Thailand is the land of smiles? With growing list of violent attacks you have to be having a laugh

[Fairynuff]

Other places have violent crime too is not an adequate defense. Thailand is not safe, it may well be safER than other places but it is a lot less safe than it used to be.

[DM07]

The defenders of anything Thai are out in droves, I see!

Instead of having a reality check, just attack the messenger, because he must be wrongby default, as Thailand is the most wonderful place on Earth, with nothing ever going wrong!

[61guitarman61]

Personally I see Thais smile to me all the time. It happens whenever they try to sell something to me or when I am paying for something. Other than that, if you watch them walking by or driving past or standing somewhere, they never smile.

Just show them money....BIG MONEY = BIG SMILE.

Big money = big target.

[DrTuner]

Somebody is still mistaking the Thai grin for a friendly gesture? How 90's.

[Fairynuff]

All these negative comments about crime in Thailand are uncalled for and hurtful in my opinion. I'm not just referring to this post, but I'm seeing more and more similar headlines with posters piling on. It really disgusts me. There is crime and domestic events everywhere, but one has to put it all in perspective. Thailand is a relatively small country with highly populated cities tourists flock to. Millions of tourists come year round and many of them abuse alcohol and drugs. Most of the tourists that are victims lack common sense by not asking questions and walking around alone late at night. For all the negative posters, go home! Go back to your home country where many countries now have open borders, starvation, rapes, home invasions, extreme violence with riots, Police slamming women to the ground, fatal Taser events and shooting citizens in the back, (all confirmed by main stream news and videos). Not to mention more and more banking problems. I've never seen it in Thailand for many decades. Thai citizens are strong and prevented most wars entering this country in the 40's, 50s and 60s while neighboring countries were affected and many millions of their citizens, visitors and expats killed. These negative comments seen by Thai Police, Thai Immigration, and Thai Citizens create a polarization and accelerates hate. Those of us who are well traveled and have lived here for many decades love Thailand. Wake up and think before you post; please! If you find you are posting more and more negative comments, it's probably time to make a change in your life.

Yeah you're absolutely right. It's all the tourists fault. They're asking for it. Amazing

[Squeegee]

You can be the victim of random violence anywhere in the world. Thailand is more safe than most popular tourist destinations.

What you say about random violence anywhere in the world is factual. But to say Thailand is more safe than other popular tourist destinations is rather naive. I've been in the north of Thailand for 6 years and have never once felt threatened or in danger. Those who choose to frequent or dwell in the truly tourist areas like Pattaya or Phuket or Samui or Koh Whatever, are indeed asking for trouble as organized crime is there in force as well. People are much different in those areas than in non tourist places. But they are still generally haughty and racist. And they like farang money everywhere in Thailand.

This is one of the best insights I've seen in a long time. Very balanced and realistic.

[BuriramDevelopers]

reaching concesus seems the hardest thing to do here., and seems to block any chance of reconciliation.....It means both parties have to lose some face.....haven't figured this one out yet in 9 years. How to reach concesus , when neither party want to give in.....

Blame it on my lack of cultural understanding i guess, but back home these thing go very easy and civilized. We keep giving in a little until we reach agreement......................hmmmm can't get that idea projected .

Maybe ther is a better way than either the west's or the east's but until the i prefer ours.

Edited March 2, 2016 by BuriramDevelopers

[61guitarman61]

Are there indeed more cases of violence against foreigners, or are there more reports being published?

Does anyone actually have reliable statistics? Probably not.

There is nothing reliable in Thailand.

[Fairynuff]

I DO love Thailand and I DO love living here. But as with my home country I am prepared to accept that it's far from perfect and criticise the things that are wrong. It's called a balanced view

[BuriramDevelopers]

I DO love Thailand and I DO love living here. But as with my home country I am prepared to accept that it's far from perfect and criticise the things that are wrong. It's called a balanced view

Copy / Paste a hundred times, and you have the exact right respons for 50 % of the posts........INDEED.

[Fairynuff]

I am married to a Thai woman, and when I am in Thailand I see smiles everywhere.

I have felt very included in the family and have been treated with respect in all

of my visits to Thailand since I have been married. I have also seen how hard the people of Thailand work. They work 6 or7 days a week trying to make a living. Sure some of them will take days off

during the Songkrans, New Years Day and other festival events, however 6 or 7 days a week of work is still pretty normal for all but the rich. When you are visiting their country, get your eyes open and see what their lives are really like. Their wages are pretty small compared to everyone who

visits the country. The police do not make a great wage compared to a lot of countries, the bus

drivers have to drive long hours to get enough wages to survive. I always feel fortunate to

live and have worked in Canada, and now enjoy being on a pension from my company and

the Government of Canada.

Thailand is still an interesting country, and is still much more than just a land of smiles.

If you want to go to a gloomier country, try visiting South, or better yet North Korea.

When you get back to Thailand you will see a bit if a difference. Even try China, and see

how most of the people live there, and work a lot of hours per day for 6 or 7 days

a week, just to survive. There are still Asian countries that are more dangerous to visit, and

live at than Thailand.

My opinion anyway. Geezer

So you don't actually live here. Thank you for your very informative insight into what life is like for Thai people

[whiterussian]

Been here 10 years - never been to the 'resorts'

Did I miss anything?

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

Think for a moment. If they prefer the chinese and russians and making it easier for them to come and stay in Thailand then imagine how difficult it will be for those "undesirables" to come and stay in Thailand. The number one topic in this forum revolves around how to stay in Thailand. Expats in this forum need to see the writing on the wall. Thailand doesnt want you with their women. You are only welcomed as a visitor. THEIR NEXT TARGET ARE EXPATS.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere

[Fairynuff]

I think it's simple statistics. When you consider over 25 million people come here on holiday there are bound to be some issues. I'm not condoning any violence but the shear weight of numbers means they'll be some conflict.

I travel in and out of Thailand very often, by choice. Therefore I would say that as ONE person I probably am counted as 10-12 tourists a year. 25 million? I doubt it

[FourAces]

No matter if you like it or not, sadly, Thailand is not a safe place in general, if you can walk down a street in a popular tourist area with out getting robbed or killed, as in the case of the Australian lady who was stabbed in the heart for her handbag, just to mention one of hundreds of similar cases, then its not a safe place, for tourists.

When I lived in Thailand, I witnessed a young girl and her friends get gunned down, because the girl refused to have per-arranged marriage, my neighbor was stabbed in the neck by a bar girl because he wouldn't buy her a drink.

The only people smiling, where the perps.

In my experience most Thais a racist, religious zealots who are only interested in your money, not all but most.

Its not a safe place to visit and no one will ever guarantee your safety when in Thailand, the only thing that is nice in Thailand is the weather and the natural scenery

"walk down a street in a popular tourist area with out getting robbed or killed", it's clear from what you wrote that you've never ever lived in Thailand and I doubt that your holiday here was longer than two weeks because what you know and understand about the country is absolutely zero!

I respect what you have to say and your opinion, including your summary of my involvement in Thailand, I have been involved with Thailand since 1987, lived in Thailand from 2006-2011, developed properties and built housing, my wife and family are great people as they live in a small farming community.

I stick by what I said as my experience with the Thai tourist areas and Thais in general that go to the tourist areas to make a buck however they can.

Don't attack what you don't understand as everyone has different experiences and views.

[manhood]

Maybe Thailand was a land of smile ages ago!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now it's not a safe country to travel (yes i know other countries might be also not save but there is no reason to keep the truth as a secret ) and the truth is that more and more Thailand is getting unsafe for the tourists and the expats living in Thailand.

If there is no free press it means there is a pressure from the government not to write and report about the truth and keep an imagination up to life ! Thailand is getting worser and worser by the time. Too bad for this country and the people as there are also a lot of Thais who adore a better ruled country to develop their life to a better life!

[hottrader77]

people should try to smile abit more then they will see a thai smile back at them , the girls always say when you talk to them that you have got a nice smile that means thais love you to smile , there are alot of miserable people out there who are jealous at thais smiling and being happy because they are not , i myself smile alot and am a happy person so thailand is the land of smiles for me . True there is alot of bull shit but hey is"nt there bull shitting everywhere in the world , alot of MPs in uk bull shit all the time

Simon Calder who has written this piece must be one of those lazy supposedly freelance story tellers that peddle in sensationalism the world over where english speaking tourists travel for a cheaper , warmer holidays and excursions, filling in spaces in newspapers and more over getting them to sell is a disapearing fact of life,

Get on any train or bus here and smile at 99.99 of locals you will get one back , jump on a tube in England all eyes are in books or magazines or the dying newspapers, Sydney is the same, New York gez don't look at anyone let alone smile , (stalker or crazy mother ucker) ,

If a smile is given it is returned how ever bashful , has been my experience and will continue to be until i am smoke in the WAT.

If writing garbage gets you paid ,well i am sure most of all T, V, F readers would be able to pen the same deliquent soap opera crap,

"Get on any train or bus here and smile at 99.99 of locals you will get one back ...."

try the bts / sky train .... they smile at their mobiles and tablets and they even don't notice you re in front of them

[ronwparker]

For those ex-pats like me who have been here for years we know that 'The Land of smiles' is just TOT propaganda

[scotchonrocks]

My take on it is that Thai culture has been influenced from outside and unfortunately, some of the practices that have been embraced have been among the worst parts (such as materialism and consumerism). I don't advocate that our native countries have done it right either, its just that Thailand has probably adapted worse to it.

The other point to remember is that the gap between haves and have nots is huge and in such society this leads to tensions particularly among the poor. Unfortunately the 'rip off the farang' attitude is caused by the exclusiveness and proprietory nature of Thai culture creating very much a 'them and us' posture.

I feel sad for Thailand and in particular the 'have-nots' who are held back by a lack of education.

Unless there is a groudswell of change driven by the government, unfortunately, the situation is more likely going to deteriorate. I do hope that I am wrong.

[61guitarman61]

It's a beautiful place and what the 'more thai than thai' posters forget is that the people who complain about Thailand actually love the country but are disappointed when it seems to let itself down so badly and so often.

That's a very broad statement with some truth attached to it. Most farang love ASPECTS of Thailand. They love the exotic nature of being someplace on the other side of the globe from where they lived their entire lives. They love the strange, albeit tasty, foods that their pallets never experienced before. They love the surface of apparently friendly people. They love how far their pensions go with the favourable exchange rate on currency.

They hate the roadway driving experience with some of the worst drivers on the planet sharing the roads with you. (More accurately owning the roads that you attempt to drive on.) They hate the zero effort to try to communicate except when the money is being transacted. They hate the double standard of pricing and policy between Thai and farang. They hate the blatant racism demonstrated especially toward the Burmese.

All things considered there is only a select group of long term foreign residents who truly love Thailand for being Thai culture. Thai culture, language, education, sensibilities, rule of law, and overall treatment of foreigners are all quite distasteful and abrasive.

[Keesters]

Personally I see Thais smile to me all the time. It happens whenever they try to sell something to me or when I am paying for something. Other than that, if you watch them walking by or driving past or standing somewhere, they never smile.

The most smiley faces I see are 4th & 5th Graders leaving school on their motorcycles helmet-less.

[61guitarman61]

It makes me smile how people deliberately seek out the areas where prostitutes, hustlers, pimps and scammers ply their trade, and then tell us that Thailand is a dangerous place.

Very true.

[camble]

You can be the victim of random violence anywhere in the world. Thailand is more safe than most popular tourist destinations.

What you say about random violence anywhere in the world is factual. But to say Thailand is more safe than other popular tourist destinations is rather naive. I've been in the north of Thailand for 6 years and have never once felt threatened or in danger. Those who choose to frequent or dwell in the truly tourist areas like Pattaya or Phuket or Samui or Koh Whatever, are indeed asking for trouble as organized crime is there in force as well. People are much different in those areas than in non tourist places. But they are still generally haughty and racist. And they like farang money everywhere in Thailand.

I don't live in the north of Thailand. I live in Bangkok (Nana-Asoke). Previously, I've lived in Pattaya for three years. I have never once felt threatened or in danger.

[flyingdoc]

I still find people smiling without any ulterior motive !

[whiterussian]

I guess it's only dangerous when you forget there are folk here who will murder you at the drop of a hat, or the loss of some face...

If you keep that in mind, and deal with folk appropriately, everything'll be just fine
Maybe the next gen wont have white-whiskey brain damage...

I still prefer this place x1000 to Africa, they'll kill you for nothing there...

Edited March 2, 2016 by whiterussian

[GAZZPA]

And you wonder why Thailand is now getting closer to China and Russia and becoming less interested in improving relationships with the West, when foreign media publishes a second grade piece of journalism that damns the entire country. I mean, what does that article actually say and why is it newsworthy, a short piece that reminds everyone that nowhere in the world is 100% safe, sad.

The report is giving information about the increasing frequency of unprovoked attacks in Thailand and the warnings from multiples of Tourist Authorities, what's wrong with that?

Are you Thai? Or have you been here long enough to be xenophobic about Thailand. Do you not see the constant reports of violence against foreigners? Do you not here the attitude many Thai's have towards foreigners? This has been written about by many, including Thais who are ashamed of their country mens behavior.

You can live with head buried in the sand but I would rather be informed if I were making a choice for a holiday destination..

[BestBitterPhuket]

Much worse than crime is the thousands of lives taken every year in the traffic. NOTHING is done to improve road safety for tourists or locals. That is a story that deserves much bigger headlines.

[RtotheC]

Still safer than the states, that's not even up for debate.

[whiterussian]

Much worse than crime is the thousands of lives taken every year in the traffic. NOTHING is done to improve road safety for tourists or locals. That is a story that deserves much bigger headlines.

Often think they should make public service announcements between soaps. Lesson #1 can be overtaking into oncoming traffic, or on a bend... add some cartoon sound effects.

Dodged an oncoming hilux this am in my lane, gave him the finger. He didn't shoot me - which is nice... it's not all bad.

[JAG]

And you wonder why Thailand is now getting closer to China and Russia and becoming less interested in improving relationships with the West, when foreign media publishes a second grade piece of journalism that damns the entire country. I mean, what does that article actually say and why is it newsworthy, a short piece that reminds everyone that nowhere in the world is 100% safe, sad.

And you wonder why Thailand is now getting closer to China and Russia and becoming less interested in improving relationships with the West, when foreign media publishes a second grade piece of journalism that damns the entire country. I mean, what does that article actually say and why is it newsworthy, a short piece that reminds everyone that nowhere in the world is 100% safe, sad.

It's called 'Click Bait'.

really ? is it baiting ? by the way , does this vid remind you something ?

http://video.toggle.sg/en/series/undercover-asia-s3/ep7/377702

http://images.toggle.sg/images/01031601421170_640X360.JPG

Call it what you will, it's simple not an article that's worthy of a national UK broadsheet, it doesn't say anything, it's not newsworthy, it's a page filler. If you want to write and publish a serious piece on the subject then fine, something that is balanced and actually says something, the posted article is neither balanced, factual nor informative.

"The Independent" is in the process of going bust. The print version ceases publication this month I believe, leaving only an online edition. It used to have some pretty good journalists, ( and excellent photographers) although I personally found it smug and lacking a sense of humour.

The good (expensive) journalists have gone, which rather explains what has happened here.

That said there is a case for taking a long hard look at how some of these resort islands are run - and the Thai authorities seem reluctant to do so.