Thai tourists warned against robbery in Switzerland

[Genericnic]

Interestingly, I did not see anything described in the original post that would qualify as robbery. Robbery is taking property unlawfully by force or threat of force. What was described or implied in the article is more like opportunistic theft, same as you would have in any place where people fail to secure their things.

David

[cooked]

Maybe the Thais don't like paying 'Farang price'. The locals get reductions on travel facilities and sometimes museums, if you live there you can pay 10% less than visitors.

Anyway I lived there for 40 years and I personally heard about four thefts: two break ins, Gypsies. One break in at a customer's house, Serb. And my wallet got nicked as I left it in the car near an open window. Generally didn't lock the doors of my house or car... things are going down hill over the last ten years or so, no more passport controls at the frontier and you aren't allowed to be racist.

[cedel]

Scarpolo, on 16 May 2014 - 03:30, said:

cedel, on 16 May 2014 - 03:27, said:

By the way, I've been robbed in Pattaya already in 2004 or 2005 by a ladyboys gang with 1 hidden Under the bed in a dark room, then 2x lately by a thai girl in Dec 2013 when I was sleeping (and drunk) ...but it's no excuse to go into my Pocket, steal my iPhone or go into my wallet and take my money....

lucky you werent raped

a guy in Chiang Mai, "claimed" he was attacked after answering the door,

I didnt believe him,

were you awake for any of these?

Awake ? in 2004(or 2005) yes ! I just stayed maybe 5-10 min talking in the room, but left my things with wallet unattended on the floor for a few minutes (somebdy was under the bed and I thought to be alone with a LB) although I finally decided not to do anything with a LB ! and left quickly but in 2013 I was asleep...

[daveAustin]

First thoughts on reading title were, 'yeah, go get some of that moody W2II gold back off them Swiss folk'. How wrong was I!

[frimu]

Unfortunately this is true. There are Eastern European gangs specialising in this.

And there are tons of Thai tourists in Switzerland. I realised this, when I was there last year with my girlfriend. At every touristy place we heard people speak Thai several times a day.

Most was in Zermatt, which Thais seem to love. Don't forget, that there are many rich Thais!

I'm Swiss, by the way, so you can trust my opinion a bit more.

And to the cuckoo guy. That type originates from South Germany!

[Deli]

They probably feel robbed when seeing prices in Switzerland

[cooked]

First thoughts on reading title were, 'yeah, go get some of that moody W2II gold back off them Swiss folk'. How wrong was I!

Oh not another one! The Swiss accepted a lot more Jews than the Americans.... blah, blah, blah... any more misinformed preconceptions?

[sabaii69]

$10 for a cup of coffee? Slice of toast for hotel 'breakfast'? They have been robbing people for years

[Pops]

At least, i think, that the average Thai tourists going to Switzerland, can afford being robbed.

[aripengu]

What a joke!

[Lupatria]

The pot and the cattle comes to mind

[sabaii69]

Maybe the Thais don't like paying 'Farang price'. The locals get reductions on travel facilities and sometimes museums, if you live there you can pay 10% less than visitors.

Anyway I lived there for 40 years and I personally heard about four thefts: two break ins, Gypsies. One break in at a customer's house, Serb. And my wallet got nicked as I left it in the car near an open window. Generally didn't lock the doors of my house or car... things are going down hill over the last ten years or so, no more passport controls at the frontier and you aren't allowed to be racist.

Just received an email 'Groupon' offer for the Illusions show in Pattaya. It clearly notes that you must be a Thai to receive the 50% off. Makes you want to tighten your belt and stop encouraging this society of people who thrive on farang money. Is it not enough that foreigners come here and take up payments on the women with children you abandon? I actually had a girl at a 7 11 ask for a TIP in her jar after a B30 purchase!

[JoeThePoster]

Gotta get this posted everywhere in Switzerland.

[Mentors]

With so many Migrants and fake asyl searchers in my home country i have unfortunately agree with this report. The population in my home country Switzerland has doubled in just a few decades.

In the last 20 years most are from Balkan, Turkey, Middle East and Africa and now Germany.

Switzerland has the highest rate at foreigners around in whole Europe.

I guess in about 20 years the Swiss will be the minority in their own country.

Edited May 16, 2014 by Mentors

[geriatrickid]

I dont believe this for a second.

I do. Switzerland has a hard core group of pickpockets and petty thieves, OSAC has a nice summary. It looks like the Thais copied the US State department report.

Pickpockets, while not usually violent, continue to operate in the downtown areas of Geneva and on trains, and non-violent residential break-ins still occur. The State Department rates non-residential street crime for Geneva as “Medium.” Petty crime such as pickpockets or the stealing of unattended bags is a concern. Hotels have reported patrons’ bags being stolen at the check in desk, and the trams and buses are regular areas for pickpockets. According to 2011 crime statistics for Geneva, there was also a dramatic increase in overall numbers of reported burglaries and pickpockets. The number of reported burglaries increased from 6,799 in 2010 to 8,008. Reported pick-pocketing or theft without violence increased from 698 in 2010 to 895 in 2011. The number of thefts from vehicles was reportedly 4,687 for 2011.

Visitors to Geneva are reminded that they should remain particularly alert for pickpockets, confidence scams, and other attempts to obtain a wallet or purse in public areas, including Lake Geneva's promenade; the vicinity of the "Jardin Anglais"/Mont Blanc Bridge; large shopping areas (such as Rue de Rive); Plainpalais area (open market); the Cornavin Train Station; Geneva's International Airport, including the train station at the airport; Les Paquis area; public transportation (trams, trains, buses); while checking into or out of hotels; and in restaurants

[SOTIRIOS]

.......forever the innocent victims.......

[arjunadawn]

I dont believe this for a second.

I do, Scarpolo. I think I had your gut reaction at first- not a chance. But then I recalled the Swiss are having issues with immigration- crime, and rape. The overwhelming majority of crime in Europe is not committed by ethnic Europeans, not any longer. Most prisons in large cities majority is not ethnic EU.

[Scarpolo]

I dont believe this for a second.

I do. Switzerland has a hard core group of pickpockets and petty thieves, OSAC has a nice summary. It looks like the Thais copied the US State department report.

Pickpockets, while not usually violent, continue to operate in the downtown areas of Geneva and on trains, and non-violent residential break-ins still occur. The State Department rates non-residential street crime for Geneva as “Medium.” Petty crime such as pickpockets or the stealing of unattended bags is a concern. Hotels have reported patrons’ bags being stolen at the check in desk, and the trams and buses are regular areas for pickpockets. According to 2011 crime statistics for Geneva, there was also a dramatic increase in overall numbers of reported burglaries and pickpockets. The number of reported burglaries increased from 6,799 in 2010 to 8,008. Reported pick-pocketing or theft without violence increased from 698 in 2010 to 895 in 2011. The number of thefts from vehicles was reportedly 4,687 for 2011.

Visitors to Geneva are reminded that they should remain particularly alert for pickpockets, confidence scams, and other attempts to obtain a wallet or purse in public areas, including Lake Geneva's promenade; the vicinity of the "Jardin Anglais"/Mont Blanc Bridge; large shopping areas (such as Rue de Rive); Plainpalais area (open market); the Cornavin Train Station; Geneva's International Airport, including the train station at the airport; Les Paquis area; public transportation (trams, trains, buses); while checking into or out of hotels; and in restaurants

I guarantee there are more pick pockets and shysters on the streets of Bangkok near the BTS and Asoke to name a few. then you will ever encounter at the train stations in Switzerland.

There, unlike Thailand, the police actully do their job, for EVERYONE, not just Swiss, and their cameras are always rolling

Maybe the Thai's have never walked on a clean street before without trash everywhere, so, maybe they look up a lot instead of down to make sure they dont walk into an open sewer, or a live electrical wire?

No Thai can ever be robbed in Switzerland for the amount that legitimate over charging in Thailand of foreigners can over come,

they even charge u 20% more in their whore houses, and still stick their hand out for a tip

Edited May 16, 2014 by Scarpolo

[Swiss1960]

my... my... Switzerland the hub of pick-pocket crime... I guess the problem of the Thai tourists is that they are only alert to pick-pocketing from Ladyboys but not from girls and "farang"....

on a serious note... yes, of course the problem with theft and other crimes increased in Switzerland over the years and yes, a lot of that crime comes with immigraion / asylum seekers, the statistics of the police clearly show this... but this is the same in every other city all over Europe. Just take this into account:

- as Swiss, we have statistics that show every petty theft, while in other countries, police will not even care about petty theft..

- tourist cities around the world attract organized pick-pocket gangs, be this Pattaya, BKK, SF, YN, Zurich, Interlaken, Berlin, ....

- cities with lot of asylum seekers have higher crime rates, specially drug dealing, pick-pocket, non-violent house break-in

So Thai tourist be warned... if you come to Switzerland, spend all your money very fast on the first day and leave Switzerland immediately when you are broke... it's the only way NOT to get robbed...

[smedly]

someone please confirm the OP was written by an Adult

Better to stay in Thailand were crime levels and deaths/murders scams are some of the lowest in the world

[misterphil]

I wonder if the Thais in Switzerland rent jet skis and have their gold snatched off their necks.

Taste of your own medicine so get over it.

[maxruthrichard]

We are Swiss. Unfortunately the above article is true. It all started with the Schengen agreement. The article below (copy/paste it) explains the whole problem. Max und Ruth Richard

http://www.nation.com.pk/columns/19-Feb-2014/welcome-back-fortress-switzerland (copy/paste)

[laurentbkk]

I wonder if switzerland also warned their citizens for tha Thai robbery , scams etc ....

[Scarpolo]

of course we do,

we also know how to spell them,

just dont ask us where they are, because, some will tell you one borders france and the other denmark, but dont ask us where denmark is

but, would you be surprised to learn, Den-mark means the mark of Dan, as in the Tribe of Dan?

[cooked]

$10 for a cup of coffee? Slice of toast for hotel 'breakfast'? They have been robbing people for years

BS. I never paid more than 3.50 in my life. But then again I avoid Starbucks and the like like the plague. If you paid more or got a poor breakfast then that's your fault.

[freezacrowd]

^{Only Thai tourists ?}

[dracula]

Seems there is a crime wave going on there. I know we were victims in Portugal. Purse stolen by a Romanian. Couldn't prove it as he passed it off and I couldn't stay with both, but stayed with one and the police knew him very well. Eventually caught the other (as he was well known), but no purse. Wasn't anything in it anyway! The police told us they were having major problems with immigrants. And were extremely polite to us.

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Whos_to_blame_for_the_Swiss_crime_wave.html?cid=35594462

http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2012/07/switzerland-preferred-destination-for.html

http://safety.worldnomads.com/Switzerland/75198/Scams-and-Crime-in-Switzerland#axzz31pcOy9w7

Happens in Italy also a lot , mostly by Romanians.

I know of one Thai guy that was locked in by 2 girls and a third girl approached him from the front and opened his bag which he was holding in front of him.

He thought they where making a joke until the girls ran of with his wallet.

He and the many bystanders couldn't believe the shameless robbery in plain sight.

They are not Romanians. They are gypsies with Romanian passport

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Banzai99]

Is there a warning about Peru ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROotTqXMk6E

[Scarpolo]

$10 for a cup of coffee? Slice of toast for hotel 'breakfast'? They have been robbing people for years

BS. I never paid more than 3.50 in my life. But then again I avoid Starbucks and the like like the plague. If you paid more or got a poor breakfast then that's your fault.

Zurich,

the only place with a bar with american musicians, empty that had the balls to demand I pay them 25% more for my grotesquely over priced drinks, to pay their musicians

they got me once,

I will never go back

[kurnell]

This story has more holes than Swiss cheese