Don't stop for a fight and try to help

[Suradit69]

I once saw a Thai man beat a Thai girl and it was in a busy place.

Then suddenly a foreigner appears, running and when he passed the Thai man he knocked him out cold, then disappeared as quickly as he appeared.

One foreigner who knew what to do (and able) in such a situation.

If you must, don't hang around. Disappear as quickly as possible.

Golly, was he wearing a cape and faster than a speeding bullet? Is it just me or are the threads and individual comments on TV getting more and more puerile?

I wonder if the OP's example sample size is slightly skewed.....

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

When one conjures up "examples" from one's own imagination, you'll never achieve a normal distribution in the statistical sense ... or any other sense for that matter. No outliers either.

Edited November 5, 2013 by Suradit69

[Nemesis7]

In Thailand always remember one simple thing " Losing face factor".....!!!

[Fullstop]

I once saw a Thai man beat a Thai girl and it was in a busy place.

Then suddenly a foreigner appears, running and when he passed the Thai man he knocked him out cold, then disappeared as quickly as he appeared.

One foreigner who knew what to do (and able) in such a situation.

If you must, don't hang around. Disappear as quickly as possible.

Was he wearing a skintight red costume with little lighting bolts on the ankles?

[silent]

I once saw a Thai man beat a Thai girl and it was in a busy place.

Then suddenly a foreigner appears, running and when he passed the Thai man he knocked him out cold, then disappeared as quickly as he appeared.

One foreigner who knew what to do (and able) in such a situation.

If you must, don't hang around. Disappear as quickly as possible.

So what you're saying is that the best defence is to not be there when something happens. Must be a retired cop.

[Fullstop]

^ Errr ... he's not saying that at all. Ya gotta "be there" to knock someone out.

... and "knowing what to do", I'm guessing ... is to get the Hell out before 15 of the Thai guys friends kick the crap out of you.

Edited November 5, 2013 by Fullstop

[Tchooptip]

[Fullstop]

^ wait a minute! He didn't "knock him out"! He bitch slapped him and the pimp "fell over"!

[Chicog]

Here in the sandpit I once twatted a taxi driver who'd slapped a young lady.

When in front of the police chief, he told me to be careful and sent me on my way, leaving previously smug looking hapless taxi driver waiting for a bollocking.

[fittobethaied]

My next door neighbor in Hwai Kwang is a dating a Thai cop. He beats her almost every night (or whenever he comes over). In the morning, I go downstairs to get breakfast and she is covered in bruises. Not sure what can be done. When I first heard her crying at night, I ran out into the hallway to do "something". My GF pulled me back into our apartment and said that since he is a cop, nothing can be done.

Any suggestions?

The police have been called before and the BF just flashes his badge and the police leave without doing anything.

I live in Udon Thani and on the main road to my home there is a sign posted by a government office advertising a Crisis Hotline for such incidents. Perhaps your GF could find the local number or address for such a Crisis Center and drop an anonymous note under the girls door. I wouldn't leave a trace of being involved since the copper may come looking for you, but at least your conscience will be clear.

[Docno]

The other part of the equation is how are you going to feel if you just walk by ... the old bit about looking at yourself in the mirror next morning. I suspect most of these situations are very ambiguous... is it a girlfriend, an ex-girlfriend, a stranger, etc etc? That makes it even more unpredictable re how both people would react to your intervention. But I'm not sure I could keep walking.

What I find interesting is that most (not all) the people here see the only options as intervening with physical violence or walking the other way. Fortunately, I haven't found myself in this situation in Thailand, but I have in Canada, Singapore and India. I'm not a big guy, but I was able to defuse the situations with firm but calm exhortation. Maybe I just got lucky. But it's also possible that this broke the guy's focus, re-engaged his frontal lobe, and gave him a reason to close off without losing face (I was not threatening them nor did I come in with fists flying).

That said, I'm not sure how all this would work if there was a language barrier. My Thai is pretty basic. As I said, I'm glad I haven't faced this in Thailand... hope I never do.

[djlest]

Have to agree based on personal experience - sometimes a heated argument between lovers needs to happen, whether in public or not, its just the way the cookie crumbles.
I think if i was bottled by my crazy estranged lover of 10 years, then some rescuer flies in and grabs her - i would probably do exactly the same. Purely to save the missus and get her away before the police intervene.
Maybe i have lived here too long... but sometimes meddling in other peoples affairs isn't the right thing to do...especially in Thailand as the Thai's also believe that.
Ofcourse if you see a bully picking on the weak and being a jerk, by all means floor the tw@t

But as docno says - yes if you can go in with smiles and Jai Yen and try and diffuse a situation, by all means be the hero... It can and often does calm a situation but case by case.

Edited November 5, 2013 by djlest

[Chonburiram]

In Thailand always remember one simple thing " Losing face factor".....!!!

You have a point here.

I defused 3 violent/turning violent situations ( in the last 15 years living here ) between Thais with nothing more than my PRESENCE - just by standing and looking at the opponents scratching my faranghead and put on my " Is that the way Thaipeople behave?" face.

Not very spectacular, I know, but quite effective.

[kennypowers]

I was once in Solo bar in Samui. I was standing holding a drink while my friend went to meet someone outside. A Thai woman was sat on the wall near the entrance. A foreigner rolled up and, thinking she was alone tried to talked to her. She half smiled but mostly ignored him. Her Thai boyfriend saw this from the bar, walked back over and walloped her round the face twice. By this time a friend of his had appeared and told him to calm down.

Another time I was on the way home very early hours and saw a foreigner with his Thai GF on the back of a moped. He kept turning round and hitting her as he drove. I got as close as I could to them and beeped repeatedly shouted oi, what the beep are you doing, etc, but they sped off as I turned off the ghost road and headed toward Bangrak.

First instinct is always to stop what's going on. However, in places like Samui you have to be careful that you don't intervene and make the Thai guy lose face, Also, as someone else mentioned, your intervention will mean another beating for her when they get home.

[cocopops]

The other part of the equation is how are you going to feel if you just walk by ... the old bit about looking at yourself in the mirror next morning. I suspect most of these situations are very ambiguous... is it a girlfriend, an ex-girlfriend, a stranger, etc etc? That makes it even more unpredictable re how both people would react to your intervention. But I'm not sure I could keep walking.

What I find interesting is that most (not all) the people here see the only options as intervening with physical violence or walking the other way. Fortunately, I haven't found myself in this situation in Thailand, but I have in Canada, Singapore and India. I'm not a big guy, but I was able to defuse the situations with firm but calm exhortation. Maybe I just got lucky. But it's also possible that this broke the guy's focus, re-engaged his frontal lobe, and gave him a reason to close off without losing face (I was not threatening them nor did I come in with fists flying).

That said, I'm not sure how all this would work if there was a language barrier. My Thai is pretty basic. As I said, I'm glad I haven't faced this in Thailand... hope I never do.

Perhaps it would work even better. Confuse the fellow by asking if he knows where your hotel is in colloquial English or something.

[MyFriend You]

Two black eyes IMO is worth the price, I could never ever stand by and film a woman being hit, that to me is just wrong.

Not sure what America has to do with the story.

Wouldn't stop unless I had a Weapon, or Two, Mace or Pepper spray, still carry a short version of a Louisville Slugger in my car - two black eye's?? look better on the other guy

[jacko45k]

If you're walking past monkeys in a forest fighting do you intervene?

Some truth to this as well. If you're not Thai its far harder to decipher the situation. In your own country would you get involved in what looks like a fight between a hooker and her pimp ? There is absolute truth in the fact that often both the participants will find common ground in turning on the interloper. Nothing unique to LOS about that. For me there are times when I would walk on by, and I've done that.

On the other hand I've intervened, perhaps unwisely, when the victim was a dog (canine) being beaten,( not in LOS I hasten to add) simply because I didn't feel I could walk on by.

So let me get this straight.

If a Thai man and woman are fighting, they are either monkeys, or a prostitute and her pimp.

And you think more of a dog.

[kurnell]

If you're walking past monkeys in a forest fighting do you intervene?

Some truth to this as well. If you're not Thai its far harder to decipher the situation. In your own country would you get involved in what looks like a fight between a hooker and her pimp ? There is absolute truth in the fact that often both the participants will find common ground in turning on the interloper. Nothing unique to LOS about that. For me there are times when I would walk on by, and I've done that.

On the other hand I've intervened, perhaps unwisely, when the victim was a dog (canine) being beaten,( not in LOS I hasten to add) simply because I didn't feel I could walk on by.

So let me get this straight.

If a Thai man and woman are fighting, they are either monkeys, or a prostitute and her pimp.

And you think more of a dog.

No, if a Thai man is beating the stuffing out of a Thai woman on the street they are both clearly high classed individuals, hence one should stay away as hi-so Thais don't like to mingle with farangs, as they are so far above everyone.

[prvtdetdave]

I do not condone the beating of a women,

but have come to understand why in some cases

it has happend.

As far as males fighting, such as in a post of little man vs big man.

It has been my observation it is the smaller twit that starts the fight.

We call it ":Napoleon Complex".

[ChrisB87]

If there were no Thais around to help instead, i would seriously consider helping.

However, it could be worse than a couple of black eyes, even if you are Thai.

My friend lives in the next room to a man who beats his girlfriend. She keep coming back to him and the apartment won't throw him/them out because his dad has some money and pays for a whole year at a time.

My friend always wanted to help. He couldn't stand listening to it, but his GF told him not to. One night a Thai man goes to the door to try to help out and ask him to stop beating her.

Later that night, the police arrives at the 'good Samaritan's door' and arrests him for allegedly touching the girl's breast.

Don't know what happened after that.

Would not like to get in that situation.

Edited November 6, 2013 by ChrisB87

[captspectre]

My wife threw a complete bonkers wobbly in the road a few years back, I grabbed her to stop her doing anything silly.

Two Thai guys came to assist her as she was clearly being attacked by a foreigner (me).

She picked up a rock and chased them down the road, waving the rock wildly in the air, you should have seen them run.

sounds like you have a personal problem. like being beat up by Thai females do you? different strokes for different folks!

[slipperylobster]

Two black eyes IMO is worth the price, I could never ever stand by and film a woman being hit, that to me is just wrong.

Not sure what America has to do with the story.

Oh come on...America is always at fault...according to ThaiVisa. Must have had something to do when we built all those nightclubs in Pattaya during Vietnam. Yeah...thats it.

[HardenedSoul]

My wife threw a complete bonkers wobbly in the road a few years back, I grabbed her to stop her doing anything silly.

Two Thai guys came to assist her as she was clearly being attacked by a foreigner (me).

She picked up a rock and chased them down the road, waving the rock wildly in the air, you should have seen them run.

sounds like you have a personal problem. like being beat up by Thai females do you? different strokes for different folks!

Oh grow up

[flyingdoc]

I think this post originated about whether to stop at an accident or not in LOS? I asked Thai friends about his, and they were all unanimous that as a 'farang' one should just drive on and never under any circumstances get involved. From most of the responses here, I guess that except in the most pressing of circumstances, much the same would apply to inter-Thai domestics?