soft route. This is what Thais typically do with each other. Ask the guy, "hey, those are your two cars? nice. (smiling genuinely now) -- how did you get them to let you park two there? that's so convenient." blah blah blah. It takes much more effort than we farangs like, but it shows some respect for the status/relationship crap that Thais care most about. Doesn't always work.

And, of course, some people are just crazy as bat sh!t and nothing short of standing firm in the threat of violence will work.

Just some food for thought.

If i read it correctly you are saying because the guy spend time and effort to bribe / befriend people to break the law its ok ? That is like giving people in high places carte blanche to commit murder (and it has happened) I am totally not ok with this and many Thais also hate the class justice part. Just look at the outrage when a hi so drove into the bus passengers. Too bad there was no follow up to keep pressure on beause the guy probabably gets away with it.

Has nothing to do with farang or Thai but equality under laws and i believe and most of humanity believes that people are equal under the law. I wont say that shit does not happen but accepting it is of course a crazy thing.

This is how i read your piece if it was not intended like that then sorry..

No, I am simply stating an observation and offering what I think is often a plausible background that influences certain Thai behaviour. That's all. I care about rules, but, sadly, I'm in a country of 65 mil people who mostly don't seem to.

Edited August 18, 2012 by PaullyW

[robblok]

Here's the thing.

Thais are a heavily group oriented nationality where relationships and status matter far more than rules. That's just true. As a foreigner who perhaps has not lived in Thailand for a very long time, it may be difficult to appreciate how much effort Thais will often put into these kinds of relationships and status building activities. Who knows? The guy could have spent considerable effort to convince the management (or even someone higher up the ladder) to allow him to park his cars there. I mean, this sh!t does go on here and often. He could have befriended someone in management and helped them with some other issue that they had or attended one of their families' funerals or supported them in some other capacity.

So, what can happen sometimes is that we farang just trounce over all that because we care about RULES -- <snip> relationships if they flaunt the rules, right? Obviously, this doesn't work well in a place that is so relationship heavy. A much better way to handle these types of situations in Thailand (and the rest of the 3rd world Asia) to always first try the soft route. This is what Thais typically do with each other. Ask the guy, "hey, those are your two cars? nice. (smiling genuinely now) -- how did you get them to let you park two there? that's so convenient." blah blah blah. It takes much more effort than we farangs like, but it shows some respect for the status/relationship crap that Thais care most about. Doesn't always work.

And, of course, some people are just crazy as bat sh!t and nothing short of standing firm in the threat of violence will work.

Just some food for thought.

If i read it correctly you are saying because the guy spend time and effort to bribe / befriend people to break the law its ok ? That is like giving people in high places carte blanche to commit murder (and it has happened) I am totally not ok with this and many Thais also hate the class justice part. Just look at the outrage when a hi so drove into the bus passengers. Too bad there was no follow up to keep pressure on beause the guy probabably gets away with it.

Has nothing to do with farang or Thai but equality under laws and i believe and most of humanity believes that people are equal under the law. I wont say that shit does not happen but accepting it is of course a crazy thing.

This is how i read your piece if it was not intended like that then sorry..

No, I am simply stating an observation and offering what I think is often a plausible background that influences certain Thai behaviour. That's all. I care about rules, but, sadly, I'm in a country of 65 mil people who mostly don't seem to.

OK mate, just thought you did not care about rules and liked the system of bribes and such. If it was an explanation into the mind of a Thai it might be so for a part of the population.

[giddyup]

It's very frustrating to see a case on Thai TV news (reported in great detail every day for at least a week) of a high ranking army officer who put a woman into a coma with a hit and run, then the story just disappears. I asked my Thai lady what happened about that hit and run case, and she says she doesn't know but the army officer probably paid compensation. No mention of any ciminal charges. If you have money in this country (excluding falangs) you walk on water.

[nottocus]

So what happened with the meeting? No response from the op....hope it didn't go badly.

[Bender]

and slapped my hand twice

next time throw on his face your wallet, your watch, your pants...

Edited August 19, 2012 by Bender

[travelmann]

There are rules at my condo too.

No Dogs - Loads of people have dogs

No alcohol in the outside areas - There are always people drinking beer/whiskey

No smoking in the outside areas - Smokers always

I dont go grassing people up everytime i see someone breaking the rules and neither does anyone else for the matter, if you did you would become extremely unpopular very quickly

Must be a dump by now then if theres no enforcement?

Its actually very nice, but whats your point? whether my condo is a dump or not is not the issue here

The point is why not just have total anarchy then and do what you want, I always love the school ground " not grassing up" route.

Sounds like your condo is great for smokers dog owners and drinkers....................which I bet isnt the majority?

Edited August 19, 2012 by travelmann

[siampreggers]

Two things are certain:

He will never forget.

You will never win.

[siampreggers]

If you have money in this country (excluding falangs) you walk on water.

Oh farangs are included in that, just the capital required may be more.

http://voices.yahoo.com/cash-payment-lightens-sentence-australian-murderer-1949726.html

2 years 9 months sentence for murder.

[siampreggers]

As to the above discussion about rule infringement and grassing people up.

Minor rules will be broken everywhere because nobody will challenge them because this would result in loss of face.

So nobody challenges them. No face is lost, mai pen rai.

If they get too big for their boots and start inconveniencing others for the sake of it, they will be given the message to move along, usually through cowardly acts such as nails in tyres, dogs being poisoned etc. with the small community acting as a whole to get rid of them. It won't be face to face, it won't be manly, it will be effective.

Edited August 19, 2012 by siampreggers

[Neeps]

It just goes to show that guys like Beano who has, obviously, been here a long time and can still be treated with the lowest respect with close neighbours.

I have a young guy with a noisy Impreza Turbo next door that somehow needs to throttle for 1 minute to shut his engine down and he parks in front of my house in the Moo Ban. He is in a corner house and the family has 3 cars already so parking is tight. I do not mind him parking where he does as I only have 1 car in the drive. If that changes then we will look into talking to them.

In passing we talked to our close thai neighbours (both studied in US and I play golf every week with the guy) and jokingly asked if they like the revving and what I got told was they hated it. They have just got recently found out they are having a baby and the fumes from his exhaust was going into their house which they managed to get it sorted with minimum fuss to me.

Just be discreet what you do and if you have any alliance in your neighbourhood, Go that route

Neeps