Rampant Violence In Isaan

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Three people died.

What's the big deal about three people dying, people die all the time, Thailand is a very violent place and life is obviously very cheap here; we honkies are usually shielded from the worst of it but those of us getting off the beaten track do need to use common sense.

Avoiding events with large numbers of drunken people is a rule I live by at home just as much as here, and most certainly if I'm talking about taking my dependents along.

Did you really think you were telling us something new?

Just ask the Thais around you for advice - and listen to them - if you think the quality of what you get here is lacking. In this case they'd have told you the same.

==============

OK just saw your most recent post.

If you actually know or were related to those that died, sorry and my condolences.

Edited November 4, 2012 by BigJohnnyBKK

[mauGR1]

Please re-read the above post. Everybody here - including me - that is in my village is incredibly sad about what happened. I'll be attending one of the funerals tomorrow - to pour water on his face.

Why don't you save your trite recriminations for another time? Or do you want to put another kick in my ribs? I'm not perfect - I posted here because I wanted help to understand and cope with the shock - I've laid everything all out before you with no self-censorship - and that is all you have to say? Shame on you.

Quite a long Opening Post for a " shocked " person i say, i don't think you are a troll, but maybe you'll think twice next time you go out and get drunk with your family in tow.

And the bit when you got to your car to get armed with a scalpel, you must have been really drunk !

Or maybe did you expect to be complimented for your wise behaviour..

[Rob8891]

Yet another OP (from an apparent "first-timer") that is very well-written with contentious content..... a surgeon who drinks and drives with his family in the car? yeah rrrrrrrrrrrright....and then the poster feigns righteous indignation that people query the post???

Gimme a T T

Gimme an R R

Gimme an O O

Gimme an L L

Gimme an L L

Strong suspicion that this guy has had more reincarnations than Dr Who.

Edited November 4, 2012 by Rob8891

[farang000999]

Now he is going to the victims funeral whom he never met? That is the next episode? lol.

[jacktrip]

its not all alcohol, its cultural. what you saw is the release opposite of the everyday 'thai smile'. this stuff comes out eventually. its not natural to nevermind (mai pen rai i think they call it) when your pissed. the thais are human after all just like everyone else. i prefer my stuff in smaller doses daily, so i dont have to worry about getting my peter cut off or retaliation months later.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

By the banks of the river and close to the bridge.........

Sorry no idea what this phrase is supposed to signify, cockney rhyming slang or something?

Guess I should have just called Troll then.

Check out the OP's post #34, it may have been missed by some!

Just read his latest posts; pure BS!

Aha sorry of course, slow on the uptake.

I always think "trolling" as in fishing, rather than the three billy-goats Gruff.

[puck2]

What I posted was obviously my own version of events. I don't care about any personal attacks on me. I'm not going to respond to any of those. In fact this might be my last post here.

hopefully

I've been reliably informed three people died last night. The first one whom I assumed had been knifed had really been shot - he died on the operating table. One more was shot and another was knifed in the riot that I describe.

.............

Hopefully you haven't been the "surgeon".

Edited November 4, 2012 by puck2

[panadolsandwich]

Since he came from my village, I didn't know him well - but I knew him - he came to my wedding and gave 500 baht a genourous sum in these parts. Sometimes I'd see him in the shop and buy him a beer. He didn't speak any English, but we'd converse in limited Isaan.

He was a nice guy, I don't know what happened in the events that lead to his death. Perhaps I'll have to live with not ever really knowing. He supported Manchester United if that means anything to you - it certainly doesn't to me. He has left behind a small baby and a wife - with no means of support. I gave the wife some money - nowhere near enough.

A lot of people here are entirely unsympathetic - and just downright pig-shit ignorant. I think it's only fair that I call them scum. Pathetic ignorant scum is probably more accurate.

This isn't a circus or a game were you can score points. A lot of the replies are just completely unjustified making personal attacks.

This is a den of squalid personalities that I don't want to be any part of. In truth most of you sicken me.

[RudieTheFoodie]

Hey Panadol,

I recommend some eggs and slapping the hell out of some somtam - chills everything right down.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Since he came from my village, I didn't know him well - but I knew him - he came to my wedding and gave 500 baht a genourous sum in these parts. Sometimes I'd see him in the shop and buy him a beer. He didn't speak any English, but we'd converse in limited Isaan.

He was a nice guy, I don't know what happened in the events that lead to his death. Perhaps I'll have to live with not ever really knowing. He supported Manchester United if that means anything to you - it certainly doesn't to me. He has left behind a small baby and a wife - with no means of support. I gave the wife some money - nowhere near enough.

A lot of people here are entirely unsympathetic - and just downright pig-shit ignorant. I think it's only fair that I call them scum. Pathetic ignorant scum is probably more accurate.

This isn't a circus or a game were you can score points. A lot of the replies are just completely unjustified making personal attacks.

This is a den of squalid personalities that I don't want to be any part of. In truth most of you sicken me.

I dunno, I just went back and re-read your OP and sorry, it was not only a painful experience for someone that enjoys decent writing, but sounds like it has very little relationship to reality as I've experienced it here.

I'll go along with the troll theory and risk being called a pathetic disgusting heartless ignorant scumball once again, we inhabitants of this den of squalid personalities are used to it.

And note that what you call personal attacks contain some valuable advice for those who may find themselves in or near such scenes, which I readily acknowledge do happen here, just not with quite the overly dramatic revenge-of-the-zombies tone you've imbued the story with here.

[puck2]

Since he came from my village, I didn't know him well - but I knew him - he came to my wedding and gave 500 baht a genourous sum in these parts. Sometimes I'd see him in the shop and buy him a beer. He didn't speak any English, but we'd converse in limited Isaan.

He was a nice guy, I don't know what happened in the events that lead to his death. Perhaps I'll have to live with not ever really knowing. He supported Manchester United if that means anything to you - it certainly doesn't to me. He has left behind a small baby and a wife - with no means of support. I gave the wife some money - nowhere near enough.

A lot of people here are entirely unsympathetic - and just downright pig-shit ignorant. I think it's only fair that I call them scum. Pathetic ignorant scum is probably more accurate.

This isn't a circus or a game were you can score points. A lot of the replies are just completely unjustified making personal attacks.

This is a den of squalid personalities that I don't want to be any part of. In truth most of you sicken me.

Why did you open this thread? Like me, many received the meassage from you: a surgeon is driving his car permanently drunken. The style of your answer confirms this idea. A man, a little bit smarter than you, would have spared mentioning the beer bottles. What about your alcohol status next day, when you stay in front of the operating table?

A troll came to my mind, too.

[ttelise]

Easier to attack messenger than hear message that hits close to home.

I am sure no one here has driven drunk or exercised poor judgment. I do agree that one should not get drunk and drive with children in car who cannot exercise independent judgment about whether to get in car or stay out.

That said, maybe dude wasn't drunk. Dunno. Not my place to judge what went down.

Edited November 4, 2012 by ttelise

[Rob8891]

Easier to attack messenger than hear message that hits close to home.

I am sure no one here has driven drunk or exercised poor judgment. I do agree that one should not drunk and drive with children in car who cannot exercise independent judgment about whether to get in car or stay out.

That said, maybe dude wasn't drunk. Dunno. Not my place to judge what went down.

C'mon man. Wake up and read the ridiculous OP. Drunk driving,,,,,family in car.... a "surgeon"?? GET A GRIP!

[ttelise]

Easier to attack messenger than hear message that hits close to home.

I am sure no one here has driven drunk or exercised poor judgment. I do agree that one should not drunk and drive with children in car who cannot exercise independent judgment about whether to get in car or stay out.

That said, maybe dude wasn't drunk. Dunno. Not my place to judge what went down.

C'mon man. Wake up and read the ridiculous OP. Drunk driving,,,,,family in car.... a "surgeon"?? GET A GRIP!

Haha, I guess I don't care enough about dude to formulate judgment one way or the other. Maybe true, maybe not. It's frickin Internet land. Interesting story and I hope it ain't true.

Surgeons are people too. I have represented doctors and hospital for 17 years and have seen a lot worse. A whole lot worse, so no, would not surprise me if he was a surgeon just because he drinks and exercises poor judgment. Shit, I recall case where anesthesiologist was shooting the fentynal in themselves behind the current separating them from operating field. Know of health professionals shooting dilaudid and morphine out of the viles and putting saline back in to fill them up. Means people in pain were getting saline instead of dillaudid.

Edited November 4, 2012 by ttelise

[Pormax]

Easier to attack messenger than hear message that hits close to home.

I am sure no one here has driven drunk or exercised poor judgment. I do agree that one should not get drunk and drive with children in car who cannot exercise independent judgment about whether to get in car or stay out.

That said, maybe dude wasn't drunk. Dunno. Not my place to judge what went down.

Read again. The OP admits he was drunk. Admits to going and arming himself with a deadly weapon. (A crime) Admitted to drunk driving.(a crime) Admitted to putting his life, his family and others in jeopardy because of his actions. This is a man who is supposed to have a high level of intelligence.

I feel sorry for the families of those who died but unfortunately this happens a lot in Thailand at these sort of functions and will continue while life is cheap and a few baht here and there will solve the problem. Do I feel sorry for the dead, not sure as I don't know if they were innocent bystanders (though I doubt it) or instigators of the violence.

If the OP did not do so much ranting about having a drink another drink and another drink etc and left out details, about being a surgeon, arming himself with scalpels, leaving his family in a dangerous situation then later driving while drunk and more than happy to mow people down, but stuck to the main point of his topic, we would have probably given a more favourable reaction that he wished for.

Instead he opened himself up to ridicule.

[kkerry]

Three dead at a concert... would have made the news somewhere by now surely...

[geriatrickid]

Three dead at a concert... would have made the news somewhere by now surely...

Or at least a song.......

Issan mob and Thaksin's comin'.

We're finally on our own.

This festival I hear the drummin'.

Three dead in Si-Sa-ket.

Gotta get down to it.

Issan people are gunning us down.

Should have been done long ago.

What if you knew her and

Found her dead on the ground?

How can you run when you know?

Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na.

Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na.

Gotta get down to it.

Issan people are cutting us down.

Should have been done long ago.

What if you knew her and

Found her dead on the ground?

How can you run when you know?

Issan people and Thaksin's comin'.

We're finally on our own.

This festival I hear the drummin'.

Three dead in Si-Sa-ket.

Three dead in Si-Sa-ket

Three dead in Si-Sa-ket.

Three dead in Si-Sa-ket..

Three dead in Si-Sa-ket.

Three dead in Si-Sa-ket..

Lyrics: Somchai "Neeel" Yung

[krisb]

Since he came from my village, I didn't know him well - but I knew him - he came to my wedding and gave 500 baht a genourous sum in these parts. Sometimes I'd see him in the shop and buy him a beer. He didn't speak any English, but we'd converse in limited Isaan.

He was a nice guy, I don't know what happened in the events that lead to his death. Perhaps I'll have to live with not ever really knowing. He supported Manchester United if that means anything to you - it certainly doesn't to me. He has left behind a small baby and a wife - with no means of support. I gave the wife some money - nowhere near enough.

A lot of people here are entirely unsympathetic - and just downright pig-shit ignorant. I think it's only fair that I call them scum. Pathetic ignorant scum is probably more accurate.

This isn't a circus or a game were you can score points. A lot of the replies are just completely unjustified making personal attacks.

This is a den of squalid personalities that I don't want to be any part of. In truth most of you sicken me.

Hang on in defence of the folk who posted on your topic that have shot you down in flames,

Do you as a grown man, not think it was foolish and very immature to take a weapon out of your car and then hang around to watch the violence with your WIFE and CHILD in harms way? regardless if they were sitting in the car.

The only reason I can think you hung around was to show how tough you are to your wife, hoping to show off abit throwning a few punches.

So YOU good sir are the squalid personality in my book and many others on here.

[bannork]

There's been violence at concerts in Issan for years.The first question I hear the day after a concert is about the previous night's fighting, it's so commonplace.

As mentioned, uneducated youths and alcohol don't go together, throw in a few outsiders or rival gangs and violence is the result.But football hooligans in the UK were widespread in my youth and I remember a big hit 'Someone's gonna get their head kicked in tonight'!

Avoid night time concerts and or drunk groups of Thais is sadly a golden rule.

[lomatopo]

This is a den of squalid personalities that I don't want to be any part of. In truth most of you sicken me.

Just trying to figure out how your judgement of some here aligns with the person (you) who said:

I wanted to time their vicious flock with our CRV leaving so I could run as many down as I could.

I'm not sure what the dynamic is here, I am curious of course - but it is a deeply negative one, and well, not a very nice one.

Your entire original narrative denigrated, dehumanized and presented every Thai person, save your wife and child, as sub-human. The crowd was transformed from an adoring crowd who cheered your very presence, "Hail, Caesar", into a group of primeval, savage, half-creeping zombies who were ugly, ugly, ugly like flocking birds.

Sorry, but any deeply negative dynamic is, I fear, irretrievably rooted in your psyche.

Edited November 5, 2012 by lomatopo

[Neeranam]

There's been violence at concerts in Issan for years.The first question I hear the day after a concert is about the previous night's fighting, it's so commonplace.

As mentioned, uneducated youths and alcohol don't go together, throw in a few outsiders or rival gangs and violence is the result.But football hooligans in the UK were widespread in my youth and I remember a big hit 'Someone's gonna get their head kicked in tonight'!

Avoid night time concerts and or drunk groups of Thais is sadly a golden rule.

Here's another song I remember called 'someone's gonna die'. Europeans are much more cultured than Thais

I'd hate to be an Asian among that crowd - at the start there is one actually. I forget how lucky I am to be here - hooliganism and violence were rampant where I come from In Scotland

Edited November 5, 2012 by Neeranam

[Berkshire]

My why? Well I witnessed it - and I don't know why.

You were there and witnessed it all and you don't know "why." Yet, you come on here and ask a bunch of anonymous strangers who weren't even there the question "why." Does that make any sense?

[Mosha]

It's not just Issan, it's all over. Go to a wedding/monk party. If there is dancing girls, eventually they will kick off, They slipped up at one wedding. The groom was a soldier. He had his army mates there. The idiots started. The army lads finished it. The police must have been cheesed off. Instead of ignoring it. They had to do some police work.Lock up the uninjured, and take the ones with broken bones to hospital.

[Songhua]

This is a den of squalid personalities that I don't want to be any part of. In truth most of you sicken me.

Just trying to figure out how your judgement of some here aligns with the person (you) who said:

I wanted to time their vicious flock with our CRV leaving so I could run as many down as I could.

I'm not sure what the dynamic is here, I am curious of course - but it is a deeply negative one, and well, not a very nice one.

Your entire original narrative denigrated, dehumanized and presented every Thai person, save your wife and child, as sub-human. The crowd was transformed from an adoring crowd who cheered your very presence, "Hail, Caesar", into a group of primeval, savage, half-creeping zombies who were ugly, ugly, ugly like flocking birds.

Sorry, but any deeply negative dynamic is, I fear, irretrievably rooted in your psyche.

They weren't shouting 'Hail Caesar'. OP probably just misunderstood. They were screaming 'Jack The Lipper, Jack The Lipper!'

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Civilization is a very thin and fragile veneer, just underneath the surface lurks the animal in each of us, and all it takes is the right set of circumstances for an orderly crowd to become a insane mob raging out of control.

Not any more or less true in one place or culture as opposed to another.

[lomatopo]

Civilization is a very thin and fragile veneer, just underneath the surface lurks the animal in each of us, and all it takes is the right set of circumstances for an orderly crowd to become a insane mob raging out of control.

Not any more or less true in one place or culture as opposed to another.

Wow, what an odd observation of the human condition?

First of all, in the OPs narrative there was no insane mob raging out of control.

And how often does this seething animal break loose from your thin and fragile veneer?

Finally, can you share some examples of when an orderly crowd transformed into an insane mob raging out of control? What prompted the transformation? How long did it take?

[panadolsandwich]

""Your entire original narrative denigrated, dehumanized and presented every Thai person, save your wife and child, as sub-human. The crowd was transformed from an adoring crowd who cheered your very presence, "Hail, Caesar", into a group of primeval, savage, half-creeping zombies who were ugly, ugly, ugly like flocking birds.""

Let me see, I have a grand total of six posts (well counting this one seven), and what do you have - something northwards of 7000? You appear to assume that you are 1000 times (insert word here) than me. Who am I to quarrel with you and vice-versa? You could conclude my words are condensed and only used in moderation or I could conclude you've wasted a lot of time here.

People like you scare the shit out of me. To use a metaphor - what came first the scoopy or the fino? There are five possible answers this question, just to give you a clue.

I like what you wrote above - it shows you kind of got the gist of what I wrote in a trembling fashion off-the-cuff at about 3:30am in the morning immediately after it happened. . In fact I'm quite offended by it. So congratulations I suppose.

Since what I posted was to the letter true - what does what you called me make you? Worse than scum? I cremated a friend today - and scum like you are the least of my troubles. You might as well be a breadcrumb on my high table.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Wow, what an odd observation of the human condition?

I had to hole up with my dad in the basement of a restaurant on the upper east side of Manhattan during the blackouts in 1977, and I was also in LA in 1992.

Much smaller instances happen on a daily basis all around the world, sometimes only lasting for a few minutes but often resulting in more than just property destruction.

I stand by my words. Be grateful that you have been so lucky as to not have first-hand experience with the phenomenon.

[Johnniey]

How old is your daughter?

Was she in the car whilst you were drinking and could she see all this violence?

Did see see you go back to the war zone with two scalpels?

[lomatopo]

what does what you called me make you?

I didn't call you anything. You seem to be the one with the uncontrollable need to hurl insults?

The rest of your post #7 doesn't make any sense, to me anyway - even the part about the "Self-respecting Nazi". Where'd that come from?

Wow, what an odd observation of the human condition?

I had to hole up with my dad in the basement of a restaurant on the upper east side of Manhattan during the blackouts in 1977, and I was also in LA in 1992.

Much smaller instances happen on a daily basis all around the world, sometimes only lasting for a few minutes but often resulting in more than just property destruction.

I stand by my words. Be grateful that you have been so lucky as to not have first-hand experience with the phenomenon.

OK, twice in 34 years. I thought maybe you were talking about something happening a bit more frequently.

The OPs narrative didn't strike me as being anything like the events you experienced?

I do consider myself lucky to have not experienced the phenomenon, I assume I am in the majority?

Edited November 5, 2012 by lomatopo