Rubber protests in the south

[seajae]

On the weekend we had to go down south to Patthalung on Sunday night, we came across a police road block and my wife explained we were travelling to her family home there and they said the protests were ongoing but we could get through if we followed the road. A few miles further up the road we started coming across burnt out cars and piles of trees across the road that had been partially removed to un blocked to allow cars through(there were no protesters to be seen anywhere) so we kept going but then came to a major road block across the whole road and decided to turn around when we were set upon by a group of youngish men in face masks. My wife explained she was a local and we were heading home but these guys reeked of alcohol and kept looking at her then across to me, to say it was unnerving would be an understatement. My wife was getting pretty upset/teary and they eventually told us to turn around and go back but as we started to do this one of them stopped us and demanded money, luckily as we had headed off late I only had a few hundred baht in my wallet(hadnt gone to the bank) so I made sure they could see this and gave it to them rather than try to start something. We eventually got to another police road block and they pointed us in the right direction to get there safely, they were all armed with high powered rifles and were videoing all the cars they stopped.

This is absolute bullshit, the police were too afraid to go near the roadblocks in case they were shot at but the protesters were absolurely pathetic to do this sort of thing in the first place. I love it here but when you see this sort of crap happening you really have to wonder at the mental levels of these people, it is definitely third world but the fact the police let us through in the first place and said we would be ok is a real mystery.

[h90]

does your wife speak the southern dialect? I would expect that this would do the trick, normally....what you describe sounds more like the local narcotic gang took over the night watch....

[seajae]

does your wife speak the southern dialect? I would expect that this would do the trick, normally....what you describe sounds more like the local narcotic gang took over the night watch....

she sure does, and you may be right, didnt look like rubber farmers, in fact there was nop one around at all except for these 6 guys.

[h90]

does your wife speak the southern dialect? I would expect that this would do the trick, normally....what you describe sounds more like the local narcotic gang took over the night watch....

she sure does, and you may be right, didnt look like rubber farmers, in fact there was nop one around at all except for these 6 guys.

My wife comes from NST and some relatives are rubber farmers......They are in nice and reasonable people if treated friendly. Even when drunk.....NST and sure the same counts for Patthalung has huge problems with narcotics and narcotic-motorbike-gangs....:-(

[seajae]

does your wife speak the southern dialect? I would expect that this would do the trick, normally....what you describe sounds more like the local narcotic gang took over the night watch....

she sure does, and you may be right, didnt look like rubber farmers, in fact there was nop one around at all except for these 6 guys.

My wife comes from NST and some relatives are rubber farmers......They are in nice and reasonable people if treated friendly. Even when drunk.....NST and sure the same counts for Patthalung has huge problems with narcotics and narcotic-motorbike-gangs....:-(

We spend a bit of time down that way and I have to agree with you, this is the first time we have had any problems, never come across people down south like this before.

[Gulfsailor]

I had a little road trip in the South the past two days, delivering a boat to Sadao. Start Samui, then pick up some stuff in Chumphon, and then down south to spend the night in Phatthalung with the in laws. At Ron Pibun the highway was blocked by police, although no one there to ask how and what. Found a little sign pointing detour towards Nakorn Sri tammarat. So followed the detour signs (not easy at night, and mind you carrying a boat behind the car). Zigzagging through the country side, quite far East of the highway, we entered back on the highway about 40 km more southerly, but needing to drive at least 60 km extra. Today on the way back north, signs were posted advising to drive via Trang to Tung Song. That was actually a pleasant drive, although also nearly an hour detour.

Funny though that there is no mention of the road being blocked in any news update. Even police in law family in phatthalung didn't know. Contacted friends in Cha Uan, and they knew that road was blocked, but didn't know why or by whom.

Story is that local youth gangs took over the area, and even the rubber farmers won't go near the area anymore. I say bring in the army!!

[seajae]

I had a little road trip in the South the past two days, delivering a boat to Sadao. Start Samui, then pick up some stuff in Chumphon, and then down south to spend the night in Phatthalung with the in laws. At Ron Pibun the highway was blocked by police, although no one there to ask how and what. Found a little sign pointing detour towards Nakorn Sri tammarat. So followed the detour signs (not easy at night, and mind you carrying a boat behind the car). Zigzagging through the country side, quite far East of the highway, we entered back on the highway about 40 km more southerly, but needing to drive at least 60 km extra. Today on the way back north, signs were posted advising to drive via Trang to Tung Song. That was actually a pleasant drive, although also nearly an hour detour.

Funny though that there is no mention of the road being blocked in any news update. Even police in law family in phatthalung didn't know. Contacted friends in Cha Uan, and they knew that road was blocked, but didn't know why or by whom.

Story is that local youth gangs took over the area, and even the rubber farmers won't go near the area anymore. I say bring in the army!!

sounds pretty spot on, our BIL is a police officer in Putthalang and he wasnt up to speed on it either. I think H90 is pretty good with his sumation of the offenders, we actually got caught after driving through a gap in the tree barricade only to have another one directly in front of the car blocking the whole road so that they could get at you and you are hemmed in. Police should just go in and clean them up, this is beyond a joke but you are right, the drive back through Trang was great.

[kevvy]

I had a little road trip in the South the past two days, delivering a boat to Sadao. Start Samui, then pick up some stuff in Chumphon, and then down south to spend the night in Phatthalung with the in laws. At Ron Pibun the highway was blocked by police, although no one there to ask how and what. Found a little sign pointing detour towards Nakorn Sri tammarat. So followed the detour signs (not easy at night, and mind you carrying a boat behind the car). Zigzagging through the country side, quite far East of the highway, we entered back on the highway about 40 km more southerly, but needing to drive at least 60 km extra. Today on the way back north, signs were posted advising to drive via Trang to Tung Song. That was actually a pleasant drive, although also nearly an hour detour.

Funny though that there is no mention of the road being blocked in any news update. Even police in law family in phatthalung didn't know. Contacted friends in Cha Uan, and they knew that road was blocked, but didn't know why or by whom.

Story is that local youth gangs took over the area, and even the rubber farmers won't go near the area anymore. I say bring in the army!!

off topic , but do you sell the boats or just deliver them. Just brought land 45 klm from trang

[Gulfsailor]

I had a little road trip in the South the past two days, delivering a boat to Sadao. Start Samui, then pick up some stuff in Chumphon, and then down south to spend the night in Phatthalung with the in laws. At Ron Pibun the highway was blocked by police, although no one there to ask how and what. Found a little sign pointing detour towards Nakorn Sri tammarat. So followed the detour signs (not easy at night, and mind you carrying a boat behind the car). Zigzagging through the country side, quite far East of the highway, we entered back on the highway about 40 km more southerly, but needing to drive at least 60 km extra. Today on the way back north, signs were posted advising to drive via Trang to Tung Song. That was actually a pleasant drive, although also nearly an hour detour.

Funny though that there is no mention of the road being blocked in any news update. Even police in law family in phatthalung didn't know. Contacted friends in Cha Uan, and they knew that road was blocked, but didn't know why or by whom.

Story is that local youth gangs took over the area, and even the rubber farmers won't go near the area anymore. I say bring in the army!!

off topic , but do you sell the boats or just deliver them. Just brought land 45 klm from trang

Sell and sometimes deliver myself if not too far. But they are not so big. In this instance boat had to go to Singapore. I got a good deal from transport company in Malaysia, provided I deliver it to Sadao, where it was loaded into a container.