my new neighbors started a cock fighting ring in their garden.

[louse1953]

Someone who raises fighting cocks shows (unless he is forced to do it) that he has no empathy for animals, and that he is a cold-hearted person who will do almost anything for cash. I know a guy personally who raises fighting cocks and as nice and smiling he appears if he knows he has to, as short-fused he is when under pressure... Rest assured that those people will do whatever necessary to get "troublemakers" like you out of the way. They also will know where the complaint was coming from as the RTP (with very few exceptions) is nothing but a rotten pile of corrupt bastards who as well do whatever is needed to make some extra cash. They will snitch on you and your wife. My advise to you is to move away if you simply have rented the place. If you own it... poor you might try to sell, but chances are bleak I guess...

I breed fighting cocks as do the neighbours. I assure you that, at least around here, these animals are well looked after and a fight is not won when one is dead but when one Thai withdraws his fighter it is because he is afraid of further damage. These beasts live to fight, I have had one fight his way through chicken wire to get at the neighbours cock. That's what they do, they fight.

As for being woken up at 5am... you are supposed to go to bed when it gets dark, if you decide to stay up later, try to live with the consequences.

we're not all chickens,you know.

[CapeThai]

Ever heard of those Big Bang fire crackers ? Shoot a few of those everyday as a " farang thing " when their busy with their rooster fights to disorientate the roosters and they will soon move their activities ells where

Or simply some ells which is extremely annoying and interfere with the roosters performance you can do when they start these fights.

Guess you have not lived here long. If you have, guessing most of that time has not been outside the usual expat areas. Do something like you suggest up my way and you will find yourself floating down the Mekong river.

Yeah, good point.... Rather pack away the BB gun. But then my friend you seem to be slightly screwed as laying a complaint not going to do you any good is it.

[CapeThai]

Just thinking aloud here, so please don't shoot me down!

You might consider throwing a big party to celebrate some local event/activity/charity and send formal and respectful invites in Thai to some people in police/local gov/local area and to local press as well?

Supply plenty of food and drink, keep in the background and let well-briefed Thai relatives and friends do the talking. You might find out some useful info and make new 'friends'. You may even find that your situation is not as hopeless as you think, and that your neighbours are not as strong as you fear.

Cholmony has a point, it's completely innocent and you did not complain about their activities

[DLock]

I stay at my Wifes, Brother farm once a year.

Those damn cocks start crowing at 3am, then the dogs howling all night, the power pole speakers at 6am, the Kubutas at 6.30am, the TV at 7am, the family cooking at 7.30am.

One day a year. That's all I can take or I will kill something or someone. Although we go to bed at 9.30pm, I just can't sleep, and when I do, all hell breaks lose.

Thai's certainly have a greater tolerance than we foreigners do. They can sleep through anything and when you ask them about neighbors noise, they just shrug the shoulders.

I feel for your situation friend.

I'd probably move if I had the ability. I need good sleep or bad shit happens.

[dassyurus]

Play Nana Mouskouri music at 5 am... All the cocks will go limp, fall off their perches and suffer fatal trauma!

Trust me.. NO male can perform to that sound!!

[ggt]

Phew...there for a moment...I thought a bunch of lady-boys had moved in next door...

[dassyurus]

OR?? maybe buy 10 dead ckickens from neighboring province, dump them in your bak yard, ring local health department and say"What is bird flu looking like??""

Even better.get wife to make the call and say Farang over road has dying chickens!!!

[Bigfarang1948]

Your wife is wise.

They may not have mafia connections but I guarantee these will not be the nicest and most considerate people you will ever meet.

Even if you do something anonymously, they know a Thai wouldn't do it, so you would need to watch your back afterwards.

Wound a Thai with a black heart and there will be no forgiving or forgetting.

Something will happen and you won't even see it coming.

You are stuck in a no win situation. If you do ANYTHING, it will come back to trouble you. They will know it was the farang who complained and the outcome will undoubtedly be bad for you. I am not sure a lawyer would be able to make an amenable arrangement with your neighbors.

[Bigfarang1948]

Just thinking aloud here, so please don't shoot me down!

You might consider throwing a big party to celebrate some local event/activity/charity and send formal and respectful invites in Thai to some people in police/local gov/local area and to local press as well?

Supply plenty of food and drink, keep in the background and let well-briefed Thai relatives and friends do the talking. You might find out some useful info and make new 'friends'. You may even find that your situation is not as hopeless as you think, and that your neighbours are not as strong as you fear.

Cholmony has a point, it's completely innocent and you did not complain about their activities

Cholmony has a vivid imagination which would be better served writing one act plays for kabuki actors, maybe.

[Bigfarang1948]

You need to find an intermediary who will speak with them and negotiate how much money you need to pay them to have them move the birds. The price will be high because they know the value and they moved in to collect it. They are waiting and you should act fast before your guest house reputation for no sleep gets further established.

No way are they going to be bought out and move the birds elsewhere; better you move and save yourself untold years of heartache and misery

[Tokay]

Man, I feel for ya.

This is why you don't buy a house unless you buy a LOT of land around it so situations like this do not bother you.

[Bakeman]

^Options

^Move

^Complain

^{Join them}

^{Raise cats}

^{Raise roosters}

^{Raise fox/dogs}

^{Thai style UP TO YOUUUUUU}

[hmficc]

Why do you ask farang for advice when you live with a Thai? She pretends to feel bad about the racket so you do not lose face but, she has no plan to deal with it. She knows the rules. Move.

[ozyjon]

Need i say more, every time someone thinks of buying a

house or condo,, show them a copy of your post. I'ts not

a funny thing because in many towns and villages i have

been to the idiotic noise that is produced is just rediculous

from dogs barking all day, monks chanting through loud

speakers, neighbors kids playing music from a milliom

watt speaker system at 5 am,, i know it all, i plan my

travels in Thailand based on the quiet factor.

My advice,,,,,,,MOVE

[AlanAunuum]

First off all they are not hens they are cocks,and keeping any more than 3 of them in a residential area is illegal and it is illegal to hold cock fights in Thailand more so betting on the out come, i would try rat poison,and then chicken food soaked in arsenic ,which can actualy be obtained legally over the counter at many pharmacies.If that does not work then an air pressured ball bearing gun or a point 22 air rifle would do. Show them you mean business or sneak into their yard and let the buggers free.Once they know you are not going to do anything it will get worse.SORT it now or you will regret it.

Edited January 15, 2015 by AlanAunuum

[temlosluis]

Buy some kind of radio controlled helicopter and drop from that in night poisoned seeds around of their garden.

[Tokay]

Thought I would toss my 2 cents in here after rethinking my last post, because it doesn't just happen to houses. One of our properties is a remodeled and very modern townhome that sits in a row of 6. All are Thai style on the inside except ours. All the neighbors are very nice Thais, a few from Bangkok who turned them into rentals. Right around the time we finished the rehab work, our neighbor rented their unit (right next door to ours) out to a couple who runs a business making fish head soup. They make the soup in their garage and the entire area now smells like dead fish 24/7. They put garbage bags full of fish waste out front and the dogs rip it to shreds tossing fish parts all over, increasing the smell. Flies, maggots, worms... you name it. Right next door. The smell is beyond horrible and it doesn't go away. The neighbor said he will not renew their contract when it is over (in a few months), but renting out our unit has been impossible, where normally it should have rented very quickly.

[Dante99]

You need to find an intermediary who will speak with them and negotiate how much money you need to pay them to have them move the birds. The price will be high because they know the value and they moved in to collect it. They are waiting and you should act fast before your guest house reputation for no sleep gets further established.

No way are they going to be bought out and move the birds elsewhere; better you move and save yourself untold years of heartache and misery

Yeh right, pack up and move a GUESTHOUSE.

And how do you happen to know they will not be bought out?

[steven100]

The only practical solution is move ...

You know that if you speak to the landlord or the BIB and the neighbors find out it could get seriously unpleasant for you.

If possible, just move.

[mike324]

name and shame, watch if any local police officer or politician or village head joins the fights, have your wife if she is thai secretly film it and send it to Chanel 3 news.

[Paagai]

Sorry, I don't have any advice. Another story that falls under the category of, 'I can't believe my neighbours would do this' but since most of us live here nothing surprises us anymore.

So true, my neighbor has opened a gay paradise resort in the house next door; serving 5 men per day with full 'service' This is an exclusive gated community..........so what? TIT

Full service in an exclusive place in paradise, sounds great. Where is it? Do you need an appointment?

[Johpa]

I find it hard to believe that the city would tolerate a cock-fighting operation within the city limits for any length of time. There must be another story in play, perhaps someone wants your property and this is the gambit to force you to sell cheap. You need to find someone to be your phuu yai, your representative to the police, to effect change.

[thaiguzzi]

Cock Fighting is against the law here in Thailand So go to the local station and file a complaint. See if you can PURSUED the local cops so they keep you out of it

Baring that KFC is looking for a few fryers

Yes it is illegal. The cops run and/or protect most cock fighting events, everywhere. Sensible to keep one's head down in a situation like this, some serious, serious money involved.

[jacko45k]

The police! There are new anti-cruelty laws. You might contact the Soi Dog Foundation for proper direction.

These laws were recently used against a man who attacked a cat...he paid a fine and had to apologize

Good luck!

How much was the fine?

And did THE CAT accept the apology?!

19-year-old Sitthichai (last name was withheld) paid THB1,000 fine!

The cat did not accept the apology, it said...mai-ow!

[Paagai]

OP, just out of curiosity, is one of your new neighbours a seriously fat Thai guy in his forties who likes to walk around topless? Our neighbourhood recently saw the departure of this guy who used to breed fighting cocks.

[Cheesekraft]

In BKK I suffered years with the next house rooster (only one in a coop) that was voicing like every 20 seconds all day all night except (for some unknown reason) from 8 to 9 PM. I tried to throw cooked rice laced with rat poison over the fence into the coop but that didn't work.

A fancy condo was eventually built on the other side of the street and once completed the moneyed tenants must have been annoyed too and had probably some influence because the coop was gone in a short time thereafter.

In Pattaya I have the same situation. Here it's 3 roosters and assorted chickens that the neighbor is raising in his yard. I did think of poisoned seeds that I could throw at the beasts. I also thought of aiming a very noisy boom box at the rear of that neighbor's house but that would have annoyed other people in the vicinity. Now I just use a Songkran water gun from my rear balcony to shoo them away as far as can be (it's a big garden). I finally have learned to live (and sleep) with the noise by using earplugs.

Live-in TGF has repeatedly told me that she is not bothered because it was like that at home in Isaan.

OK. That's me. In your case I'd consider moving out. Me, I couldn't because my two rented studios are otherwise super nice and convenient for me.

you have the logic of a serial killer; some living thing annoys you: kill it. Bet your a nice guy

[Cholmondley]

Just thinking aloud here, so please don't shoot me down!

You might consider throwing a big party to celebrate some local event/activity/charity and send formal and respectful invites in Thai to some people in police/local gov/local area and to local press as well?

Supply plenty of food and drink, keep in the background and let well-briefed Thai relatives and friends do the talking. You might find out some useful info and make new 'friends'. You may even find that your situation is not as hopeless as you think, and that your neighbours are not as strong as you fear.

Cholmony has a point, it's completely innocent and you did not complain about their activities

Cholmony has a vivid imagination which would be better served writing one act plays for kabuki actors, maybe.

With the OP unable to relocate, then his options are very limited. A bit of out-of-the box thinking or 'imagination' may be useful, rather than just being negative and cynical. Three others 'like' my idea.

Just trying to help the guy with a suggestion, sorry you found it so ridiculous.

Cholmondley

[CapeThai]

Just thinking aloud here, so please don't shoot me down!

You might consider throwing a big party to celebrate some local event/activity/charity and send formal and respectful invites in Thai to some people in police/local gov/local area and to local press as well?

Supply plenty of food and drink, keep in the background and let well-briefed Thai relatives and friends do the talking. You might find out some useful info and make new 'friends'. You may even find that your situation is not as hopeless as you think, and that your neighbours are not as strong as you fear.

Cholmony has a point, it's completely innocent and you did not complain about their activities

Cholmony has a vivid imagination which would be better served writing one act plays for kabuki actors, maybe.

With the OP unable to relocate, then his options are very limited. A bit of out-of-the box thinking or 'imagination' may be useful, rather than just being negative and cynical. Three others 'like' my idea.

Just trying to help the guy with a suggestion, sorry you found it so ridiculous.

Cholmondley

I agree with Cholmondley, best to be creative than to sit with your head up your ass...

[BillyBobThai]

[puukao]

This is my #1 thing, being disrupted in your own home. A lot of it is luck. I know cheap places that are super quiet, and super rich places that are very loud. college towns are usually good for real estate, but can drive you crazy. Nothing is more maddening than people who have no respect for your peace and quiet. Nothing. Of course I understand the occasional craziness for an hour or so, no worries. The worst is the guy that needs to warm-up his motorbike for 30 minutes at 4 a.m. right outside your window (happens to a friend of mine). However, to solve this problem in my head when i travel, spend very little money (or not too much) and have very little expectations.......i have found that to work for me. But with a wife/family, that changes things....i think, in a foreign country you really have no rights to fight back, regardless of what the law says. maybe try to rent it out and move for 3-6 months and hope when you come back it's fixed.

Edited January 16, 2015 by puukao