SURVEY: Do you believe that Thailand is getting more dangerous for foreigners?

[Roomuck]

Thanks to those who referred to me as a Pollyanna. I didn't know what it was, so I had to look it up. You learn something everyday. Isn't life grand!!

[benalibina]

It is not Thailand that has become dangerous. It is the sheer number of foreigners coming to Thailand that have created dangerous situations. Fifty years ago when I first came, there were hardly any foreigners in Bangkok and you could travel for days in the provinces without seeing any. Traffic has always been chaotic due to inexperienced drivers and no traffic control. As the years have have passed, foreign travel has increased and more and more foreigners come to Thailand representing all countries and all cultures. Some of these people bring their bad attitudes with them. In all my years here, I have never had a confrontation with a Thai person but I have had plenty with foreigners. Most of them were drunk and being obnoxious. I have watched the same type of person attempt to show their arrogant behavior to Thais and mostly getting what they deserve- a good thrashing. The majority of unfriendly Thai behavior towards foreigners that you see in tourist areas comes from dealing on a daily basis with rude foreigners. The arrogance that I see from foreigners towards everyone makes me wonder how they survive in their own country. These type of people are begging for a crime to happen. Unfortunately, most of these type of people are young and appear to have never learned any manners or social skills.

The pendulum is starting to swing- the future will see a continued lessening of Western tourists with an increase in Asian tourists.None of these Asian tourists will spend like the old style Western tourist . You will see Soi Cowboy, Nana Plaza and Patpong go out of business as well as the strips in Pattaya and Phuket evolve to cater to Asian tourism.

U know last year i read in the news that in Rayong a farang stabbed to death a ferocious dog that was broken loose.That dog was vicious attacking his own dog that he was walking out on a leace .The farang saw no other option then to stab the aggressive dog.Within minutes there was an rather angry mop of local thai villagers more then ready to lynch the farang for stabbing that dog.So police had relocated the farang before things got even more out of hand.

Now 2 days ago i read about thai youth in Udon is robbing and beating up elderly farangs for money and fun.

Then it makes me wonder why isnt there an angry mop of Thais outside demanding justice for these beaten up farangs? Why only for a Thai stray dog?

Its a thai dog. Thai only help thai. The reason doesnt matter.

[sirineou]

It is not Thailand that has become dangerous. It is the sheer number of foreigners coming to Thailand that have created dangerous situations. Fifty years ago when I first came, there were hardly any foreigners in Bangkok and you could travel for days in the provinces without seeing any. Traffic has always been chaotic due to inexperienced drivers and no traffic control. As the years have have passed, foreign travel has increased and more and more foreigners come to Thailand representing all countries and all cultures. Some of these people bring their bad attitudes with them. In all my years here, I have never had a confrontation with a Thai person but I have had plenty with foreigners. Most of them were drunk and being obnoxious. I have watched the same type of person attempt to show their arrogant behavior to Thais and mostly getting what they deserve- a good thrashing. The majority of unfriendly Thai behavior towards foreigners that you see in tourist areas comes from dealing on a daily basis with rude foreigners. The arrogance that I see from foreigners towards everyone makes me wonder how they survive in their own country. These type of people are begging for a crime to happen. Unfortunately, most of these type of people are young and appear to have never learned any manners or social skills.

The pendulum is starting to swing- the future will see a continued lessening of Western tourists with an increase in Asian tourists.None of these Asian tourists will spend like the old style Western tourist . You will see Soi Cowboy, Nana Plaza and Patpong go out of business as well as the strips in Pattaya and Phuket evolve to cater to Asian tourism.

U know last year i read in the news that in Rayong a farang stabbed to death a ferocious dog that was broken loose.That dog was vicious attacking his own dog that he was walking out on a leace .The farang saw no other option then to stab the aggressive dog.Within minutes there was an rather angry mop of local thai villagers more then ready to lynch the farang for stabbing that dog.So police had relocated the farang before things got even more out of hand.

Now 2 days ago i read about thai youth in Udon is robbing and beating up elderly farangs for money and fun.

Then it makes me wonder why isnt there an angry mop of Thais outside demanding justice for these beaten up farangs? Why only for a Thai stray dog?

Its a thai dog. Thai only help thai. The reason doesnt matter.

Perhaps they read this forum

[Roomuck]

Once there was a saying that you could walk the streets of BKK and not be harmed , that no longer applies , Thailand is like every other country , all have the same trend , high unemployment , drugs and alcohol are the main contributor,....................................................

Someone has nicknamed me a Pollyanna. I appreciate that, thank you very much.

But here is a typical totally FALSE made up statement. "High unemployment " ???? In Thailand? It has one of the lowest unemployment figures in the world. There are that many jobs here that there are about 3million Laos, Cambodian and Burmese workers here who come here for work because there isn't enough Thais to do all the work. But don't let the reality get in the way of a good story!

Smart people these Thais.

[MaeJoMTB]

PS: Look at countries with convicted serial killers. Thailand doesn't even make the list

That's because the Thai police don't bother to chase, arrest and prosecute such people.

No money in it for them.

Now if the serial killer didn't wear a m/c helmet, he would be caught and fined every week.

But still not convicted, cos it's a cash and release sort of thing.

[MaeJoMTB]

Someone has nicknamed me a Pollyanna. I appreciate that, thank you very much.

But here is a typical totally FALSE made up statement. "High unemployment " ???? In Thailand? It has one of the lowest unemployment figures in the world.

If the Thai government ever decided to hand out free money to the unemployed,

It would go from a 'no unemployed' to a '95% unemployed' country overnight.

[Roomuck]

Someone has nicknamed me a Pollyanna. I appreciate that, thank you very much.

But here is a typical totally FALSE made up statement. "High unemployment " ???? In Thailand? It has one of the lowest unemployment figures in the world.

If the Thai government ever decided to hand out free money to the unemployed,

It would go from a 'no unemployed' to a '95% unemployed' country overnight.

j

You are probably right. Most Thais I have discussed the welfare situation in western countries with think it is crazy for the people who go and work to have to pay taxes to pay for the people who are too lazy to bother.

Smart people these Thais.

[bannork]

To lower the levels of danger...Remember to always wear a condom

I hate to be negative Gemguy but my mate was wearing a condom when his lover's husband shot him stone dead in Thailand.

So I for one do not believe the theory that a condom guarantees safety.

note to self: always wear condom and kevlar vest while performing boom boom.

in this case a motorbike helmet rather than a helmet head wouldn't have come amiss too

[ggt]

Thailand is not dangerous...it has a wealth of flora, fauna, unique wild-life, and one-of-a-kind scenery...it is the human inhabitants that pose a danger...most of whom are still uncivilized...IMHO

[benalibina]

It is not Thailand that has become dangerous. It is the sheer number of foreigners coming to Thailand that have created dangerous situations. Fifty years ago when I first came, there were hardly any foreigners in Bangkok and you could travel for days in the provinces without seeing any. Traffic has always been chaotic due to inexperienced drivers and no traffic control. As the years have have passed, foreign travel has increased and more and more foreigners come to Thailand representing all countries and all cultures. Some of these people bring their bad attitudes with them. In all my years here, I have never had a confrontation with a Thai person but I have had plenty with foreigners. Most of them were drunk and being obnoxious. I have watched the same type of person attempt to show their arrogant behavior to Thais and mostly getting what they deserve- a good thrashing. The majority of unfriendly Thai behavior towards foreigners that you see in tourist areas comes from dealing on a daily basis with rude foreigners. The arrogance that I see from foreigners towards everyone makes me wonder how they survive in their own country. These type of people are begging for a crime to happen. Unfortunately, most of these type of people are young and appear to have never learned any manners or social skills.

The pendulum is starting to swing- the future will see a continued lessening of Western tourists with an increase in Asian tourists.None of these Asian tourists will spend like the old style Western tourist . You will see Soi Cowboy, Nana Plaza and Patpong go out of business as well as the strips in Pattaya and Phuket evolve to cater to Asian tourism.

U know last year i read in the news that in Rayong a farang stabbed to death a ferocious dog that was broken loose.That dog was vicious attacking his own dog that he was walking out on a leace .The farang saw no other option then to stab the aggressive dog.Within minutes there was an rather angry mop of local thai villagers more then ready to lynch the farang for stabbing that dog.So police had relocated the farang before things got even more out of hand.

Now 2 days ago i read about thai youth in Udon is robbing and beating up elderly farangs for money and fun.

Then it makes me wonder why isnt there an angry mop of Thais outside demanding justice for these beaten up farangs? Why only for a Thai stray dog?

Its a thai dog. Thai only help thai. The reason doesnt matter.

Perhaps they read this forum

Understand your response....the influx of many moral bankrupt foreigners, as can be read often on this forum, surely doesnt help to alter the xenophobic thai way of thinking.

[AZBill]

I've been hearing this from my wife's family over there. They are concerned about us coming over to visit later this year and we are seriously reconsidering. I never felt uneasy or unsafe in Thailand but it does appear to be changing and it's a big wold with lots of other choices for vacation.

[BB24]

PS: Look at countries with convicted serial killers. Thailand doesn't even make the list

That's because the Thai police don't bother to chase, arrest and prosecute such people.

No money in it for them.

Now if the serial killer didn't wear a m/c helmet, he would be caught and fined every week.

But still not convicted, cos it's a cash and release sort of thing.

Unbelievable comments. You need help.

[sirineou]

Its a thai dog. Thai only help thai. The reason doesnt matter.

Perhaps they read this forum

Understand your response....the influx of many moral bankrupt foreigners, as can be read often on this forum, surely doesnt help to alter the xenophobic thai way of thinking.

Xenophobia is a natural and understandable response, that has evolutionary survival origins

We often fear that which we dont understand, and when we dont understand something , there is survival value in the associated fear There is a rustle in the savanna grass, is it the wing or is it a tiger

If I run away and it was the wind, oh well my bad, let me go home and bang the wife. If I dont and it is a tiger I am dead

and the wife is banging the guy who run away.

When cultures that have great differences Such as the Thai culture and the Western culture come in close contact , it is also understandable to have an elevated level of misunderstanding and xenophobia.

They misunderstand us, and we misunderstand them with the relates ensuing fear on both parts.

Unfortunately for as , we are the guests . we are the intrudes in to their culture and as such we are the threat.

Our respond, For the most part, does little to alleviate these fears and results to re-enforce it.

It is incumbent upon us to modify our posture, since we are in their back yard and they not in ours. and make an effort to understand their culture, understand them a little better, show some respect

People like dogs can smell mistrust and ,fear and respond in kind.

I am a very open friendly person, I know I might not come across a such in this forum , but I am. people love me where ever I am, I never had a problem with anyone in Thailand. Why is that? Am I a superior human being?

Far from it, IMO it is simple a positive reinforcing cycle of friendliness. I naturally like people, and because of it they like me, and of course everybody likes people that like you ,when people are negative, I dont take it personally,they dont know me, it is not me they dont like it is their construct of me. move on or change their opinion You get the point?

We take a natural response, and instead of disarming it we re-enforce it with our behavior

Sorry to ramble on , It has being something that I thought a lot about, I read all these negative responses in this forum and I wonder , is this the same Thailand I am in, why is it so different for me.

[benalibina]

Its a thai dog. Thai only help thai. The reason doesnt matter.

Perhaps they read this forum

Understand your response....the influx of many moral bankrupt foreigners, as can be read often on this forum, surely doesnt help to alter the xenophobic thai way of thinking.

Xenophobia is a natural and understandable response, that has evolutionary survival origins

We often fear that which we dont understand, and when we dont understand something , there is survival value in the associated fear There is a rustle in the savanna grass, is it the wing or is it a tiger

If I run away and it was the wind, oh well my bad, let me go home and bang the wife. If I dont and it is a tiger I am dead

and the wife is banging the guy who run away.

When cultures that have great differences Such as the Thai culture and the Western culture come in close contact , it is also understandable to have an elevated level of misunderstanding and xenophobia.

They misunderstand us, and we misunderstand them with the relates ensuing fear on both parts.

Unfortunately for as , we are the guests . we are the intrudes in to their culture and as such we are the threat.

Our respond, For the most part, does little to alleviate these fears and results to re-enforce it.

It is incumbent upon us to modify our posture, since we are in their back yard and they not in ours. and make an effort to understand their culture, understand them a little better, show some respect

People like dogs can smell mistrust and ,fear and respond in kind.

I am a very open friendly person, I know I might not come across a such in this forum , but I am. people love me where ever I am, I never had a problem with anyone in Thailand. Why is that? Am I a superior human being?

Far from it, IMO it is simple a positive reinforcing cycle of friendliness. I naturally like people, and because of it they like me, and of course everybody likes people that like you ,when people are negative, I dont take it personally,they dont know me, it is not me they dont like it is their construct of me. move on or change their opinion You get the point?

We take a natural response, and instead of disarming it we re-enforce it with our behavior

Sorry to ramble on , It has being something that I thought a lot about, I read all these negative responses in this forum and I wonder , is this the same Thailand I am in, why is it so different for me.

Why is it so different for you, you ask.

Maybe you should open your eyes more and look beyond....self...

When the moment arrives, hopefully never for you, that you will seriously come in conflict with a thai, you will know more.

To alter the construct of their way of thinking related to a matter of importance for 1, if needed ofcourse, couple of things needed for that....education, critical thinking, but more openmindedness and empathy coupled with love or respect. These are not aspects which are easy to spot amongst thais, thus not as well amongst many of the foreigners living here.

[NeverSure]

PS: Look at countries with convicted serial killers. Thailand doesn't even make the list

That's because the Thai police don't bother to chase, arrest and prosecute such people.

No money in it for them.

Now if the serial killer didn't wear a m/c helmet, he would be caught and fined every week.

But still not convicted, cos it's a cash and release sort of thing.

Unbelievable comments. You need help.

He's right on. In developed countries investigators will soon realize they have a serial killer. That's because they do real forensics and certain things begin to match. It's also because they keep detailed records such as fingerprint and DNA databases that they match to. If those things match another crime at any time they will be alerted.

Now about the M/C helmet, each will have his own opinion about that.

Cheers.

[coulson]

Came back to LOS this week.

At swampy, no queue at immigration......however 3 immigration *officers* later I got my exempt stamp.

Been searched twice on sukhimvit bts, was keenly observed at jj this arvo, all in a good manner.

I feel safer in Thailand, but i don't ride elephants or minivans so it's businesd as usual really. Good job BIB.

Just wish the zanax wasn't so hard to come by...

[icare999]

new flash everybody. Thailand is really frickin' dangerous. everything is dangerous here. for everybody, not just tourists.

let's hope all the tourists in the world get the word, so they an decide for themselves if they want to still come here.

and now, back to trying cross the street without being run down like a dog.

BS or is it irony been here over 30 years its no more risky than anytime IMO

[stickylies]

Most Thais I have discussed the welfare situation in western countries with think it is crazy for the people who go and work to have to pay taxes to pay for the people who are too lazy to bother. Smart people these Thais.

Aha the true Buddhist spirit as we know it around here.....................................

And the typical rightwing TVF farang too as we know around here.................................

Oddly most thai I bothered to explain the welfare system to (a system which helps people in need, who go through difficult times, illness, etc.) think it's a great system and much better than the Thai way where many people hardly survive and poor farmgirls with no education (the latter also being part of the welfare system, supporting poor people to study) selling their yoni to support their family.

[bbbbooboo]

Yes Thailand is becoming lethally dangerous for some unlucky foreigners

[chiang mai]

PS: Look at countries with convicted serial killers. Thailand doesn't even make the list

That's because the Thai police don't bother to chase, arrest and prosecute such people.

No money in it for them.

Now if the serial killer didn't wear a m/c helmet, he would be caught and fined every week.

But still not convicted, cos it's a cash and release sort of thing.

Unbelievable comments. You need help.

He's actually correct in what he writes.

[bangkokgas]

Keep your nose clean, be polite, learn the language/culture and Thailand is a great place to live..oh, don't forget to have the right visa at all times. Spent a wonderful dozen years in Thailand and now back in U.K- love visiting Thailand but love living in England...sad so many mostly younger Westerners can't adapt there...personally didn't find it that difficult at all...

[wow64]

It's easier to die in Thailand now because balcony railings are not as strong as they were before.

Also houses are allot more flammable especially if the farang has life insurance.

Knifes are also getting sharper.. I could go on but I have to renew my life insurance and I get better 4g if I sit on the balcony.

Edited February 15, 2016 by wow64

[nong38]

Thailand is an unlawful place, there are laws but no one seems to take much notice of them and a quick smile makes everything right right!

What does the TV news say about the country as the heroic Royal Thai Police capture untold numbers of naughty people, mainly home grown but some farangs as well doing what they should not be doing. Life is cheap here so "rich tourists" should be taken care of in the right way depending on your understanding of those words.

Over the last few months I have seen prices go up in the tourist areas, portions go down, quality of service go down, now if I notice that I am sure other visitors notice it as well. The exchange rate seems to defy reality, why is it so high? Not to attract tourists for sure and all TAT do is forecast ever increasing numbers into the LOS.

There are plenty of options in the area, in ASEAN.

The reality is that there are a lot of greedy people here for one reason or another, some have no wealth and want a piece of the action some have a lot and want more, when it comes down to it its a cultural issue and its up to society here to change things but they dont change over night, the dangerous situation here is with us for some time.

Its the same for us as it is for the visitor, be aware of whats going on around you all the time and take care.

[Roomuck]

Most Thais I have discussed the welfare situation in western countries with think it is crazy for the people who go and work to have to pay taxes to pay for the people who are too lazy to bother. Smart people these Thais.

Aha the true Buddhist spirit as we know it around here.....................................

And the typical rightwing TVF farang too as we know around here.................................

Oddly most thai I bothered to explain the welfare system to (a system which helps people in need, who go through difficult times, illness, etc.) think it's a great system and much better than the Thai way where many people hardly survive and poor farmgirls with no education (the latter also being part of the welfare system, supporting poor people to study) selling their yoni to support their family.

Well, the Thais I have spoken about this subject to had educated themselves and had good jobs. But I am sure if I spoke to lazy bargirls they would prefer the welfare system and if in the west would be the type of people on welfare. I was specifically talking about dole bludgers, not the old, disabled etc.

nobody here has to sell the yoni to support their family. If that were the case how would fat ugly girls survive? How would old women survive? How would men survive without even having a yoni? All these people manage without having to sell their yoni. Plenty of jobs around, but lazy girls are attracted to the easy money or big money making their money lying down in bed, so to speak.

Thailand is very right wing, low taxes and stuff all welfare. My maid was a poor farm girl from Issan, who had to leave school at 13. She works hard, is actually in big demand because she doeswork hard and pulls in over 20,000 per month with her various jobs. Never sold her Yoni, married to a nice bloke and like most hard working Thais, looks down at the girls who sell their Yonis. And I am pretty sure would be opposed to paying taxes so someone else she doesn't even know could sit at home all day.

And thanks for the word of the day.

[BB24]

Serial killer replies: The few serial killers there have been in Thailand were foreigners - best known ones being a Frenchman, Egyptian and the famous Chinese guy who killed and ate children - all a long time ago. Thailand didn't make the list because there aint that many. And if I remember, only the Frenchman targeted foreigners.

And yes the BIB are not great. But then why would they not pin as many as they could on anyone they caught (stumbled on). And is the police better in Ghana, Brazil, Iraq, Iran, Zambia etc etc?

Maybe harsh - but my point was, that to say the BIB would ignore a serial killer because they would not get tea money, is absolute BTEW at its worst. This is the guy who posted a very inappropriate comment in response to a post asking for help with dealing with his wife's HIV.

Agree 100% about mbike helmets - both for tourists and Thais - most BIB deserve criticism there. 85% of road deaths are mbike riders and passengers - many of those would be just injuries if they had helmets - real ones. The lazy BIB are absolutely to blame. When I first visited my wife's home town I immediately noticed that 90% wore real helmets. Wife said "porice" - and in 3 days I saw more police on the roads than in a year in CM - and they were giving tickets!. Plus I later found out that they have someone who gives lectures (talks) at the schools. It can be done - just takes some effort by local BIB (yeh - I know).

[glenmohr]

Its a thai dog. Thai only help thai. The reason doesnt matter.

Perhaps they read this forum

Understand your response....the influx of many moral bankrupt foreigners, as can be read often on this forum, surely doesnt help to alter the xenophobic thai way of thinking.

Xenophobia is a natural and understandable response, that has evolutionary survival origins

We often fear that which we dont understand, and when we dont understand something , there is survival value in the associated fear There is a rustle in the savanna grass, is it the wing or is it a tiger

If I run away and it was the wind, oh well my bad, let me go home and bang the wife. If I dont and it is a tiger I am dead

and the wife is banging the guy who run away.

When cultures that have great differences Such as the Thai culture and the Western culture come in close contact , it is also understandable to have an elevated level of misunderstanding and xenophobia.

They misunderstand us, and we misunderstand them with the relates ensuing fear on both parts.

Unfortunately for as , we are the guests . we are the intrudes in to their culture and as such we are the threat.

Our respond, For the most part, does little to alleviate these fears and results to re-enforce it.

It is incumbent upon us to modify our posture, since we are in their back yard and they not in ours. and make an effort to understand their culture, understand them a little better, show some respect

People like dogs can smell mistrust and ,fear and respond in kind.

I am a very open friendly person, I know I might not come across a such in this forum , but I am. people love me where ever I am, I never had a problem with anyone in Thailand. Why is that? Am I a superior human being?

Far from it, IMO it is simple a positive reinforcing cycle of friendliness. I naturally like people, and because of it they like me, and of course everybody likes people that like you ,when people are negative, I dont take it personally,they dont know me, it is not me they dont like it is their construct of me. move on or change their opinion You get the point?

We take a natural response, and instead of disarming it we re-enforce it with our behavior

Sorry to ramble on , It has being something that I thought a lot about, I read all these negative responses in this forum and I wonder , is this the same Thailand I am in, why is it so different for me.

Some folk Siri have Thailand in their blood, you obviously do and good luck to you for that.

However I do take issue with you about " We are guests in their country"

The difficulty is that when Thais come to my westernised country, they are expected to become local as they pass through the airport. Most do and pass the test with honours. Become good citizens. My point is we accept and nurture them, they could never accept us here by reciprocation, we are always the foreign guest, no egalitarianism in that for me. I come from a society where all are born equal and have equality in the eyes of the law.

You have made yourself comfortable in a society where people are not equal, please understand the objection many of us have with that. Otherwise good on you for coming to terms with it.

[Ghostnigel]

"It was recently reported that there has been a 54% increase in the number of tourists dying in Thailand this year over last year."

Make it illegal for tourist to hire motorbikes ----would probably result in a 64% decrease next year...............

....and illegal to take 2 ladyboys back to room above the second floor....another saving of 15-20%. Sorted.

The rest just die of dengue fever, zika virus, or rabies, you can't win 'em all.

[stephenterry]

Guests? We are ZITS.

[PaullyW]

The first point is to view the statistics with a very skeptical eye. There is and never has been any reasonable indication that the authorities have the necessary infrastructure and skills to properly and accurately collect such statistics.

Next, yes, Thailand does appear to be getting even more dangerous than it has been.

Roads - 2nd worst in world per capita

Gun murder - 2nd or 3rd worst in world per capita

Foreigners visiting Thailand die under suspicious/non natural circumstances at rates orders of magnitude higher than nearly any other country on earth.

Very dangerous and becoming worse with the economic stagnation

[JLCrab]

To the overly-nested comment above: The difficulty for me is that when most Thais come to my westernized country, the bulk of them open Thai restaurants that sell crummy Thai food because that is the only Thai food that the Americans will eat. Other than that, I don't seem to have the same assimilatory difficulties that he seems to have.

... but I guess when you have a country that has more sheep than people some of these assimilating issues take on a different dimension.

Edited February 15, 2016 by JLCrab