Many years ago, I saw an interview (read) in Post or Nation, I forget which, with a very senior Thai policeman who was one of the teams Thailand would send abroad to participate in LE conferences. He said violence in Thailand takes a different path than that of Western countries. He said in the West, a physical dispute follows a 3 step acceleration - fight opponent - gain upper hand and defeat - then walk away. Only rarely does a fist fight end up in death. But in Thailand, he said, it's quite often a 2 step conflict. Start fight - fight to kill opponent. Not just fight to win. Always remembered that. Maybe it's why Thais typically go out of their way to avoid any misunderstanding. When they lose their rag, and it becomes physical, it can get very dangerous indeed.
