173rd place: Bangkok ranks near bottom of 'safe city' list for expats

[webfact]

173rd place: Bangkok ranks near bottom of 'safe city' list for expats
By Coconuts Bangkok


A tuk tuk on Yaowarat road. Photo: Zanyasan Tanantpapat/ Coconuts Media

BANGKOK: -- In a new survey by consulting company Mercer, political unrest has sent Bangkok close to the bottom of rankings measuring personal safety of expats.

Out of 230 cities across the globe, Bangkok shamefully ranks 173rd when it comes to personal safety for expats, according to the Quality of Living Rankings by Mercer, which was released Tuesday.

“Following considerable political unrest and terrorist attacks in several tourist areas over the last few years, Bangkok ranked 173rd for personal safety,” said the report.

Mercer highlights safety as it is a key factor that multinational companies consider when sending expatriate workers abroad.

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2016/02/25/173rd-place-bangkok-ranks-near-bottom-safe-city-list-expats

-- Coconuts Bangkok 2016-02-26

[leeneeds]

Mercer would not know if their arse was on fire , what a load of rubbish, how this even gets printed as a bonafide report , when not one South American country is on that list , Where the <deleted> is Mexico, ? So as a paper report i would suggest to Mercer that they install the printed copies in their hong nam!

[JohnnyJazz]

Mercer would not know if their arse was on fire , what a load of rubbish, how this even gets printed as a bonafide report , when not one South American country is on that list , Where the <deleted> is Mexico, ? So as a paper report i would suggest to Mercer that they install the printed copies in their hong nam!

Couldn't agree more. A friend from Brazil was visiting a while ago. He was comparing Thailand with his home country and was amazed how he could feel safe anywhere in Bangkok, even in the most impoverished of the city.

An other friend from Texas too told me once how he feel safe here, he even added : here you don't get shot at for a pair of shoes (??).

To finish, I've been an expat in Asia for more than 20 years. I've personally known two person who were killed in two separate criminal incidents in the Philippine and an other couple of people who were killed in traffic accident in China. Regarding Thailand it seems the principal cause of death here is old age ...

Edited February 25, 2016 by JohnnyJazz

[RandomSand]

Regarding Thailand it seems the principal cause of death here is old age ...

and high rise buildings with balconies.

[thesetat2013]

Mercer would not know if their arse was on fire , what a load of rubbish, how this even gets printed as a bonafide report , when not one South American country is on that list , Where the <deleted> is Mexico, ? So as a paper report i would suggest to Mercer that they install the printed copies in their hong nam!

Couldn't agree more. A friend from Brazil was visiting a while ago. He was comparing Thailand with his home country and was amazed how he could feel safe anywhere in Bangkok, even in the most impoverished of the city.

An other friend from Texas too told me once how he feel safe here, he even added : here you don't get shot at for a pair of shoes (??).

To finish, I've been an expat in Asia for more than 20 years. I've personally known two person who were killed in two separate criminal incidents in the Philippine and an other couple of people who were killed in traffic accident in China. Regarding Thailand it seems the principal cause of death here is old age ...

Actually, for foreigners, suicide and murder are the principle cause of death.

[samsensam]

the roads aside, bangkok is a surprisingly safe city to live in

Edited February 25, 2016 by samsensam

[Guest]

I have lived in BKK for 5 happy years.

The only time I felt unsafe, looked over my shoulder, in those 5 years .. was a one week trip ... to ... America.

This report is pure rubbish and like all "click bait" postings that claim a "finding" ... they do not furnish the criteria for the results.

FILED UNDER: Lies, damn lies ... and statistics.

[fiddlehead]

Been to 48 countries.

Bangkok is the city I feel safest in.

My brother's friend was shot (and killed) in Sao Paulo

I was attacked by gypsy kids in Budapest

Car broken into in Philadelphia (I don't even lock it in Bangkok)

Maybe I've just been lucky (don't think so)

[charmonman]

Vancouver is a Western European city? Gee, I thought it was Chinese.

[TechnikaIII]

We have endless speculations about this and that happening because the police didn't receive enough 'lunch money' .... the proverbial 'brown envelope' scenario etc.

Now I wonder what it was that Mercer didn't receive, .. for them to come up with this bullsh*t report.

[jacko45k]

Mercer would not know if their arse was on fire , what a load of rubbish, how this even gets printed as a bonafide report , when not one South American country is on that list , Where the <deleted> is Mexico, ? So as a paper report i would suggest to Mercer that they install the printed copies in their hong nam!

Couldn't agree more. A friend from Brazil was visiting a while ago. He was comparing Thailand with his home country and was amazed how he could feel safe anywhere in Bangkok, even in the most impoverished of the city.

An other friend from Texas too told me once how he feel safe here, he even added : here you don't get shot at for a pair of shoes (??).

To finish, I've been an expat in Asia for more than 20 years. I've personally known two person who were killed in two separate criminal incidents in the Philippine and an other couple of people who were killed in traffic accident in China. Regarding Thailand it seems the principal cause of death here is old age ...

With traffic accidents coming second?

[craigt3365]

Mercer would not know if their arse was on fire , what a load of rubbish, how this even gets printed as a bonafide report , when not one South American country is on that list , Where the <deleted> is Mexico, ? So as a paper report i would suggest to Mercer that they install the printed copies in their hong nam!

Couldn't agree more. A friend from Brazil was visiting a while ago. He was comparing Thailand with his home country and was amazed how he could feel safe anywhere in Bangkok, even in the most impoverished of the city.

An other friend from Texas too told me once how he feel safe here, he even added : here you don't get shot at for a pair of shoes (??).

To finish, I've been an expat in Asia for more than 20 years. I've personally known two person who were killed in two separate criminal incidents in the Philippine and an other couple of people who were killed in traffic accident in China. Regarding Thailand it seems the principal cause of death here is old age ...

My cousin works in Brazil. He lives in a gated and guarded community. His wife can not drive on her own, has to have a driver/guard. Same with him. His car is bullet proof. His driver highly trained and armed. He's had one attempted abduction. Thailand is massively safer than Brazil. My friend in Rio has bullet proof glass in her condo due to the bullets that fly around at night. Crime is a massive problem. Even on the famous beaches, you have to be really, really careful.

Mercer is a highly respected organization. Their reports are very good. And used by multinational corporations when setting salaries, etc.

[dbrenn]

the roads aside, bangkok is a surprisingly safe city to live in

RIght. I've lived here 25 years and never had a problem. It's safer to walk the streets here late at night than in any British or Australian city.

[Crash999]

Ridiculous. But goes to show how afraid some Westerners are of terrorist attacks. They'd rather live in a city where one could be kidnapped, shot by gangs, or raped than in Bangkok because there was a bomb here.

[mesterm]

Regarding Thailand it seems the principal cause of death here is old age ...

and high rise buildings with balconies.

and traveling in vans.

[lostinisaan]

That's almost impossible.....aeehh wait..somebody pushes me over the balcony....I fly................wushh.

[mcfish]

What political unrest do they speak of? I've never know it to be so stable

Sent from my SC-01D using Tapatalk

[Kabula]

Nonsense....just because it's published doesn't not mean it's true. Having traveled to over 50 countries both as a civilian and in the military, I lived in Thailand for 9 years, Vietnam for 1 year, San Jose, Costa Rica for 11 years, U.S. for 35 years and Czech Republic for a year. I'm hear to tell you Thailand is safer currently than all of them.

[blazes]

Vancouver is a Western European city? Gee, I thought it was Chinese.

I think they mean "White" (which should, of course, rule out Hongcouver).

[phantomfiddler]

Absolute rubbish ! This is the safest place I have ever lived, and as long as you pay your bills and not go around insulting people the chances of a situation are incredibly rare. In Oakland California 11 people were murdered within 100 yards of my apartment in the last 2 months I was there !! The only real danger here is found in the driving, and alas I have lost count of friends and acquaintances who have been killed due to the incredibly poor standard shown by many motorists in the country. Sounds to me like the survey is politically motivated, and the survey company ceases to have any credibility for me.

Edited February 26, 2016 by phantomfiddler

[teacherpaul]

Mercer would not know if their arse was on fire , what a load of rubbish, how this even gets printed as a bonafide report , when not one South American country is on that list , Where the <deleted> is Mexico, ? So as a paper report i would suggest to Mercer that they install the printed copies in their hong

Agreed. I have never been attacked or threatened in Bangkok. However, if they were to change Bangkok to Pattay, Phuket or Koh Tao, 173rd would probably be too high.

[Johpa]

We are talking about Mercer, the largest American corporation that you have never heard of that is probably mucking up your life. What this probably means is that Bangkok has a large percentage of its urban area that resides outside the international bubbles of 5 star hotels, restaurants, and Starbucks. After signing their 30 page non-disclosure agreements, most Mercer employees fear their own shadows.

[BSJ]

I concur!

[little mary sunshine]

At first I was going to post BKK should be last, but

After seeing the bottom four, I guess BKK is ranked

Properly

[cumgranosalum]

Mercer would not know if their arse was on fire , what a load of rubbish, how this even gets printed as a bonafide report , when not one South American country is on that list , Where the <deleted> is Mexico, ? So as a paper report i would suggest to Mercer that they install the printed copies in their hong nam!

"when not one South American country is on that list" - looks to me like you haven't bothered to read the report....

"In South America, Montevideo (78), Buenos Aires (93), and Santiago (94) remain the highest ranking cities for quality of living, whereas Bogota (130), La Paz (156), and Caracas (185) rank lowest." - Mercer 2016

i think if you are going to criticise constructively (rather than just personal presuppositions) you should take the time to get better informed about what you are criticising.

Edited February 26, 2016 by cumgranosalum

[Johnniey]

Mercer would not know if their arse was on fire , what a load of rubbish, how this even gets printed as a bonafide report , when not one South American country is on that list , Where the <deleted> is Mexico, ? So as a paper report i would suggest to Mercer that they install the printed copies in their hong nam!

Neither would Coconuts.

Total Rubbish, I lived in Bangkok for over a decade getting up to all sorts of wild things and never got into any trouble.

Manila, on the other hand...

Also, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds, Barcelona, Melbourne - got into physical brawls there or got mugged.

Edited February 26, 2016 by Johnniey

[kannot]

Ive never felt unsafe in Thailand apart from the idiot drivers

[cumgranosalum]

it seems tht most "critics haven't read any of the report and also don't actually understand what it is about...Mercer is basically concerned with the EMPLOYMENT of expats by companies...and concentrates on what is on offer for expat employees of these companies.......

Mercer evaluates local living conditions in more than 440 cities surveyed worldwide. Living conditions are analysed according to 39 factors, grouped in 10 categories:

1. Political and social environment (political stability, crime, law enforcement, etc.).
2. Economic environment (currency exchange regulations, banking services).
3. Socio-cultural environment (media availability and censorship, limitations on personal freedom).
4. Medical and health considerations (medical supplies and services, infectious diseases, sewage, waste disposal, air pollution, etc.).
5. Schools and education (standards and availability of international schools).
6. Public services and transportation (electricity, water, public transportation, traffic congestion, etc.).
7. Recreation (restaurants, theatres, cinemas, sports and leisure, etc.).
8. Consumer goods (availability of food/daily consumption items, cars, etc.).
9. Housing (rental housing, household appliances, furniture, maintenance services).
10. Natural environment (climate, record of natural disasters).

[bkk_mike]

Mercer would not know if their arse was on fire , what a load of rubbish, how this even gets printed as a bonafide report , when not one South American country is on that list , Where the <deleted> is Mexico, ? So as a paper report i would suggest to Mercer that they install the printed copies in their hong nam!

Couldn't agree more. A friend from Brazil was visiting a while ago. He was comparing Thailand with his home country and was amazed how he could feel safe anywhere in Bangkok, even in the most impoverished of the city.

An other friend from Texas too told me once how he feel safe here, he even added : here you don't get shot at for a pair of shoes (??).

To finish, I've been an expat in Asia for more than 20 years. I've personally known two person who were killed in two separate criminal incidents in the Philippine and an other couple of people who were killed in traffic accident in China. Regarding Thailand it seems the principal cause of death here is old age ...

Actually, for foreigners, suicide and murder are the principle cause of death.

Riding a motorbike in Thailand is suicidal, but I don't know that I'd technically classify it as suicide...

[Jimbo2014]

It would be much safer if they gave proper driving lessons and checked the fixtures on upper floor apartment balconies.