Russian tourist attacked for 'not buying weed' in Pattaya

[Beng]

The guy looks like a druggie for shure.

[murphya33]

Really sad, the guy looks like he wouldn't hurt a flea either, looks like a right nice person, his only mistake was that he was too slow and too open to strangers on the street at 3 am. Still if you have to go around not talking to strangers seems you could do that back at home.

Too bad it has come to this in Thailand, and I may live here and continue to as long as I am tolerated, knock on coconuts, but I have, since a few years ago, recommended to friends and family back home that they go elsewhere for a holiday in Asia.

Recommend your friends to go elsewhere for a holiday because a drunk Russian gets gob smacked while stumbling around Walking Street at 3am and attracts unscrupulous characters ? Thats a bit of an over reaction isn't it?

[Jiu-Jitsu]

It's the same people selling on Walking Street year after year. Standing in exactly the same place for years. Though I've noted that they've spread themselves out this year. It is impossible that they are not known to the police. Around two weeks ago, possibly the same dealer slapped a French tourist outside Siam Bayshore. It turned out in this case that the dealer offered drugs and the Frenchman responded by grabbing his own testicles. The dealer took offence and hit him.

That the vermin are allowed to hang about one of their main tourist attractions night after night, tells you all that you need to know.

[northernphil]

Just another day in Pattaya then.

[Pattaya28]

Plenty of drugs available on WS. And very near the tables the police sit at. Draw your own conclusions.

[Pattaya46]

How can this happen when Pattaya announced 3 months ago, they have special police (in orange) patrolling the beach area 24 hours a day?

recently. http://www.pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/155753/beach-patrol-of-pattaya-project-launched-by-police-commander/

- the fact they are patrolling does not mean there is permanently policemen every 100 meters on the street

- it happened very South of the part considered "Walking Street" by tourists, and certainly not in a place I would put in "the beach area", this one stops at the entrance of WS.

[MrWorldwide]

The only people who try to sell me something on my way home at that hour are katoeys - my hands go straight into my pockets and I move to the other side of the road. Cant say I spend too much time on that side of South Pattaya Road, but it reinforces my belief that the closer you get to Walking St the lower the standard of local.

Edited February 28, 2015 by MrWorldwide

[mrfaroukh]

Well beside all other problems like politics, world economy etc this is another reason many foreigners are leaving Thailand unfortunately. The behavior of Thai people both male and female has changed a lot since few years and is going from bad to worse. Some can take it and some get pissed off. I know few people myself who would leave Thailand if they find suitable replacement.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

How can this happen when Pattaya announced 3 months ago, they have special police (in orange) patrolling the beach area 24 hours a day?

recently. http://www.pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/155753/beach-patrol-of-pattaya-project-launched-by-police-commander/

- the fact they are patrolling does not mean there is permanently policemen every 100 meters on the street

- it happened very South of the part considered "Walking Street" by tourists, and certainly not in a place I would put in "the beach area", this one stops at the entrance of WS.

Of course what you write is complete nonsense. It has been many years since tourists have been regularly venturing past Soi 16. Perhaps you haven't even heard about the clubs at Bali Hai that Russians frequent as well as the thousands of Chinese tourists that begin their walk from the southern end.

The drug dealers are standing around the whole night. Certainly before midnight. They know not to speak to me or to even look in my direction.

You know that someone is having a lark when drug dealers, Slow Loris exploiters and unlicenced hawkers are peddling their wares directly under CCTV controlled by City Hall.

Edited February 28, 2015 by Jiu-Jitsu

[Nemesis7]

Just another day in pattaya

[MrWorldwide]

Just another day in pattaya

For some., maybe it is - my experience to date has been very different. It's 3:35am by the internal clock on my PC and I've just returned from a bar in central Pattaya - not a single drug dealers, at least none willing to approach me. 10 months, anywhere between 3 and 5 nights a week and rarely home before midnight - whatever the health and wealth implications, I'm not living in fear of being attacked by drug dealers anytime soon, at least at my end of the strip. The traffic, OTOH ......

[jixuso]

Just another day in pattaya

For some., maybe it is - my experience to date has been very different. It's 3:35am by the internal clock on my PC and I've just returned from a bar in central Pattaya - not a single drug dealers, at least none willing to approach me. 10 months, anywhere between 3 and 5 nights a week and rarely home before midnight - whatever the health and wealth implications, I'm not living in fear of being attacked by drug dealers anytime soon, at least at my end of the strip. The traffic, OTOH ......

Our lives seem similar enough. A few rules to live by:

1) Do not rip off the Thais as they may become violent. However, if you feel you are being ripped off, do not be intimidated and not say anything. With Thais, I find there's a power struggle and they're just trying to see how far they can push you (like a child).

2) Negotiate beforehand. It's amazing how cool Thais can be as long as all was agreed on beforehand.

3) Don't get visibly upset. You've lost the battle and the war. Thais will shut down their care for your needs and wants in a flash.

[luckyman]

They are always there, every time that I walk in front of the Bayshore, they offer me weed.

I speak the language so I know how to deal with this trash, and they really not scare me, but I always complain about it with the tourist police or with the foreign volunteers that sit at a table playing with their smartphones all night, just 300 m away from where the dealers always hang out.

But of course they are useless, just like almost any other official in Pattaya.

Junta or not, if Pattaya's huge police force cannot install order in such a tourist hot-spot as Walking Street, what good are they ?

it's time to go look for greener pastures elsewhere...