Farang got Stabbed

[hellodolly]

At the time of this post there is 2400 thumbs up on Youlike for this stabbing, what a deranged world we live in.

And what percentage of those are Thai?? which might tell you a lot about Thailand.

Your post tells me a lot about you

[Heng]

one important fact for all us living here to remember: many thai (men) live under chronic frustration. as i wrote before many times this land of smile (LOS)-thing is a farce since smiling in thailand can also mean "anxiety", "angry", "not-happy-whatsoever", "watch-it-i'm-gonna-break-your-nose". many people, especially in bangkok, work under very stressy circumstances, earning barely enough money to eat and pay for the shitty, noisy room they live in. bkk taxi drivers deal with hectic traffic non-stop and we all know how stressy that can be. lower male working class often sleep too little and drink too much, 2 factors that make you even more edgy. add to that the plain arrogance of so many hi-so/rich thai and u get a deadly coctail. the problem is that these hi-so Thai can humiliate a fellow thai in a much more subtle way than any farang.

I'd add to that the chronic frustration of many foreigners who are stuck here in one way or the other, and that includes mid to upper level expats who suddenly find themselves with a family (and perhaps extended family that somehow keeps increasing in size).

Again the broad use of 'high so'... the description sounds more like the behavior of folks (locals and loud tourists) who are just a little better off than taxi drivers in the big picture.

[NoshowJones]

Unfortunately there are nutters everywhere,the whole world is more violent nowadays.I know of farangs who carry weapons too,and no doubt would use them in a so called protecting themselves mode.

So many hotbeds of violence in uk too, take Glasgow for instance,supposed to have more nutters than anywhere in the uk

Glasgow is the same as any other big city in the UK, they have there share of nutters. There are people who walk about and gather together just looking for trouble, looking for innocent people to attack, they don't have to be provoked.

That sort of thing is almost unheard of in Thailand.

Almost unheard of in Thailand? Are you serious? This kind of thing is very common in Thailand. It may not happen in your neighbourhood but it certainly does happen. Your statements all have the same central theme: Thais don't do this kind of thing so it most be something the foreigner did. But almost every day you read about Thais attacking Westerners. Maybe its time people accept the fact that there is a lot of bigotry towards foreigners (and Westerners specifically) and this often spills out in attacks.

By the way, when was the last time you heard of someone getting attacked in the street with a sword back home? I'm willing to bet the cops would take it a little more seriously if a Thai tourist was hacked to death with a sword in Western country -- and the Thai government and media certainly would be up in arms.

This is complete nonsense.

Here you go: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/dec/24/man-arrested-attacking-samurai-sword

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/10012089/Shopkeeper-tells-of-terryfing-samurai-sword-attack.html

http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/10464749.Man_jailed_for_Samurai_sword_attack/

Read my answer in post 329. Possum.

[jpp2bkk]

Many of those drivers are drunk or on "ya ba", most of them have limited functional brain, they are coward enough to fight with hands or when alone, so when confronted the result is always bad alas.

Look at the driver's face first, you don't like it so don't take it, always check or request the meter on, starting at 35B, if he refuse or give a lump sum walk away to an another one. Never have any problem with taxis in Bkk.

[steffi]

Did you see how the Bangkok Post article cited the blade being 18cm in length despite it being as long as his arm?

The longer than blade the more intent to kill so I think they have a vested interested in saying it's a short blade. At one point it looks like the blade is wacked against the guys neck but it doesn't look like the guy wielding the sword really knows what he's doing with it.

Well it's gone from 18cm to now "one-foot-long". Either way still grossly understated

[theblether]

I don't know why my home city of Glasgow is being singled out, it's got nothing to do with the OP. All I will say is that these so called Thai Mafia and gangster types would get the fright of their life if they turned up there. However that is not exclusive to Glasgow, there are plenty of dangerous cities around the World, and many far worse than my city, which is also renowned for being a friendly host to visitors.

My concern here is the amount of people who do not realize the capacity for violence in this country. The idea of violence is alien to many people, and as a rule of thumb I think that's great, but bad preparation when you land somewhere like this.

[hellodolly]

I don't know why my home city of Glasgow is being singled out, it's got nothing to do with the OP. All I will say is that these so called Thai Mafia and gangster types would get the fright of their life if they turned up there. However that is not exclusive to Glasgow, there are plenty of dangerous cities around the World, and many far worse than my city, which is also renowned for being a friendly host to visitors.

My concern here is the amount of people who do not realize the capacity for violence in this country. The idea of violence is alien to many people, and as a rule of thumb I think that's great, but bad preparation when you land somewhere like this.

I was to the understanding that the murder rate in Thailand was quite high. the way it was explained to me was that Thai's are not raised with problem solving skills and when a situation gets to bad they completely lose control.

[Chao Lao Beach]

The cops will declare this a suicide, and even if it is murder, and then convicted, the taxi driver will be given bail and told to disappear.

We will never know, but this is probably one of those taxi drivers who charge 200B to go up the road, meter no work, I am encouraged to rip you off, its my culture.

I hope the family of this yank pays a competent PI to find the taxi driver and return justice, with a samurai sword.

It must be a terrible time for his friends and family of the American..

I wonder how the TAT is going to past this as great when it goes viral.

Edited July 8, 2013 by Chao Lao Beach

[monkeycountry]

In related news, the PTP and TAT are currently trying to find out who posted this video on youtube, damaging Thailands reputation, so they can arrest the person. Red shirt radio claims it was Mrs. Supa, the state auditor, who posted the video, and Mr. Tarit from the DSI has promised the red shirts that he will bring Mrs. Supa in for questioning in a bid to avoid another violent street protest.

[monkeycountry]

Only in Thailand can a man use a machete to fight an elderly unarmed man and claim it was self defence. Well, you can claim it in any country, but only in Thailand will it work in court - assuming you are Thai of course! :-)

Edited July 8, 2013 by monkeycountry

[biplanebluey]

First part of video with the foreigner in the frame in slow motion:

At 25 seconds into the slow motion, as the Thai is stepping backward, is the foreigner following him?

It looks to me that ,even without any sort of weapon,the Farang is doing the attacking.That's asking for trouble!!!

[Payboy]

When a man goes to work every morning carrying a machete, someday the shit's gonna hit the fan.

[SMSinBangkok]

After this horrible insident I am many steps closer to moving away from the "Land of false smiles" to another country in the region. The way TV Channel 3 presented this coldblooded murder was appauling. They let the savage murderer tell his story (full of blatant lies) completely one-sided and the TV presenters ended the news bulletin with smiles and questioning why a farang would cause this much trouble for 51 baht.

Thailand: You are too full of yourself and becoming too dangerous for a farang to live in.

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[NanLaew]

The use of the word "farang" is completely stupid and unnecessary, why can't it be said that a tourist was stabbed, or a foreigner?

Then again, the ways taxi drivers react to white people is very very different than how they act toward asian people, especially those with status.

Because a farang got stabbed maybe?

You aren't going to start another 'the word farang is insulting' debate are you?

I haven't had any bad experiences with Bangkok taxi drivers so what's with this 'reaction to white people' you are claiming?

RIP for the victim.

This particular cabby has it ALL coming.

HA, you are funny; do you realize how ridiculous you sound? You do understand that it means whitey, right?

Dummy up before you make silly posts.

I will try again.

Why is using the word farang, "completely stupid and unnecessary"? Translating the first Thai reports, they also used the word 'Westerner' Aren't all westerners also called farangs? The victim was from the USA, the most western if western countries no?

Please explain "...the ways taxi drivers react to white people is very very different than how they act toward asian people"... Maybe you have ridden more cabs than I have so it's interesting.

Once we get that out of the way, you can enlighten me on "...it means whitey, right?" and the best way I can "Dummy up..."

Thanks!

Edited July 8, 2013 by NanLaew

[brewsterbudgen]

Read my answer in post 329. Possum.

I've read it and agree with it.

[NanLaew]

After this horrible insident I am many steps closer to moving away from the "Land of false smiles" to another country in the region. The way TV Channel 3 presented this coldblooded murder was appauling. They let the savage murderer tell his story (full of blatant lies) completely one-sided and the TV presenters ended the news bulletin with smiles and questioning why a farang would cause this much trouble for 51 baht.

Thailand: You are too full of yourself and becoming too dangerous for a farang to live in.

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

"...blatant lies..." were you there then?

"...completely one-sided..." umm.... that does happen when the other person is dead, unfortunately.

Indeed, why would any farang working in Bangkok for any length of time and allegedly fluent in the language cause this much trouble for 51 baht?

I guess the sky IS falling after all.

Off you go then.

[brewsterbudgen]

After this horrible insident I am many steps closer to moving away from the "Land of false smiles" to another country in the region. The way TV Channel 3 presented this coldblooded murder was appauling. They let the savage murderer tell his story (full of blatant lies) completely one-sided and the TV presenters ended the news bulletin with smiles and questioning why a farang would cause this much trouble for 51 baht.

Thailand: You are too full of yourself and becoming too dangerous for a farang to live in.

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

It could be argued that your post is equally as one-sided and prejudiced.

[SMSinBangkok]

Why did Channel 3 let the murderer speak wothout a single critical question put forward? And why didn't they interview some of the many witnesses that must have seen the horrible incident?

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[MaxYakov]

The use of the word "farang" is completely stupid and unnecessary, why can't it be said that a tourist was stabbed, or a foreigner?

Then again, the ways taxi drivers react to white people is very very different than how they act toward asian people, especially those with status.

Because a farang got stabbed maybe?

You aren't going to start another 'the word farang is insulting' debate are you?

I haven't had any bad experiences with Bangkok taxi drivers so what's with this 'reaction to white people' you are claiming?

RIP for the victim.

This particular cabby has it ALL coming.

HA, you are funny; do you realize how ridiculous you sound? You do understand that it means whitey, right?

Dummy up before you make silly posts.

I will try again.

Why is using the word farang, "completely stupid and unnecessary"? Translating the first Thai reports, they also used the word 'Westerner' Aren't all westerners also called farangs? The victim was from the USA, the most western if western countries no?

Please explain "...the ways taxi drivers react to white people is very very different than how they act toward asian people"... Maybe you have ridden more cabs than I have so it's interesting.

Once we get that out of the way, you can enlighten me on "...it means whitey, right?" and the best way I can "Dummy up..."

Thanks!

OK, take this for what it's worth (a Google search doesn't cost much and Wiki is cheap, too):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farang

For the link-click-challenged or Wiki-challenged, to quote the above Wiki page link:

"Farang (Thai: ฝรั่ง [faràŋ]) is a generic Thai word for someone of European ancestry, no matter where they may come from."

Edited July 8, 2013 by MaxYakov

[metisdead]

Off topic posts comparing religions have been removed.

[nakhonandy]

This does not happen every day. Not all Thais carry samurai swords or other weapons, the vast majority are just the same as us and disgusted with this.

I have lived here for 5 years and visited for 30, had my odd altercation with taxi/UK UK drivers but never a serious problem.

Thailand is no more dangerous than anywhere else.

RIP the victim.

Sent from my GT-P7500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Jingthing]

I'm concerned this murderer is going to become a kind of folk hero among a segment of Thai people.

Certainly, many feel that westerners complain too much, are suspicious of being scammed even when they're not being scammed, and don't behave in the Thai way, whatever that is.

The coffee throwing, which is hard to believe, will no doubt be believed by many, whether there is any evidence other than the murderer's low value word. Just having coffee on his clothes if he does is meaningless, he can throw coffee on himself.

Bangkok taxi drivers have a political association with the red shirt movement, that is well known.

Many are of course armed for personal protection/business enforcement reasons but during red shirt flare ups, they can become part of a potential army.

I am concerned this news story and following trial are going to stir up some ugly anti-western xenophobia. Never far from the surface already of course.

My gut feeling is this is not just another murder case, but one that is going to represent much more to many people, Thai and western.

It really shouldn't, objectively it's just another murder case, but I think it WILL.

Edited July 8, 2013 by Jingthing

[hellodolly]

First part of video with the foreigner in the frame in slow motion:

At 25 seconds into the slow motion, as the Thai is stepping backward, is the foreigner following him?

It looks to me that ,even without any sort of weapon,the Farang is doing the attacking.That's asking for trouble!!!

The video is very unclear as to what happened other than it definatly shows the cab driver striking with the Machete.

The farong was definatly moving towards the driver in the first part of the film. He could have been carried a way by momentum if the cabby had been backing up.

It would be nice to know what the passenger was doing when the driver was getting out of the cab with a machete and why he was doing so.

I am not sure what I would have been doing but moving towards a fellow armed with a machete is definatly not what I would have been doing. Was he drinking? Or under the influance of some other drug: I think those are practical questions arising from the part the video showed.

In closing I see there has been some postings about the wrongness of cabbies in Bangkok. I have seen other posts where the majority of the people had no problem

Here in Chiang Mai I have a farong friend who carries a base ball bat in his car.

Just thought I would throw that in. It is a true story.

Edit

Of course if I went around with the attitude towards Thais he has I would be tempted to carry protection to. I think the fact is is a big man averts most of his problems.

Edited July 8, 2013 by hellodolly

[antfish]

I'm concerned this murderer is going to become a kind of folk hero among a segment of Thai people.

Certainly, many feel that westerners complain too much, are suspicious of being scammed even when they're not being scammed, and don't behave in the Thai way, whatever that is.

The coffee throwing, which is hard to believe, will no doubt be believed by many, whether there is any evidence other than the murderer's low value word. Just having coffee on his clothes if he does is meaningless, he can throw coffee on himself.

Bangkok taxi drivers have a political association with the red shirt movement, that is well known.

Many are of course armed for personal protection/business enforcement reasons but during red shirt flare ups, they can become part of a potential army.

I am concerned this news story and following trial are going to stir up some ugly anti-western xenophobia. Never far from the surface already of course.

My gut feeling is this is not just another murder case, but one that is going to represent much more to many people, Thai and western.

It really shouldn't, objectively it's just another murder case, but I think it WILL.

i know when i see a xenophobe.

[stickylies]

"Farang (Thai: ฝรั่ง [faràŋ]) is a generic Thai word for someone of European ancestry, no matter where they may come from."

... and farang is apparently also used for an asian who was born in the west. this person i know (mother and father south-korean) born and raised in US gets called farang too

[antfish]

UPDATE:

American hacked to death over Bt51

Quoting eyewitnesses, police said both men had scuffled after Pilkington threw the coffee in his paper cup at Cherdchai through the passenger side door window. Cherdchai had been yelling at the man to pay up. The suspect told police later that he took the long knife from the boot and confronted the American, but the victim attacked first.

...

The passenger accused him of rigging the meter and got out. Cherdchai said he was enraged and grabbed the machete, only with the intent to threaten him.

I believe that version without much doubt.

machete man surely just wanted to scare this non fare paying farang. but after he continued to attacked him he finally used the weapon he had in in his hand. in the short video you can also see how machete man is still walking backwards and probably surprised by the farangs reaction to attack him.

[nontabury]

I just got a Taxi from Ekkamai to Moo Baan Nakkila. As is the case 99% of the time, the driver was courteous, drove well and was polite. I gave him 200 baht instead of the 115 on the meter because of his behavior. Funny thing was - he had 2 little CCTV cameras in his taxi which I thought was a bit of a turnaround.

I have had 1 problem with a taxi in my 15 years here. He was driving like a psychopath and was clearly on drugs. I just told him "here please" and got out at Sathorn, not where I wanted to go. I would be amazed if that guy didn't have an accident that day.

Most tourist spots around the world end up causing friction between the locals and the tourists. The people with tourist facing jobs all over the world have to put up with a lot of crap and often the local youths like to use this as an excuse to start fights with tourists. I've seen it in many places. Whichever tourist destination you are in the world, you have to be aware that you will be resented by a small percentage of the local population. You have to be aware that this resentment will see people using the flimsiest excuse to lash out at you. You also have to be aware that tourist destinations attract a lot of scumbags that go there specifically to rip off tourists. In our temporary home, that includes the local constabulary who pay to get transferred to places like Pattaya.

Also on a cultural bent. Americans are very forward. As an Englishman, it would be rare for me to just speak to some stranger in public but I've had loads of Americans just spark up a conversation with me. I think it's pretty cool. Americans are also very vocal when they complain - they don't pull any punches. We've all heard of the "Angry American" - but it's just a cultural thing, there is nothing inherently wrong with it. In England we would look down on it but then we'd also sit complaining amongst ourselves about a shitty meal and when the waitress came round asking how it was we'd all chorus "fine thanks".

Anyway - suffice to say that the combination of being very vocal in complaining & some scumbag with a huge chip on his shoulder and a Samurai sword in the car is a very unfortunate one.

My own Thai wife worries about me, that I'll say something to a Thai one day that will have the knives out. My Thai wife will not take a taxi at night either. My secretary won't. In fact, I only know a couple of Thai women that will take a taxi at night on their own, the majority won't.

It's not all Thais that are on the verge of cracking as is made out by some on here. I know plenty of Thai people that are just as worried about someone pulling a knife/gun because of a perceived slight as we are. I know plenty of Thai people that won't get into taxis at night. I know plenty of Thai people that really worry about road rage here. It's not that all Thais are nuts, just that there are some people out there who overreact to the slightest perceived slight.

I got hit by a motorbike on Tuesday. I was crossing Ratchada just past the Rama 9 junction - a row of cars had stopped to let me go. The last one was a white van. As we came past the van, a bike came round and we saw each other too late and it hit me and my son. We both went flying. The bike stopped and so did the bike that witnessed it from behind. 4 Thai people were stood there. I went to see if the bike rider was ok after checking my son and he was ok but he'd scuffed his bike. He asked for some money for it and then the other Thais (4 pedestrians and a biker) started talking to him saying how it was his fault and how he shouldn't ask for money. This went on for 5 minutes and I said to my son "just ask him how much he wants" as I'd heard "300 Baht" mentioned and I'd put blame at 50/50. The Thai woman close to me told me off immediately and said "no, you should not have to pay". I stepped back bemused and left them all to it. After another 5 minutes it was sorted, we didn't have to pay. I shook hands with the rider than hit us, we said sorry to each other and it was smiles all round. At no point did anyone get angry, at no point did anyone try to blame the westerner.

I often take bike rides on the klongs of Bang Kapi, Min Buri and Lat Krabang where everyone stops and smiles and generally treat me like a celebrity - the thing is Thai people are generally nice in my experience. I just do not expect any niceties when it's 1am and I'm getting a taxi in Sukhumvit 11 purely because I'm not dealing with your typical Thai but someone who is potentially there to rip me off or someone with a big chip on their shoulder.

Let me understand this. You were attempting to cross Rachadaphisek near Rama IX and stopping traffic to do so?! Are aware that you could have used the nearby MRT station at Phra Ram 9 to make that crossing if you were north of Rama IX? If you were on the south side of Rama IX, there is a pedestrian crosswalk. Rachadaphisek has median barriers in place along a good deal of its length to prevent pedestrians and motorbikes from attempting to go across at inadvisable places (aka attempted suicide).

Unless I've misread your post, you were jaywalking, obstructing traffic on a very important road and risking injury or death ... not to mention aggravating a few motorists.

Yes, I crossed the road at a pedestrian crossing. I do understand that this is a high risk activity here but it is where everyone else crosses the road!

Do you not think by giving a near 100% tip to a taxi driver for delivering you safely to your destination, and then being prepared to pay

half of the amount demanded by a Thai who hit you and Your Son on a pedestrian crossing is perhaps encouraging some Thai's to think they can get away with anything when a Farang is involved. Yes do not get confrontational with a Thai, better to walk away,but I think you take it to far.

My Thai wife has just finished watching this on TV channel 3. She says that before she knew me, she as a Thai would have put the blame for this incident on the Farang, but now being married to a farang, and noticing how Some Thai's treat farangs, and how the Thai media reports such incidents, that the probability is that the Thai taxi drivers was almost 100% to blame.

[soi41]

I'm concerned this murderer is going to become a kind of folk hero among a segment of Thai people.

Certainly, many feel that westerners complain too much, are suspicious of being scammed even when they're not being scammed, and don't behave in the Thai way, whatever that is.

The coffee throwing, which is hard to believe, will no doubt be believed by many, whether there is any evidence other than the murderer's low value word. Just having coffee on his clothes if he does is meaningless, he can throw coffee on himself.

Bangkok taxi drivers have a political association with the red shirt movement, that is well known.

Many are of course armed for personal protection/business enforcement reasons but during red shirt flare ups, they can become part of a potential army.

I am concerned this news story and following trial are going to stir up some ugly anti-western xenophobia. Never far from the surface already of course.

My gut feeling is this is not just another murder case, but one that is going to represent much more to many people, Thai and western.

It really shouldn't, objectively it's just another murder case, but I think it WILL.

I am afraid you are right.

Talked about this case yesterday with some Thai friends, 2 working in banks, 1 running a small business. Typical Thai middle class. And they all shocked me by saying, the farang got what he deserved, for not respecting the "Thai way"

When I looked like a questionmark, they explained, the only "face" for the taxidriver, was his role as a taxidriver. And with that questioned, he had nothing left to loose. My friends didn't even think, that his reaction was OTT.

If that is the general attitude of Thais, we all have a very steep learningcurve ahead of us !

[NanLaew]

I'm concerned this murderer is going to become a kind of folk hero among a segment of Thai people.

Certainly, many feel that westerners complain too much, are suspicious of being scammed even when they're not being scammed, and don't behave in the Thai way, whatever that is.

The coffee throwing, which is hard to believe, will no doubt be believed by many, whether there is any evidence other than the murderer's low value word. Just having coffee on his clothes if he does is meaningless, he can throw coffee on himself.

Bangkok taxi drivers have a political association with the red shirt movement, that is well known.

Many are of course armed for personal protection/business enforcement reasons but during red shirt flare ups, they can become part of a potential army.

I am concerned this news story and following trial are going to stir up some ugly anti-western xenophobia. Never far from the surface already of course.

My gut feeling is this is not just another murder case, but one that is going to represent much more to many people, Thai and western.

It really shouldn't, objectively it's just another murder case, but I think it WILL.

I consider that it will stir up loads more anti-Thai hysteria than any anti-western xenophobia.

This based on 16 pages (and counting) on this thread alone.

[Jingthing]

I'm concerned this murderer is going to become a kind of folk hero among a segment of Thai people.

Certainly, many feel that westerners complain too much, are suspicious of being scammed even when they're not being scammed, and don't behave in the Thai way, whatever that is.

The coffee throwing, which is hard to believe, will no doubt be believed by many, whether there is any evidence other than the murderer's low value word. Just having coffee on his clothes if he does is meaningless, he can throw coffee on himself.

Bangkok taxi drivers have a political association with the red shirt movement, that is well known.

Many are of course armed for personal protection/business enforcement reasons but during red shirt flare ups, they can become part of a potential army.

I am concerned this news story and following trial are going to stir up some ugly anti-western xenophobia. Never far from the surface already of course.

My gut feeling is this is not just another murder case, but one that is going to represent much more to many people, Thai and western.

It really shouldn't, objectively it's just another murder case, but I think it WILL.

I consider that it will stir up loads more anti-Thai hysteria than any anti-western xenophobia.

This based on 16 pages (and counting) on this thread alone.

Westerners are a tiny minority in Thailand and this is an expat board. I think this news story has resonance with many Thai people and not in a good way for how westerners are viewed by Thais in Thailand. All westerners in Thailand could be "anti-Thai" in spades (which of course they are not) and the impact on Thai lives would be nothing.

Edited July 8, 2013 by Jingthing