Russian Tourist Stabbed Five Times During Attempted Bag Snatch In Jomtien

[attento]

The point is you people are quick to come along predicting gloom and doom, and a drop in tourist numbers. That's not just not happening.

Tropo, even if you are a STAR member with 10k post you should READ before posting... Jingthing typed INCREASING and I thought that too.... My English is not very good but INCREASING means INCREASING so RISING or MORE Tourists, not less thx to the admins for having our WAI back

fewer toursists, not less tourists ..............

[markt7081]

Bit of a red herring maybe,

but in line with the extra charging for Farangs, maybe there should be extra sentances for those who commit crimes against Farangs?

Edited October 23, 2012 by metisdead
: Underscore removed.

[kevvy]

and the mayor does nothing as he thinks in 5 years time pattaya will be as good as Miami Florida or the french riviera eheheheheh tell me when he wakes up and looks at the real pattaya

[tropo]

The point is you people are quick to come along predicting gloom and doom, and a drop in tourist numbers. That's not just not happening.

Tropo, even if you are a STAR member with 10k post you should READ before posting... Jingthing typed INCREASING and I thought that too.... My English is not very good but INCREASING means INCREASING so RISING or MORE Tourists, not less thx to the admins for having our WAI back

I don't know what you're waffling on about. Perhaps you should go back and read your comments.

[kevvy]

one day the tourists will be going to other Asian countries , its happening now ..Thailand just thinks

Edited October 23, 2012 by Rimmer
English only please

[Chads]

one day the tourists will be going to other Asian countries , its happening now ..Thailand just thinks

Haven't seen signs of that happening in over a decade though.

[tropo]

one day the tourists will be going to other Asian countries , its happening now ..Thailand just thinks

Assuming you're talking about SE Asian countries, there aren't many good alternatives. Vietnam? Laos? Indonesia? Philippines? Malaysia? Burma? Cambodia?

That's one military dictatorship, 2 communist countries, 2 Muslim countries, Cambodia and Philippines.

I seriously doubt that any of the above will ever be a substitute destination for Thailand. They are never going to be more than a side-trip.

In the grand scheme of things, a bag snatching and knife touch-up are hardly newsworthy anywhere else other than in the Pattaya media and on here.

[blix99]

Don't get me wrong. I don't blame the victim. But someone should warn tourists not to wear bling especially late at night.

JT i never expected victim blaming of you

I agree with you they should inform tourists about this, but i doubt it will happen because its like admitting there is a problem in the land of smiles.

Most guidebooks to SE Asia note this as an issue quite prominently. What would you expect the Thai tourist authorities to do? Take out ads in media warning people not to come since there is an .00001 chance that their bag might be snatched? Some years back the American media often ran scare stories about violent bag snatchings in Europe and equally violent attacks on tourists in Florida. Mexico was/is known for same as are parts of Central and South America. Russia was well known for victimizing tourists who were not careful and it goes on and on. Nothing especially unusual about crime towards travelers in poor countries---tourists have money, the locals don't.

[NoshowJones]

Hmm common occurance is it now?!

Not any more common than in most other countries. Walk through most parts of Glasgow alone at 02 am in the morning and see what happens, I speak from experience, but I'm a fast runner.

[tropo]

Nothing especially unusual about crime towards travelers in poor countries---tourists have money, the locals don't.

I can tell you a handbag and gold necklace wouldn't last long in Manila if you were walking along any streets at 3am. It wouldn't be just a chance, but a near certainty. If you were wearing a decent ring you could even lose the finger along with it if you resisted... then there's always the possibility of rape with a foreign woman.

[easyas]

one day the tourists will be going to other Asian countries , its happening now ..Thailand just thinks

Assuming you're talking about SE Asian countries, there aren't many good alternatives. Vietnam? Laos? Indonesia? Philippines? Malaysia? Burma? Cambodia?

That's one military dictatorship, 2 communist countries, 2 Muslim countries, Cambodia and Philippines.

I seriously doubt that any of the above will ever be a substitute destination for Thailand. They are never going to be more than a side-trip.

In the grand scheme of things, a bag snatching and knife touch-up are hardly newsworthy anywhere else other than in the Pattaya media and on here.

Vietnam is already the number one tourist destination spot with most Western (non-US) travel agencies.

No soi dogs and next to no street crime - what there is isn't repeated - not easy with bullet in brain!

Edited October 23, 2012 by Rimmer
Unnecessary profanities removed

[personchester]

There have been plenty of bag snatches even when the victims weren't wearing any gold but I agree it probably makes you more of a target.

In this case gold necklace does not seem to have been "more of a target" because the assault toke place at around 3 am during such time a certain darkness exists, and her golden necklace could not have been spotted to be the target of attack.

The target of attack was her handbag, the golden necklace was spotted during the attack and taken as an additional bonus.

Women should not walk on their own during the night, that is applicable to any country, because due to lower physical strength they are targets of attack by men for robbery or sexual assault.

Fortunately the Russian girl survived and she will recover in due course.

[Konini]

I'm replying to this post as a woman who has common sense and plans her day in the sense of where to be alone at certain times of the morning, afternoon or evening, never at night. I don't intend to blame the victim and hopes she makes a speedy and full recovery.

I hope the equal rights brigade aren't going to jump all over me here - of course we should all be able to walk where we want, when we want, but the fact is WE CAN'T. There are streets in Melbourne I wouldn't walk down during daylight hours with lots of people around. There are parts of my hometown, Doncaster in England where I wouldn't walk within suburb of during the day or or - I'm not joking there. We left England in 1987, and it is unrecognisable as we knew it. And Doncaster was always bad but is now very, very scary.

Whatever the equal rights brigade says, (and yes, I had to fight like a cat-bitch to get jobs over my male colleagues who weren't as good as me but they had a willy and I didn't, so I'm no anti-feminist), no woman should be walking around streets in a town unknown to her, wherever she may be in the world at 3am. There. I've said it. I'll wait for the flames. It's called common sense. I don't wear gold jewelry, I actually refer the pretty coloured glass and plastics from the market, but I would only wear anything that looked as though it cost more than 100bt if I was with my husband - who doesn't wear a watch or any gold jewelry here either. When I go out it's for a reason. I take as much money as I need - shopping, hair, eating drinks or whatever I'm going out for, or if I'm just going for a bit of exercise to stretch my legs, I take 100bt in case I twist my ankle and have to get a taxi or tuktuk home. When I do carry a bag, it's over my head and shoulders, bag away from the roadside. It's called being sensible. Being sensible doesn't always work; I got caught out - for the first time - earlier this year in Saigon, middle of the day. Classic story, up behind me on a motorbike, but like this Russian lady I tried to fight - I tried with all my strength to keep hold of the strap and yank the little <insert your word of choice> from the back of the bike and I would have caved his head in with my foot had he fallen off. When the adrenaline wore off, I realised how stupid I'd been. At best, I could have had my arm yanked out of it's socket or be dragged along the road. At worst, If I had yanked him off the bike, he could have knifed or shot me. For a cheap bag, $5 and a very outdated mobile phone which was starting to become unreliable anyway.

Two lessons here - don't try and fight them off for a bit of petty cash, and don't go walking after midnight, alone, when you don't know the area. Male or female. If you do know the area, and I realise most people on this board are expats, so they will know their area, only walk down those streets that you are 100% certain about alone. And if you are female, just don't do it. Much as it shouldn't be the case, it isn't safe to do so. Just don't do it.

I now await the flames and screams from the equal rights and feminist brigades.

[Asiantravel]

one day the tourists will be going to other Asian countries , its happening now ..Thailand just thinks

Assuming you're talking about SE Asian countries, there aren't many good alternatives. Vietnam? Laos? Indonesia? Philippines? Malaysia? Burma? Cambodia?

That's one military dictatorship, 2 communist countries, 2 Muslim countries, Cambodia and Philippines.

I seriously doubt that any of the above will ever be a substitute destination for Thailand. They are never going to be more than a side-trip.

In the grand scheme of things, a bag snatching and knife touch-up are hardly newsworthy anywhere else other than in the Pattaya media and on here.

You are so out of touch it's hard to know where to begin.

All tourists are not the same and depending on their tastes many already prefer some countries you have listed above Thailand.

Even within Thailand you can see a huge contrast between tourists who go to Chiang Mai for example who wouldn't be seen dead in Pattaya. They think it is a dreadful place.

Have you actually been and talked to tourists in places like Phnom Penh, Vientinene, Luang prabang, Mandalay. I have and very many of them say quite the opposite to what you say.

To them Thailand cannot offer them aesthetically pleasing and interesting surroundings and architecture as many of the other neighbouring former colonial countries do.

Thailand is the side trip to them only because they found it more convenient to fly in and out of Bangkok International airport. Nothing more and nothing less.

[Suetape]

I wish all of you could of seen the Pattaya Beach I lived in back in 1969!

[moskito]

The point is you people are quick to come along predicting gloom and doom, and a drop in tourist numbers. That's not just not happening.

Tropo, even if you are a STAR member with 10k post you should READ before posting... Jingthing typed INCREASING and I thought that too.... My English is not very good but INCREASING means INCREASING so RISING or MORE Tourists, not less thx to the admins for having our WAI back

fewer toursists, not less tourists ..............

i checked it out @ attento...but cant find what toursists means..... but thank you for the English lesson anyway

[moskito]

I wish all of you could of seen the Pattaya Beach I lived in back in 1969!

i have been in Pattaya only one time, that was back in 1974 ---- NEVER again...its like Patong a bitch on a beach....but obviously ppl still loving

destroying a country...specially the dickheads here in Thailand, where MONEY is more important as nature or enviroment... Phuket has become

a shitehole with far too much traffic and far too much gangsters and young people lurking around for an easy job....like rip of foreigners...

If I can make my decision again to build something in another country than my own, it will for sure not Phuket Thailand anymore... Three break ins

in our house in two years and one in our shop says it all....AND the numbers are rising, not many people here which have not been broken into their houses....

[growe237]

My Thai wife was recently a victim of a motor bike bag snatch in Malaysia and it happens in seconds. I had always said if this happens don't fight back & she didn't. Nobody in the street came to our aid. The Malaysian police said it's an increasing problem in the past few years and that tourists have been injured. Here in Pattaya there are obviously bag snatch incidents, as we know also Thai on Thai. Difference is that the Thai's in the street will assist and a few have been chased, caught and beaten by Thai's (at least in the Soi Nernplubwan area).

My bag was snatched by off a small table in a tiny sidewalk cafe in Chiang Mai where I was having coffee. I yelled tuukkamoi! and thai shopkeepers came pouring onto the street, chasing the kid. By the time they caught him, there were 15 thai people handing me back my bag and patting my shoulder. The police came and I ended up going to court later - VERY interesting situation - but my point is that Thai people, at least in northern Thailand, DO help tourists who have been victimized.

[kenickie]

Just one day before this, i got pickpocketed at the same place. This is not good for tourism. Thai police should do something about the increase in crime in LOS.

[Johnniey]

Don't get me wrong. I don't blame the victim. But someone should warn tourists not to wear bling especially late at night.

I had once my phone ripped om my waist belt while waiting to cross second road near big c at 9 pm, so maybe people should also not carry a phone.

People should stop going to this dangerous town, unless they want you know what.

What on earth is a woman walking the streets of Pattaya alone for - at ANY time of day!

[Johnniey]

My Thai wife was recently a victim of a motor bike bag snatch in Malaysia and it happens in seconds. I had always said if this happens don't fight back & she didn't. Nobody in the street came to our aid. The Malaysian police said it's an increasing problem in the past few years and that tourists have been injured. Here in Pattaya there are obviously bag snatch incidents, as we know also Thai on Thai. Difference is that the Thai's in the street will assist and a few have been chased, caught and beaten by Thai's (at least in the Soi Nernplubwan area).

My bag was snatched by off a small table in a tiny sidewalk cafe in Chiang Mai where I was having coffee. I yelled tuukkamoi! and thai shopkeepers came pouring onto the street, chasing the kid. By the time they caught him, there were 15 thai people handing me back my bag and patting my shoulder. The police came and I ended up going to court later - VERY interesting situation - but my point is that Thai people, at least in northern Thailand, DO help tourists who have been victimized.

Of course they do in a normal Thai town but in Pattaya there is an obvious hatred between Thais and foreigners for obvious reasons.

[tropo]

I'm replying to this post as a woman who has common sense and plans her day in the sense of where to be alone at certain times of the morning, afternoon or evening, never at night. I don't intend to blame the victim and hopes she makes a speedy and full recovery.

I hope the equal rights brigade aren't going to jump all over me here - of course we should all be able to walk where we want, when we want, but the fact is WE CAN'T. There are streets in Melbourne I wouldn't walk down during daylight hours with lots of people around. There are parts of my hometown, Doncaster in England where I wouldn't walk within suburb of during the day or or - I'm not joking there. We left England in 1987, and it is unrecognisable as we knew it. And Doncaster was always bad but is now very, very scary.

Whatever the equal rights brigade says, (and yes, I had to fight like a cat-bitch to get jobs over my male colleagues who weren't as good as me but they had a willy and I didn't, so I'm no anti-feminist), no woman should be walking around streets in a town unknown to her, wherever she may be in the world at 3am. There. I've said it. I'll wait for the flames. It's called common sense. I don't wear gold jewelry, I actually refer the pretty coloured glass and plastics from the market, but I would only wear anything that looked as though it cost more than 100bt if I was with my husband - who doesn't wear a watch or any gold jewelry here either. When I go out it's for a reason. I take as much money as I need - shopping, hair, eating drinks or whatever I'm going out for, or if I'm just going for a bit of exercise to stretch my legs, I take 100bt in case I twist my ankle and have to get a taxi or tuktuk home. When I do carry a bag, it's over my head and shoulders, bag away from the roadside. It's called being sensible. Being sensible doesn't always work; I got caught out - for the first time - earlier this year in Saigon, middle of the day. Classic story, up behind me on a motorbike, but like this Russian lady I tried to fight - I tried with all my strength to keep hold of the strap and yank the little <insert your word of choice> from the back of the bike and I would have caved his head in with my foot had he fallen off. When the adrenaline wore off, I realised how stupid I'd been. At best, I could have had my arm yanked out of it's socket or be dragged along the road. At worst, If I had yanked him off the bike, he could have knifed or shot me. For a cheap bag, $5 and a very outdated mobile phone which was starting to become unreliable anyway.

Two lessons here - don't try and fight them off for a bit of petty cash, and don't go walking after midnight, alone, when you don't know the area. Male or female. If you do know the area, and I realise most people on this board are expats, so they will know their area, only walk down those streets that you are 100% certain about alone. And if you are female, just don't do it. Much as it shouldn't be the case, it isn't safe to do so. Just don't do it.

I now await the flames and screams from the equal rights and feminist brigades.

Nice post in general, but you spoiled it with all these "equal rights", "feminist brigade" etc type comments. What is the point of all that?

Being female does make you more of a target but what has that to do with equal rights? As you stated, males and females are both at risk of being mugged.

Edited October 23, 2012 by tropo

[tropo]

Of course they do in a normal Thai town but in Pattaya there is an obvious hatred between Thais and foreigners for obvious reasons.

I think this is a gross exaggeration. It's not nearly that bad in Pattaya unless you start provoking them.

[Chads]

I wish all of you could of seen the Pattaya Beach I lived in back in 1969!

Can you tell us more about it? What was it like?

[tropo]

Vietnam is already the number one tourist destination spot with most Western (non-US) travel agencies.

More tourists in Vietnam than Thailand, or just wishful thinking of the "Western (non-US) travel agencies"?

According to this table http://www.aseansec..../Table 28 n.pdf Thailand gets more than times as many tourists as Vietnam, but I was wrong about Malaysia as they get nearly 6 million more per year than Thailand.

Another table here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_rankings gives Malaysia nearly 10 million more tourists per year than Thailand.

Edited October 23, 2012 by tropo

[Ajaan]

Call me old fashioned but I don't think any female should be walking home alone at 3am in any country...

No, this is 2012, not 1950. We don't call views like this "old fashioned," that's far too generous. We call them what they are: sexist and indicative of your misogyny and disdain toward women, masquerading as a desire to "protect" women or as "concern" about them. Really, you just want to keep them in what you see as "their place," and deny to them the respect and dignity you show males.It's no surprise that people like you would want to live in (or frequently visit) Thailand, where your antiquated, outdated, sexist views will be not only tolerated, but will no doubt earn you a pat on the back by Thai men, most of whom treat women like they're worth about as much as dog feces. If you spouted off outdated, reactionary views like this in the West, any number of women (and a few men) would tear you a new one, and rightly so.

Edited October 23, 2012 by Ajaan

[londoedan]

Call me old fashioned but I don't think any female should be walking home alone at 3am in any country...

No, this is 2012, not 1950. We don't call views like this "old fashioned," that's far too generous. We call them what they are: sexist and indicative of your misogyny and disdain toward women, masquerading as a desire to "protect" women or as "concern" about them. Really, you just want to keep them in what you see as "their place," and deny to them the respect and dignity you show males.It's no surprise that people like you would want to live in (or frequently visit) Thailand, where your antiquated, outdated, sexist views will be not only tolerated, but will no doubt earn you a pat on the back by Thai men, most of whom treat women like they're worth about as much as dog feces. If you spouted off outdated, reactionary views like this in the West, any number of women (and a few men) would tear you a new one, and rightly so.

Well said - couldn't have put it better myself

[gaucho]

sorry to see she got hurt ...lets not forget just a short time ago a woman killed in similar circumstances and a year or so ago another lady in bangkok suffered massive head injuries after being dragged ....she also died ...these robbers i hope they get caught ....also ....yes dont walk around looking affluent but by the same token what r they supposed to do ? wear green plastic garbage bags ....

[attento]

The point is you people are quick to come along predicting gloom and doom, and a drop in tourist numbers. That's not just not happening.

Tropo, even if you are a STAR member with 10k post you should READ before posting... Jingthing typed INCREASING and I thought that too.... My English is not very good but INCREASING means INCREASING so RISING or MORE Tourists, not less thx to the admins for having our WAI back

fewer toursists, not less tourists ..............

i checked it out @ attento...but cant find what toursists means..... but thank you for the English lesson anyway

Touché

[simple1]

Call me old fashioned but I don't think any female should be walking home alone at 3am in any country...

No, this is 2012, not 1950. We don't call views like this "old fashioned," that's far too generous. We call them what they are: sexist and indicative of your misogyny and disdain toward women, masquerading as a desire to "protect" women or as "concern" about them. Really, you just want to keep them in what you see as "their place," and deny to them the respect and dignity you show males.It's no surprise that people like you would want to live in (or frequently visit) Thailand, where your antiquated, outdated, sexist views will be not only tolerated, but will no doubt earn you a pat on the back by Thai men, most of whom treat women like they're worth about as much as dog feces. If you spouted off outdated, reactionary views like this in the West, any number of women (and a few men) would tear you a new one, and rightly so.

A completely opinionated, twisted & cynical PC response. Next time a female is attacked when demonstrating her rights to walk alone, based upon your PC view of the world, in an known area for muggings I'm sure she will not thank you for your advise.

Edited October 24, 2012 by simple1