Postmen Thieving The Contents

[eric1000]

Compensation for stolen mail

It was recently reported that mail was tampered with and money stolen from registered delivery envelopes. I have a tale to tell in this regard.

I was sent a registered letter containing US$350 (13,748 baht) in January. The letter arrived at the Patong Post Office, but I received no notice that it had arrived.

I actually went and checked the registered mail log book once, just days before it arrived. But because I received no notification of its arrival, it was eventually returned to the USA marked “uncollected”. Needless to say, the cash was missing.

This is not the first time my mail has gone missing, but it is the first registered letter and the most valuable.

As it is now known that an officer was caught on video stealing mail during this period, were the people whose mail was tampered with notified so that they could start legal proceedings or make some form of claim?

Thursday, March 4, 2004 Sefton Hanley, Patong.

“Unlike in some other countries, the postal system in Thailand is not required to take responsibility for items that goes missing from letters or parcels – even registered ones. However, if you can supply solid evidence that the theft occurred at the Patong Post office, you will be reimbursed.

As for notifying all the victims of the mail thief, this is difficult because it is impossible to know how many letters he tampered with before getting caught.

Mail sent to Patong from abroad first arrives at the Central Post Office in Bangkok. It then goes via Chumphon and the main post office in Phuket City before arriving in Patong.

With so many steps, it’s almost impossible to determine exactly where a theft may have occurred or who was responsible – even with the new video surveillance system. The theft may have occurred in your own country.

If you want to pursue this case, please bring the letter in question to our office on Prabaramee Rd and we will investigate.

Once again, we must ask everyone to refrain from sending cash or other negotiables through the post. ”

Thursday, March 4, 2004 Wirat Bunpetchkaew, Chief, Patong Post Office.

[utapaortnab]

I've been living in, working in, or just vacationing in Thailand since 1971. During that time I have had all kinds of mail that did not get to it's destination, mostly when posted to Pattaya Beach and Chiayaphum.

From 1971-1995, I oft times sent letters or birthday and holiday cards to friends in Pattaya many times with small amounts $100 or less included and only occasionally would the mail NOT make it to it's destination but since 1995, no letter, birthday card or holiday card with a return address in the United States or foreign country I've been working in or visiting has made it through to Pattaya and now the mail from the U.S. to Chaiyaphum with money enclosed is coming up empty.

I have tried everything from enclosing extra sheets of plain paper to assure that no one could see through to the money, to using aluminum foil front and back inside to again insure that no one could see inside.

When I voiced my concerns to the Post Office in Pattaya I was told the following.

Mail that comes from offshore (return addresses outside Thailand) is all expected to have money in it and therefore more apt to come up missing or not get to it's intended destination. Any odd shaped letter mail is suspected to be a birthday or holiday card that is more apt to come up missing.

I could file a complaint on any such letter I sent from offshore by filing out a complaint form not more than 30 days from the postmarked date of the letter or card at the Pattaya Post Office.

Since for the most part, we only make one trip to Thailand each year, it would for the most part be impossible for us to make a trip to the Pattaya Post Office within 30 days of mailing money there.

AND whenever we have sent mail with money enclosed, all mail from our address to that particular person in Pattaya now fails to get to it's destination.

That only leads me to believe that once mail addressed to a person in Pattaya is found to have money inside, the perp steals all mail addressed to that person from offshore addys expecting that all mail will have money inside.

Somehow all postcards get through....... go figure

Ken Bower

San Antonio Texas USA

[bmanly]

Last year an ex pat Englishman never recieved his parcel of crossword books from England. I personally awaited a letter from Australia, it had no money in it and it still never got to me, both cases in PATTAYA. Never send anything of value in the mail unless you are happy to loose it.

[Nam Kao]

Outgoing too getting robbed, my wifes sister sent us (US) a box with kids clothes

and photos, gone, missing.

[..::LegalAlien::..]

A while back I got a birthday card sent through wishing me all the usual good health and wealth, and a side note telling me to have a drink with the cash enclosed... Needless to say there wasn't any!

I wonder how many others here have had stuff go "missing" in the post?

[chokrai]

When i was still living in Canada i used to send my wife 20 or 30 dollars in the mail about once a week,never had any of it go missing. Never know in the land of smiles and lies.

[Yohan]

Thailand is still a non-smile country...sometimes something is arriving.....the rest is gone...and you do not really know, where it disappears...

This is different from the Philippines.....I sent a letter using the envelope of our company, indicating inside is a contract form..... was sent back to me in Tokyo, arrived 3 months later, usd 10,- were gone, broken letter was fixed with colorful red, green and yellow tapes, and somebody wrote by hand on the envelope:

Thank you, Sir, Merry Christmas to you!

It is the same anywhere, not only in Asia......The best to send a small amount of money in a safe way is a postal remittance. -

Johann

[crazymonk]

Question: Would the reliability be increased if the Parcel was sent Fed-Ex or UPS? Or perhaps USPS Global priority?

Does anybody have any experiance with this?

[britmaveric]

When mailing to/from Thailand - always use Fedex/UPS. TF always uses UPS, and I have no problems. Pretty silly, but she even does this for Crissie/Bday Cards, however if you want to receive it-only safe way.

Never send any money via mail. (might as well give a donation to Thai Postal System) If going to send money- do so by Bank Transfer or Western Union.

[Felt 35]

“Knock at the table.” Never had problems with parcels from USA or Europe (get parcels almost monthly) shipped by UPS from USA.

If private mail/parcels from Europe I always make sure that the sender use stickers with clearly printed name and address. Have the feeling that to more official the mail looks to greater change for get it thorough!

I use only the main post office in Phuket.

Where I come from the post system have special envelopes for sending money domestic, its also insured. Tried once to send to Thailand and the mail and money reach the receiver.