Young Dane robbed at knifepoint by Tuk-Tuk scammers

[belg]

ghost troll writing ?

as somebody say, bts starts at 6 am

and policeman giving 200 baht, in yar dreams

and the story of telling the neighboor and he gets robbed too ?

5555

[techboy]

According to the article, he asked to be taken to the nearest BTS station around 3 am. But the BTS doesn't start running until 6 am. Odd?

To state the obvious: Not odd if he is a tourist or does not normally use the BTS.

[Lupatria]

"They all pretty much laughed at me, when I told them what had just happened. Surprisingly enough one of them gave me 200 baht, so I could get a taxi home, “ he said."

And that's the Royal Thai Police Force for you. What a bunch of lazy scumbags.

The TAT is working hard now changing the term "land of smiles" to "land of laughter"

[alex8912]

I don't believe the whole story. He had no obvious marks or scars even though a couple knives were mentioned? He was just kicked a couple times? He got up and wandered down the soi and policemen were hanging out? HUH? His neighbor has the same thing happen?. He had a cell phone I bet 99. % chance a smart phone and was in a strange place and didn't use the map feature to get to Sukumvit? No 25 year old nowadays is that stupid. You can google the time of the BTS IN 2 seconds as well. Drunk or sober very easy. I think a lot of racist people on TVF think a Danish boy is always telling the truth because we all know if he was Russian or Indian or several other nationalities this thread would read very differently. 3 am is also a very busy time in that area and not dangerous as many of you who have not been to the area EVER or since 1982 might realize. Many people around and not that hard to find your way around.

[techboy]

In my experience with the police they have been very helpful to of almost no assistance. In any case I do not believe that they would take it as humorous. Police scam? No historical precedence for something like this that I am aware of- But it is a swift assumption that can be used by dull minds that wish to convince themselves and others that they are astute.

[GuyL]

thats like someone saying heres 10 cents so you can call someone who cares, would be awesome to be there when karma catches up with those police

When karma catches up with the police, it makes a good song...

[elie8282]

This is a fabricated story. I don't believe any word of it.

I have been going to Thailand for the last 30 years, staying at Sukhumvit Road in different hotels. I used to walk at 2 - 3 o'clock in the morning without any problems. I just came back last week, and everything was as pleasant as usual. A foreigner (farang) should know his surroundings and always be ready to react defensively. A drunk farang who cannot walk a straight line is opening himself to risk anyway. He got what he deserves. Thugs are all over the world, including Europe, USA, Australia, so don't blame the Thais, they are still by far the nicest people on earth.

[Borzandy]

Lucky man, only robbed

[ArtHay]

In a decade or so some Thai will write a book titled "How we Destroyed a Thriving Multi-Billion Tourist Industry in a Few Short Years".

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[dude123]

Personally it could happen, but I find it hard to beleive the Thai Police thought it was funny. They probably just didn't understand what he was saying. I've seen many brave Thai police risking their lives on those TV shows over here pulling guns and knives off people threatening others. Over here they would probably shoot the criminals, but the Thai Police were brave enough to avoid hurting anyone and still disarmed them.

[kiwisr]

Scammers? Sounds more like straight out robbery to me.

In any case does sound fishy. i walk extensively around Bangkok late at night, in fact I was there on Saturday and walked back from Soi Cowboy to the Hilton on Soi 24. The place was crawling with army and police personnel on both sides of the road with multiple checkpoints. Can't say I even notice any tuktuk's either - the roads were dead as Asoke is obviously blocked.

And you can see Asoke from Soi 25 - why get a Tuktuk?

Also in my multiple dealings with police I have found them to be more than helpful. Amazing how all these victims have a magic number of 10,000 or 20,000B that is stolen.

Edited March 4, 2014 by kiwisr

[Runamile]

Don't laugh - only time I've ever had trouble in Bangkok was from a young Danish guy. Don't know whether you can generalise much from one situation, but it left me wondering how good they are with alcohol.

Anyway, a lot about the story smells, though not, necessarily, orientation by landmark. Nonetheless, I'm forced to ask, day, after day, what on earth has happened to Thailand? It's come to something when Cambodian people, often, seem way, way more polite and backstreet Phnom Penh safer than Sukhumvit.

[kieran2698]

Sometimes, it just gets exhausting going over all the scams, thefts, robberies, and assaults that are becoming more and more common here. Thai society seems much rougher and desperate than when I first came here a mere five years ago. It's all sort of depressing, actually. You. Can't. Trust. Anybody. (Or Anything) Here. It's a fundamentally dishonest society at just about every level.

It's really not like that where I live in Isaan. I have had problems in Thailand but they have been in Bangkok and the Islands.

[hobz]

A group of people that commits robbery are called robbers, not scammers.

[Malthus101]

Never take a tuk-tuk anywhere, scum of the earth and twice at least what a cab would cost.

[aveabeeror2]

The day after, Morten told his American neighbour back in the condominium, where he lives, about the robbery.

“And then the exact same thing happened to him the next day. Threatened and robbed at knifepoint by a Tuk-Tuk driver and two accomplices,” he said, adding that the incidents could either be a coincidence or a worrying trend of crimes against foreigners.

So let's get this right. He tells the neighbour about this and the next day his neighbour goes out and gets a Tuk Tuk from the same area, encounters the same guys and makes the same insurance claim suffers the same fate?

Not a bright one, is he?

Learn to read Pedro.Where does he state its the same tuk tuk,same guys?????? Tv needs a garbage filter.

[dude123]

Never take a tuk-tuk anywhere, scum of the earth and twice at least what a cab would cost.

Was with my Wife in Pattaya in 2001 and we always used the Tuk Tuk. Every ride was around 20 baht. Never had a problem.

[Benmart]

Glad he is okay. I avoid tuk-tuks, motorcycle taxi and taxis in general. I feel for those that use them, either by choice or by necessity.

From personal experience, most taxi/tuk-tuk drivers are honest and non-violent. It's those that aren't that keep me away. It doesn't take many rats to spoil the grain.

[aveabeeror2]

According to the article, he asked to be taken to the nearest BTS station around 3 am. But the BTS doesn't start running until 6 am. Odd?

What is odd about someone not knowing when the BTS is running?

[aveabeeror2]

Why would he want to go to a BTS station at 3 am?

I would hazard a guess that he wanted to catch the BTS. Only a wild guess though.

[jaywalker]

What fool takes a Tuk Tuk when there are air conditioned metered taxis.

Exactly my thoughts.

I took a tuk-tuk once.......ONCE. It was also the LAST time. Noisy, obnoxious, hot as hell. He did his best to take me to every scam artist around (tailors/jewelers etc.).

Meter taxi's are the way to go......then again I'd never be out at 3:00 AM anywhere......maybe in the jungles of Panama with an M-16, but I was real young back then.

[charmonman]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Sometimes, it just gets exhausting going over all the scams, thefts, robberies, and assaults that are becoming more and more common here. Thai society seems much rougher and desperate than when I first came here a mere five years ago. It's all sort of depressing, actually. You. Can't. Trust. Anybody. (Or Anything) Here. It's a fundamentally dishonest society at just about every level.

Abject poverty and a system that is set up by the rich and powerful to make mobility upwards exceedingly difficult so as to maintain the status quo - is it surprising that Thailand is "much rougher and desperate than when" you first arrived? I do not condone or excuse the actions of these thieves but I can understand them.

If you want to see abject poverty I suggest you go to any number of neighboring or nearby countries like Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Phillippines, Indonesia etcetera. Thailand is not unusual in that respect. In fact by any objective measures, such as per capita GDP or the Gini index, Thailand is actually better than most.

Obviously, poverty is a problem that should be tackled in Thailand like many other places, and I understand very well how tough life can be for the poor in Thailand, but there's no need to exaggerate and put it on the same level as Marcos-era Phillippines or Apartheid-era South Africa.

If these tuk-tuk drivers wanted to take revenge on their oppressors maybe they should have attacked and robbed a wealthy Thai rather than some 25 year old tourist from Denmark.

[charmonman]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Don't laugh - only time I've ever had trouble in Bangkok was from a young Danish guy. Don't know whether you can generalise much from one situation, but it left me wondering how good they are with alcohol.

Anyway, a lot about the story smells, though not, necessarily, orientation by landmark. Nonetheless, I'm forced to ask, day, after day, what on earth has happened to Thailand? It's come to something when Cambodian people, often, seem way, way more polite and backstreet Phnom Penh safer than Sukhumvit.

Danes are fine with alcohol. It's the Swedes you've got to watch out for.

[scania]

Interesting that people in their home country don't do wondering around the most seedy areas in the middle of the night drunk but think it safe to do when in a less developed country. And more interesting the neighbor would put himself in the same position the next day.

I am a bit confused as to how this made the news if there was no police report. Did this guy contact the media?

On Monday, Morten Krogsholm reported the crime to the Thonglor Police Station, filing his statement so he can get some compensation from his insurance company.

???? You wonder what???

[pasak]

The whole story sounds a bit odd to me... why did he wait until Monday to report the crime?

He reported it minutes after. The slack response isn't his fault.

Some of you need to realize life doesn't follow a set script. He needed to sleep, he needed to contact the right people at the right time. His thought processes change with time, with further reflection. News reports have to be sourced and written. Human activity revolves around a day-night cycle.

When I did my insurance scam I went to the police station and made a report the very next day. The fact that he waited an extra day actually lends credibility to his story. Anyway I thought a police report had to be obtained within 24 hours of the event in order for the insurance company to pay out. This further endorses the veracity of his story.

[elzach]

From Sukhumvit soi 25 to BTS Asoke is a huge distance of 150 meters. Why would he take a tuk-tuk? Either he was so drunk he had no idea where he is, or the story is fishy.

[elzach]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Sometimes, it just gets exhausting going over all the scams, thefts, robberies, and assaults that are becoming more and more common here. Thai society seems much rougher and desperate than when I first came here a mere five years ago. It's all sort of depressing, actually. You. Can't. Trust. Anybody. (Or Anything) Here. It's a fundamentally dishonest society at just about every level.

Abject poverty and a system that is set up by the rich and powerful to make mobility upwards exceedingly difficult so as to maintain the status quo - is it surprising that Thailand is "much rougher and desperate than when" you first arrived? I do not condone or excuse the actions of these thieves but I can understand them.

If you want to see abject poverty I suggest you go to any number of neighboring or nearby countries like Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Phillippines, Indonesia etcetera. Thailand is not unusual in that respect. In fact by any objective measures, such as per capita GDP or the Gini index, Thailand is actually better than most.

Obviously, poverty is a problem that should be tackled in Thailand like many other places, and I understand very well how tough life can be for the poor in Thailand, but there's no need to exaggerate and put it on the same level as Marcos-era Phillippines or Apartheid-era South Africa.

If these tuk-tuk drivers wanted to take revenge on their oppressors maybe they should have attacked and robbed a wealthy Thai rather than some 25 year old tourist from Denmark.

Thailand is not on the same level as these other countries you mentioned, but for different reasons.

A. Police here is completely useless, at best. Even Thais avoid them like the plague.

B. Way more tourists here per capita, spending more money (ie, there's a nice "target" market here for shady locals)

Edited March 4, 2014 by elzach

[rickirs]

There is no justification for the assult and robbery. But if I had 10,000 bht and other valuables on me, and it's 3am in the morning I'd try to get a taxi.

[laobali]

It sounds like the job netted the crooks/police/spotter/tuktuk driver a net of 9800.

Or maybe the police laughed because they're surprised that the lad endangered his personal safety with such ease.

Or they didn't understand a word he said (Danish) and were smiling to be friendly and not lose face.

He would almost certainly have spoken in good English, but that would have made no difference.

[alex8912]

The whole story sounds a bit odd to me... why did he wait until Monday to report the crime?

He reported it minutes after. The slack response isn't his fault.

Some of you need to realize life doesn't follow a set script. He needed to sleep, he needed to contact the right people at the right time. His thought processes change with time, with further reflection. News reports have to be sourced and written. Human activity revolves around a day-night cycle.

When I did my insurance scam I went to the police station and made a report the very next day. The fact that he waited an extra day actually lends credibility to his story. Anyway I thought a police report had to be obtained within 24 hours of the event in order for the insurance company to pay out. This further endorses the veracity of his story.

Your thoughts are wrong and your scam is meaningless and foolish.