Good and Legal weapon for Defending Oneself in Thailand?

[JDGRUEN]

I continue to marvel at the pseudo confident know it all types - 'just use the correct body language, avoid trouble, run away', etc. And other naive - even down right silly advice... Yes - many people live lives in Thailand and have never had a real problem... but many people have lived in Thailand and never had a car accident - until WHAM! - and in the hospital...

Getting robbed and / or mugged or just outright attacked in a road rage incident or other as I have describe here in this thread earlier -- is a statistical probability but of unknown likelihood of happening. Perhaps there are some crime statistics for personal assaults in Thailand - but I have no idea where it would be.

However - all the advisories of 'use correct body language - what ever that means from one person to the next, or avoid going to certain places, or don't look for trouble' do have some credence - but will in no way assure that one will not be attacked... There is no strong correlation - maybe none... I am not sure such actions would even reduce the chances of getting attacked ...

Thugs are thugs - their minds do not operate like nice people... thugs anywhere not just in Thailand... Some are just outright mean people who get off hurting people, others rob you like is was no more than chewing gum ...

[JDGRUEN]

I continue to marvel at the pseudo confident know it all types - 'just use the correct body language, avoid trouble, run away', etc. And other naive - even down right silly advice... Yes - many people live lives in Thailand and have never had a real problem... but many people have lived in Thailand and never had a car accident - until WHAM! - and in the hospital...

Getting robbed and / or mugged or just outright attacked in a road rage incident or other as I have describe here in this thread earlier -- is a statistical probability but of unknown likelihood of happening. Perhaps there are some crime statistics for personal assaults in Thailand - but I have no idea where it would be.

However - all the advisories of 'use correct body language - what ever that means from one person to the next, or avoid going to certain places, or don't look for trouble' do have some credence - but will in no way assure that one will not be attacked... There is no strong correlation - maybe none... I am not sure such actions would even reduce the chances of getting attacked ...

Thugs are thugs - their minds do not operate like nice people... thugs anywhere not just in Thailand... Some are just outright mean people who get off hurting people, others rob you like is was no more than chewing gum ...

[bkkgooner]

I have lived here for seven years and not once in that time have I been close to having any sort of physical altercation with a Thai.

How about just using some common sense and your two legs to run away if the shit hits the fan?

Well, I knew it wouldn't take long for this kind of reply, but 1st post?

Thanks for stating the VERY obvious! Of course avoiding the situation is best.

I guess I should have made it REALLY clear that the question is about what to use when we are in a situation where we are being physically threatened or assaulted without the opportunity to run. Geez do I really have to say that when its SO obvious?

Why would you feel the need to walk around with a weapon to defend yourself? You think if 5 Thai blokes surround you that your pepper spray or your knife is going to save you? They will grab that shit off you and beat you up even worse. Only people who have been previously assaulted or suffer from minor mental illness walk around public areas with a weapon on their person.

Honestly you would be better off learning some self defence training, become good at sprinting and learn how to project an air of confidence that should be enough to keep you safe.

We're not living in a movie.

[SoiBiker]

I don't think anyone is denying that bad people exist - although personally I feel Thailand is a much safer place than many of you seem to think - they're just pointing out that a weapon it's unlikely to be much use in the real, non action movie world.

[BSJ]

Weird thread! I did jump pages 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7. Maybe that's where the good advice was.

[mesquite]

As I said before, carrying a weapon is for grunts.

I have lived in Thailand for years and feel no need to be a grunt (carry a weapon)

If I felt in danger here I would do one of two things:

1. Leave.

2. Hire a bodyguard.

Look at the men who have a legitimate reason to fear for their safety, due to their positions or wealth: The President of the United States, executives like Bill Gates and Tim Cook and of course the late Steve Jobs. Did Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George Bush carry guns? How about Obama, Gates, Cook? Of course not. They hired men with guns to protect them.

The average Joe here in Thailand just isn't going to get into trouble unless he's looking for it.

Sure, attacks on people happen. Just like airplane crashes. But I'm not going to quit flying. And I'm not going to carry a parachute onboard an aircraft either.

Edited September 22, 2014 by mesquite

[thailiketoo]

As I said before, carrying a weapon is for grunts.

I have lived in Thailand for years and feel no need to be a grunt (carry a weapon)

If I felt in danger here I would do one of two things:

1. Leave.

2. Hire a bodyguard.

Look at the men who have a legitimate reason to fear for their safety, due to their positions or wealth: The President of the United States, executives like Bill Gates and Tim Cook and of course the late Steve Jobs. Did Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George Bush carry guns? How about Obama, Gates, Cook? Of course not. They hired men with guns to protect them.

The average Joe here in Thailand just isn't going to get into trouble unless he's looking for it.

Sure, attacks on people happen. Just like airplane crashes. But I'm not going to quit flying. And I'm not going to carry a parachute onboard an aircraft either.

Just saying.....

[mogandave]

The fact that people raise or even consider the question suggests there's a problem, not to do with personal safety but more to do with personal confidence and attitude. Living in Detroit in the 1970's and NY in the 1980's, I never carried a weapon nor felt the need to; in London during the 1990's the same applied - why then would I even consider the question whilst living in Chiang Mai.

From a discussion in another thread,

The British foreign office seems to believe a British citizen is 17x more likely to be murdered in Thailand, than that same British citizen visiting any other country in the world. (gleaned from the info 10% of all British murdered overseas, are murdered in Thailand, whereas Thailand only accounts for 0.6% of British overseas travel)

I think this logic is flawed on any number of levels.

[2befrank]

The fact that people raise or even consider the question suggests there's a problem, not to do with personal safety but more to do with personal confidence and attitude. Living in Detroit in the 1970's and NY in the 1980's, I never carried a weapon nor felt the need to; in London during the 1990's the same applied - why then would I even consider the question whilst living in Chiang Mai.

From a discussion in another thread,

The British foreign office seems to believe a British citizen is 17x more likely to be murdered in Thailand, than that same British citizen visiting any other country in the world. (gleaned from the info 10% of all British murdered overseas, are murdered in Thailand, whereas Thailand only accounts for 0.6% of British overseas travel)

But that would be significant only if their overseas travel was uniformly distributed across the world.

If, for example, the other 99.4 % traveled only to Sweden, or equally safe countries, you would expect those kind of results. In other words, maybe the vast majority travel only to countries where they are safe.

I recall years ago some Brits were murdered in Florida and the British press referred to the US as a "barbaric society."

So maybe the Brits are a bit sensitive about their own being murdered outside Britain.

I confess I have spent only a little time there. No guns? Don't they just "glass" each other?

Brits travel very widely not just to Sweden and Thailand..... Get out of your f****g shell.

[Scottythai]

Hmm where is it you go that you feel you must go armed? I go out all over and other that waking up with self inflicted headaches I have never had an issue /shrug. It's sad what happened on Tao but it is not only in Thailand. Does that mean when you go to the US you would be armed at all times?

[mesquite]

The fact that people raise or even consider the question suggests there's a problem, not to do with personal safety but more to do with personal confidence and attitude. Living in Detroit in the 1970's and NY in the 1980's, I never carried a weapon nor felt the need to; in London during the 1990's the same applied - why then would I even consider the question whilst living in Chiang Mai.

From a discussion in another thread,

The British foreign office seems to believe a British citizen is 17x more likely to be murdered in Thailand, than that same British citizen visiting any other country in the world. (gleaned from the info 10% of all British murdered overseas, are murdered in Thailand, whereas Thailand only accounts for 0.6% of British overseas travel)

But that would be significant only if their overseas travel was uniformly distributed across the world.

If, for example, the other 99.4 % traveled only to Sweden, or equally safe countries, you would expect those kind of results. In other words, maybe the vast majority travel only to countries where they are safe.

I recall years ago some Brits were murdered in Florida and the British press referred to the US as a "barbaric society."

So maybe the Brits are a bit sensitive about their own being murdered outside Britain.

I confess I have spent only a little time there. No guns? Don't they just "glass" each other?

Brits travel very widely not just to Sweden and Thailand..... Get out of your f****g shell.

Read my post.

[mesquite]

Well, well. Here's a recent post of a farang getting beaten up in Pattaya by a gang of Thais. Links to a FB video.

Would this guy have been better off carrying some type of weapon? They probably would have taken it away from him and used it on him.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762628-farang-getting-beaten-in-pty/?p=8423688

He could have avoided this by not being drunk on walking street and not doing whatever he did.

Edited September 22, 2014 by mesquite

[longstebe]

Well, well. Here's a recent post of a farang getting beaten up in Pattaya by a gang of Thais. Links to a FB video.

Would this guy have been better off carrying some type of weapon? They probably would have taken it away from him and used it on him.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762628-farang-getting-beaten-in-pty/?p=8423688

He could have avoided this by not being drunk on walking street and not doing whatever he did.

Did anyone find out what the white guy did?

Horrible little <deleted> in that video.

[khunjamesjohnson]

I will guess some Thai tried to rip him off and he protested.