glasswort Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Hate to say this, but Thailand's image was destroyed years ago! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Time Traveller Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 that's a pity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rijb Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 "Some believe that the coup, by disrupting traditional avenues for corruption, has forced aberrant police officers to look for new targets." http://time.com/3674200/thailand-tourism-police-corruption-shakedown-extortion/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outsider Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Aaawww ... poor babies don't like the truth getting out about the real "Thainess" ... with the explosion in recent years of social media and people publicly (in reviews, blogs, forums, facebook etc) being able to vent their frustrations, the Thai's are somewhat lacking when it comes to accepting and actually dealing with the criticism and complaints and the fact that they are far from perfect and perhaps they actually need to fix things properly instead of just saying they will do something. One day they'll realize that "foreigners" aren't stupid (on the whole) and "we" don't (generally) just take it up the < profanity removed > and say nothing about it. And the effects of this are being seen here more and more, day by day. Yes, people will "always" come here, but those numbers are dropping off a lot, and those that do come here and encounter these many scams, problems and issues WILL say something about it, won't come back, and neither will their friends, families or anyone else who reads about the numerous negative things about Thailand. The day they realize this however is a long, long way away. In the first place, I don't think Thais even know of the criticisms and complaints in the social media sphere. Most of them contributed to the social media 'explosion' but that's because they discovered those cute Line stickers, mobile versions of Facebook and Candy Crush... hehehe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ve37 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Damn foreigners. If they didn't complain then we wouldn't have these problems. Don't they understand Thainess? It's our country and you must accept that this is the way it is here. Curse you foreigners. I take offense with such cynicism. Many foreigners, going to Karaoke bars thinking the girls time they are using is free, or worth a B10 tip. If a troupe of Malaysian Muslims raked up B150,000 in charges,...who says they didn't,...the customers? For those who haven't been to Chiang Mai,...these karaoke girls are not Soi Cowboy bar girls,...but usually middle class university students who see their time worth more than a few hundred baht. Instead of condemning the karaoke bars without trial,...perhaps the TAT could suggest that karaoke customers sign a price list when they enter. As for Thainess,...if I didn't live in North Thailand, I wouldn't know what that was. In the past 18 months, I visited South Thailand 5 times,...each time a little more disgusting than the last. I'm not a sociologist, nor know why Thainess is waning,...but I have seen, too numerous to count, Thai people exasperated with (predominately Russian) tourists in the South. In the North, the problem is more with obnoxious Chinese visitors. I'm not saying that New Age Gadgets, like "smart phones," have not become a huge problem in distracting what was once Thai considerateness,...but their are many problems,...and not very likely that the Thainess of pre-Russian tourism and pre-cell phones will ever make a come back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outsider Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Quite a piece of BS, this article. As some of the posters here have pointed out, the list of scams is a looooong one and the problem goes back much further than 'since Friday'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rijb Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Damn foreigners. If they didn't complain then we wouldn't have these problems. Don't they understand Thainess? It's our country and you must accept that this is the way it is here. Curse you foreigners. I take offense with such cynicism. Many foreigners, going to Karaoke bars thinking the girls time they are using is free, or worth a B10 tip. If a troupe of Malaysian Muslims raked up B150,000 in charges,...who says they didn't,...the customers? For those who haven't been to Chiang Mai,...these karaoke girls are not Soi Cowboy bar girls,...but usually middle class university students who see their time worth more than a few hundred baht. Instead of condemning the karaoke bars without trial,...perhaps the TAT could suggest that karaoke customers sign a price list when they enter. As for Thainess,...if I didn't live in North Thailand, I wouldn't know what that was. In the past 18 months, I visited South Thailand 5 times,...each time a little more disgusting than the last. I'm not a sociologist, nor know why Thainess is waning,...but I have seen, too numerous to count, Thai people exasperated with (predominately Russian) tourists in the South. In the North, the problem is more with obnoxious Chinese visitors. I'm not saying that New Age Gadgets, like "smart phones," have not become a huge problem in distracting what was once Thai considerateness,...but their are many problems,...and not very likely that the Thainess of pre-Russian tourism and pre-cell phones will ever make a come back. “It's now very common to hear people say, 'I'm rather offended by that.' As if that gives them certain rights. It's actually nothing more... than a whine. 'I find that offensive.' It has no meaning; it has no purpose; it has no reason to be respected as a phrase. 'I am offended by that.' Well, so <deleted> what."― Stephen Fry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wabothai Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 For all you Thais reading this: It has been said many times, but I like to remind you one more time of the tourism disaster Spain had to deal with in the 60's. It happened for all the same reasons we experience in Thailand. UP TO YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iJustWanttoKnow Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Let's not be so quick to judge the Thais. How about the Thai Visa 'scam' of forcing us to stare at their ads for 20 seconds before we have back control of our devices? What hypocrisy! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bander Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 "The ministry has been trying to protect tourists from scam artists," Kobkarn said." Trying to help means they are into the scam as well, when I see some karaoke scam artists arrested and not get a slap on the wrist and 500 bath fine I believe they actually want to help tourist In the mean time we will keep on reading about the scams all over Thailand as usual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis7 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Nothing has ever happened to these people in the past and nothing will happen in the future too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trainman34014 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 In a morally bankrupt country such as this don't expect anything to change soon. They just 'don't get it' and will continue in the same ways until the last tourist leaves for good. Then, of course, it will be everyone else's fault but theirs. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertthebruce Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Thailand's Image ??? we all know what there Image is all about...., are they deluded or something... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiSoLowSoNoSo Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Thailand's Image ??? we all know what there Image is all about...., are they deluded or something... Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshine51 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 The whole country has become a scam IMO. Rip offs everywhere, guards beating farangs due to a "misunderstanding" http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793319-pattaya-guard-beats-foreign-tourist-unconscious-out-of-misunderstanding/?utm_source=newsletter-20150120-1435&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news Shakedowns along Sukhumvit, crap..the list goes on & depresses me. Thainess in it's ugliest form...I hope the PM is happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nalo56 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 The solution is simple to get rid of the problem of Farang complaining while visiting Thailand, stop receiving any Farang into the country or have a rule that only positive remarks are accepted by the all authorities. Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smedly Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 The average Thai doesn't have the education to understand that without tourism they would have nothing Take Pattaya as an example, the transport system is probably used by Thais as much as falangs if not more but what they don't realise is that most of the people working and moving around wouldn't be there if it wasn't for tourism - they just don't get it It would be great if tourism just stopped and expats vanished for a month to show just how dependent they are on these strangers they seem so hell bent on ripping off and beating up when the slightest opportunity presents itself, pattaya would turn into a ghost town overnight - hotels empty - bars closed - MB taxi drivers with absolutely nothing to do - no buses running - roads devoid of traffic - shopping centers and supermarkets empty, and ultimately a lot of people would instantly have no money, they estimate that tourism (which is an export) accounts for about 10% of GDP I think by the time you factor in all the dependencies and money that circulates off record is factored in it is probably closer to 25-30% 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkramer Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 The average Thai doesn't have the education to understand that without tourism they would have nothing Take Pattaya as an example, the transport system is probably used by Thais as much as falangs if not more but what they don't realise is that most of the people working and moving around wouldn't be there if it wasn't for tourism - they just don't get it It would be great if tourism just stopped and expats vanished for a month to show just how dependent they are on these strangers they seem so hell bent on ripping off and beating up when the slightest opportunity presents itself, pattaya would turn into a ghost town overnight - hotels empty - bars closed - MB taxi drivers with absolutely nothing to do - no buses running - roads devoid of traffic - shopping centers and supermarkets empty, and ultimately a lot of people would instantly have no money, they estimate that tourism (which is an export) accounts for about 10% of GDP I think by the time you factor in all the dependencies and money that circulates off record is factored in it is probably closer to 25-30% It has nothing to do with education, and everything to do with capacity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbbbooboo Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I suggest this is not correct. There seems to be abundant evidence that the thais are destroying their own image Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harada Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 (edited) Thai scams and ripoffs the best thing that ever happened to the Vietnamese tourist industry, best they wake up before it's too late. Edited January 20, 2015 by harada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cricketer Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 B 10,000 an hour for Karaoke must have been great session !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vogele123 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Did anyone notice how this article conveniently omits any mention of the police shakedowns along Sukhumvit where other scam artists (yes I do mean the RTP) have been causing Thailand's tourism to take a hit. Wonder why this was not highlighted in the article? Is it because Thailand has no solution for cops gone crazy? Man are you living in a bubble? All the tourists are staying away because of the plans to build a coal fired power station in some shit hole that no tourists go to in the first place! Obviously Thailand is trying to attract too many "Green Lefty Global Warming Concerned Tree Huggers" these days, rather than the beach and sun people and the party nightlife animals! Stop building coal power stations and build wind farms, millions will flock to your shores! It has nothing to do with the fact you might get murdered, raped ripped off, scammed, robbed, treated like dirt, harassed, insulted (and that is just by the officials here, not the public)- it is probably coal fired power stations. Good on that Japanese guy, at least he had the balls to point out a few home truths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Beetlejuice Posted January 20, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted January 20, 2015 Have to admit that if I were still living in my home country I too have doubts that I would visit Thailand again. Firstly the country is under martial law that can make tourists travel insurance null and void, Then we had the several koh tao murders and deaths, the King Power duty free shops scams, the jet ski scams, the Downtown Inn and other mystery hotel deaths in Chiang Mai, the taxi mafia, the Chiang Mai karaoke extortions including the blinded Dane, the beaten up Dutchman and the Malaysian tourists rip off, and of course last but not least the high percentage of annual murders of farangs and unsolved causes of deaths here. Most of these events have been well documented abroad, so the word has got round. Pattaya rapidly being caught up by Phuket have become a hub for crime and undesirables, Chiang Mai and the north with it`s sharp decline in adult entertainments and nightlife due to all the clampdowns has also seen a decrease in tourists over the years. Today I believe there are other travel and holiday destinations that give better deals and probably safer. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alwyn Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 (edited) They're building a coal fired power plant in the south? That'll be it then, that's why those pesky tourists are going somewhere else. 15 years and I didn't know about it, how will tourists? Do they do a google search for "tourist places that have plans to build a coal fired power plant"? Whether or not it's environmentally friendly etc is another debate but do tourists care? I can see why they would care about martial law and if their memories are good enough, the murder of the two kids on Koh Tao, police shake-downs, autocrasy governments and so on but.. plans for a power plant... Edited January 20, 2015 by Alwyn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beetlejuice Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 They're building a coal fired power plant in the south? That'll be it then, that's why those pesky tourists are going somewhere else. 15 years and I didn't know about it, how will tourists? Do they do a google search for "tourist places that have plans to build a coal fired power plant"? Whether or not it's environmentally friendly etc is another debate but do tourists care? I can see why they would care about martial law and if their memories are good enough, the murder of the two kids on Koh Tao, police shake-downs, autocrasy governments and so on but.. plans for a power plant... I have been here 31 years and neither have I, my wife or anyone else we know heard about this proposed coal fired power plant in the south nor are we the least bit interested. One of my neighbors has built a large shed where he and his family peal and process garlic, sometimes the smell can become pungent. Perhaps he is to blame for the decline in Thailand`s tourism? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EyesWideOpen Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Have to admit that if I were still living in my home country I too have doubts that I would visit Thailand again. Firstly the country is under martial law that can make tourists travel insurance null and void, Then we had the several koh tao murders and deaths, the King Power duty free shops scams, the jet ski scams, the Downtown Inn and other mystery hotel deaths in Chiang Mai, the taxi mafia, the Chiang Mai karaoke extortions including the blinded Dane, the beaten up Dutchman and the Malaysian tourists rip off, and of course last but not least the high percentage of annual murders of farangs and unsolved causes of deaths here. Most of these events have been well documented abroad, so the word has got round. Pattaya rapidly being caught up by Phuket have become a hub for crime and undesirables, Chiang Mai and the north with it`s sharp decline in adult entertainments and nightlife due to all the clampdowns has also seen a decrease in tourists over the years. Today I believe there are other travel and holiday destinations that give better deals and probably safer. My god, this is the first post by Beetlejuice that I have ever agreed with... :-) Yes there are some serious issues at play here that need to be addressed, or Thailand's tourist image will be forever tarnished. With normal Thai " leadership", most of their efforts are to be sure to protect their rice bowl, and damn the country. However with Prayut in charge, this could be a golden moment in time for him exert some real power to stamp out some of these scams. As the Japanese man with the rant about the airport proved, in the current days of social media, it is not possible to sweep / ignore problems anymore. Failure to do so, in my eyes, means the very people who are tasked with protecting the public are in fact helping the criminals. The famous jet ski scam in Pattaya is a clear cut case of this.The police are in that up to their necks. Otherwise the chief of police would have a meeting with the jet ski scammers, and tell them to knock it off or face serious jail time.....Problem solved in one day. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Deerhunter Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 At least a dozen regular scam artists near my workplace in Bangkok every day of the week. Same faces for years. All right under the nose of the local police station and nothing has ever been done about it . . . and likely never will. These scammers near the Police station. Do they wear any form of uniform? What type of scams are they up to? More information would be helpful to some of us by way of a warning of what to watch for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicog Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said yesterday that she acknowledged all the problems and promised to deal with the issues. A good way to start would be to resign, because she is about as useful as a foreskin in a Jewish nudist camp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EyesWideOpen Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said yesterday that she acknowledged all the problems and promised to deal with the issues. A good way to start would be to resign, because she is about as useful as a foreskin in a Jewish nudist camp. Yes , and prosecuted under dereliction of duty in her failure to stop any of the scams...... And how in the hell did tourism get thrown in with sports ?? Maybe that is the issue, lack of focus... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friendly Stranger Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 It needed the Japanese to make light for the fire to be lit? Nice. The coal plant, sure, if the environmentalists want to use that angle. There's a scroll of scams to choose from, take your pick? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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