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

[chiang mai]

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.

For some people it's just too difficult to accept that their 'paradise' retirement place is not what it turned out to be so they do everything they can to protect it, even if that means sticking their heads deep in the sand. I know it's kind of embarrassing towards the family back home to have to confess that you bought a condo in the wrong country, after all, they all kept telling you to go to Spain. It's a fact that TH is becoming more and more violent so it's not exactly click baiting. Back in the day when many of us started coming here, late 90's, it really was the land of smiles. TH was extremely chilled out. When you have a look now you can see a huge difference. There are murders and violent attacks almost every week. Some people will argue and say it only seems like that because everything is published on the internet these days compared to back then, when it was all covered up or only the biggest stories would end up on the news or in the papers. Not true. The atmosphere was different. People were really laid back and smiling a lot. Since the greed took over there has been a huge increase in gun ownership, drug addiction, murders, abuse, rape, scamming, etc, etc. It's just a fact. So to say TH is the same chilled out place as 15 years ago is wishful thinking. To all you guys who just turned up between 2005 and now; this is all you know so yes, if you compare TH to the US or the UK or Syria it still is paradise but for us long termers it's not the place it used to be. We can see the sharp increase in all sorts of crime and a large decrease in smiles. As for tourists; I'm glad I've done all that back then already. I wouldn't want to be a tourist in TH these days with so many 'sharks' trying to get your cash out of your pocket in any possible way; jet skis, canopy walking, elephants, tigers, ladyboys, tuk tuks, etc, etc, etc. The list is endless.

I understand too that some of you guys live up in sticks and some of these places are still very chilled out so to you it might seem as if TH is still the same as 10 years ago but reality is different in the tourist places, incl BKK.

Once again, if a journo. wants to write a balanced piece about crime in Thailand that sets out facts, I'll salute it. My ire is not about the message but about the quality of journalism involved, it's really really poor and shouldn't be allowed in UK broadsheets.

As for the message the article tries to give: there's no data or facts in their to allow anyone to conclude on the subject. You say it's a fact that Thailand is becoming more dangerous, I say prove it with facts. You say "there's been a huge increase in gun ownership, drug addiction, murders, abuse, rape, scamming:, where do the facts that support your claim come from and can we see them please or did you just pull those statements from a dark hole!

I see that tourist numbers increase every year so I would expect the proportion of crime victims to increase but that in itself doesn't mean that Thailand is more dangerous, the percentage of victims to visitors I would guess remains very similar.

And I see that RTA's have increased ridiculously, if that's your sole argument my response is, I thought this was about crime figures!

As for the condo etc: I sold mine several years ago and two years ago bought a house and where I live is quite idyllic, mostly away from tourists and a long way from Pattaya and Phuket.

[swerver]

Mot Dang and Dave have hit the nail on the head- it is the same thought for me- Thailand was paradise 50 years ago when I first came. The influx of technology and mass tourism have changed Thailand forever and not for the better.. Thais will still smile when you smile first. That is part of their psyche but what has also developed is a deep seated anger that whatever they do, no matter how long they work- they cannot seem to get ahead. Just like in other countries- the wealth is in the hands of a minority and greed has become good. Watch the faces of Thais commuting to work on buses or the Skytrain- most are exhausted. Children still trying to get home from school at 8 or 9 pm. I wouldn't smile either. Then there are the hordes of tourists that have descended on the country fueling the abuse of alcohol and fodder for the ever increasing prostitution industry which supports families who cannot get ahead working a normal job. Do you really think the average Thai person loves foreigners drunk and debauching their children. I am not a moralist preaching to anyone- I am just tell you the reality and its tough to see the real truth.

Thailand is a society built on a class structure in which people have been taught from birth to avoid confrontation; follow the teachings of Buddhism and accept the inevitable. The problem is that as the society has developed- the land does not provide enough food; children want to be educated; a consumer society has developed; and tourism and technology has opened the eyes of the population.When you learn to speak and understand Thai- you see Thailand in a different light than the tourist who comes here for a short stay. Thais you meet initially always have their mask on. It takes a long time to get them to remove it. Sometimes when they remove it- we don't like what we see.. After the new millennium arrived we are seeing more and more Thais without that mask .We either accept it, adapt or move one. As we say in Thailand- Up To You.

I first came to Thailand mid fifties and live now in Thailand uninterrupted in retirement since 1994. With all these years as a background I would write the above thesis without changing a word. Thaidream a job well done. I have copied it and put it in my computer archive files about Thailand.

Again many thanks for a thesis well done.

[Andster 68]

I have never had a confrontation with a Thai person in 50 years-other than my wife- and I have never felt superior or felt that any Thai was below me no matter what so please do not generalize about someone being old or older not understanding how to behave or how to interact with the Thai population. Thais by nature were and still are friendly to foreigners and act in polite ways towards other Thais. This is part of the mask they al wear. However, I understand completely how they have grown up and the challenges they now face as a society. Their dependence on mass tourism has brought the good, the bad and the ugly into Thailand and fueled a large increase in the vices that keep them coming. Unless you know a Thai person a long time- they will never open up to you exactly how they feel about you' the World or their hopes and dreams. They keep it inside- suppress their feelings' hide the truth and then when confronted- it will come out in a way that is shocking and often violent. You can see this every day if you stay in Thailand long term.

the three most important rules for living a stress free existence in Thailand are Never Get into a Confrontation with a Thai Person; Never raise your voice; Always Smile.

Not generalizing, it was just an observation, the older generation were brought up and educated differently. After all It was in their grand parents time that a great deal of South East Asia was under the British armies boots.

Asian subservience that remained after European and American domination I believe was misunderstood by many as docile and naive friendliness (smiling all the time and obeying).

Lamenting this behavior by the locals is unfortunately racist in my opinion. Most folks who remember this behavior are quite aged. No offence.

You don't sound like you go around with a scowling face and a racist attitude so I wasn't referring to you or others with your excellent attitude. Hats off to you. You are clear and in my opinion correct.

I meant no offence to old people. I'm not far off myself.

[RawboneFunksta]

Thailand is great.

I love the pretty girls, and most of them are pretty and slim

I love the ladyboys who despite their difficulties in life do not adopt victimhood as their native colours but choose instead to just get on with their lives

I love the beaches, the islands and the fact that I can wake up to sunshine most days of the year.

I have no current plans to leave after 5 years or so.

Nodody asks for trouble especially Hannah and David

I have witnessed first hand the ease/speed at which some Thai people can become dangerously violent over a small issue.

I try not to back people into corners from which they cannot save face.

Tourists don't understand that and often simply behave as they would anywhere else in the world if they feel they are being cheated.

This happens fairly regularly to tourists.

The truth is that Thailand has a higher number of gun deaths per annum than the USA.

Drunken tourists often fall foul of a cowardly mob and divers sometimes lose limbs to untrained boat handlers etc

Let's tell the truth about what we see and hear all the time remembering that our opinions are salted by our fondness for the place

Edited March 2, 2016 by RawboneFunksta

[sn1per]

I look around and think.......

where all those beautiful smiles have gone?

Miss them everyday

should make a song about that

[cumgranosalum]

Bangkok is not a 'tourist place'. Sure, parts of it attract tourists, but the that's only a small fraction of the place. Get outside that bubble and it's a different, and mostly friendly place - and certainly not a particularly dangerous one compared to other big cities.

purely subjective view - remember the plural of anecdote is not data.

[useronthenet]

Land of smiles is just an illusion for the tourists ... the 'real' Thailand is only revealed when you have lived here for many years.

[crazydrummerpauly]

Get more smiling and happy banter in the streets and shops of Blighty than you'll ever see in the incorrectly titled Land of Smiles - the most fraudulent piece of propaganda ever seen in the travel business.

[louse1953]

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,

You haven't been to any of those places for a while have you.95% are glued to the phone.

[aslimversgwm]

So very well written and stated. I have only lived here for 7 years + but still enjoy it most of the time and really can't think of a nicer place to retire too - despite everything. And boy have I had some 'experiences'! I like many of my farang friends living here could write a book about them! But deep down we love it here. The L O S it is indeed.

[sunnyjim5]

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!

@chiangmai : at the opposite, you must have a very long experience of leaving in a small village lost in the middle of the ricefields without putting a foot outside after the sunset

I have twelve years experience of living here, I live in the middle of some very beautiful rice fields and I go out after dark frequently. But I also lived in Patong for four years, just off Nanai and a stones throw from Bangla.

You certainly picked a "high class" area of Patong in which to live

[louse1953]

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.

Unless/until Thailand has a semblance of a democracy, they will have problems dealing with the West.

However China and Russia have no such compunction.

Haver you not noticed how other similar governments seem inextricably drawn to either Russia or China?

Why would they want to deal with the West, all the Western countries are broke, and their "Leaders" a bunch of war criminals. Put your prejudice's aside, China and Russia are the future economically as they have no external debt, and they have vast quantities of Real gold. Regarding the safety of travel in Thailand, its as safe as you can be if you understand Thai people, who are generally a emotionally immature People, and unsure of themselves, observe their faces when they are unaware, usually tight lipped or scowling, many rural Thais are filled with bitterness, (this from my Thai wife of 21yrs) and as another post noticed they are the most dangerous, I know this from personal knowledge and experienced, avoid rural Thai teens they are Very! dangerous if they have even sniffed the fumes from a bottle of laow khaow. But after all this apparent negativity, I love living here, I avoid ALL contact with Thais other than shopping.Every month or so I will get into my Vigo champ and take off for a 2 day drive around the quiet rural roads of jangwat Loei, admiring the views and tranquillity of the silence when I stop and go for a stroll. Thailand safest place in the world for this Farang.

Love living here but avoid all Thais.Xenophobic or what.What ever floats your boat.

Edited March 2, 2016 by louse1953

[61guitarman61]

LOS: land of scams and dirty beaches

If you look at scams they are rarely aimed at honest citizens but greedy idiots. As for dirty beaches why not help to clean them? That is a small price to give back to all the beautiful things we receive everyday from living in Thailand

Some filthy tourists actually add to the dirty beaches, but out is Thailand itself that made them disgusting. Look around and you see the lack of care by all locals. And why should those benefiting Thailand with billions of baht in tourist revenue also clean their mess for them?

[sn1per]

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

Did I miss anything?

If you never go, you'll never know

[KenKadz]

What is not being talked about is the number of rapes of foreign women by Thai man, and/or the number of farang deaths at the hands of Thai nationals. Maybe Thais do not like the competition by Cambodian and Myanmar offenders.

[SoiBiker]

Get more smiling and happy banter in the streets and shops of Blighty than you'll ever see in the incorrectly titled Land of Smiles - the most fraudulent piece of propaganda ever seen in the travel business.

You must not have been home for a while.

[chiang mai]

"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!

@chiangmai : at the opposite, you must have a very long experience of leaving in a small village lost in the middle of the ricefields without putting a foot outside after the sunset

I have twelve years experience of living here, I live in the middle of some very beautiful rice fields and I go out after dark frequently. But I also lived in Patong for four years, just off Nanai and a stones throw from Bangla.

You certainly picked a "high class" area of Patong in which to live

They don't call it Beverley Hills for nothing but then you wouldn't know where that is, would you!

[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.

For some people it's just too difficult to accept that their 'paradise' retirement place is not what it turned out to be so they do everything they can to protect it, even if that means sticking their heads deep in the sand. I know it's kind of embarrassing towards the family back home to have to confess that you bought a condo in the wrong country, after all, they all kept telling you to go to Spain. It's a fact that TH is becoming more and more violent so it's not exactly click baiting. Back in the day when many of us started coming here, late 90's, it really was the land of smiles. TH was extremely chilled out. When you have a look now you can see a huge difference. There are murders and violent attacks almost every week. Some people will argue and say it only seems like that because everything is published on the internet these days compared to back then, when it was all covered up or only the biggest stories would end up on the news or in the papers. Not true. The atmosphere was different. People were really laid back and smiling a lot. Since the greed took over there has been a huge increase in gun ownership, drug addiction, murders, abuse, rape, scamming, etc, etc. It's just a fact. So to say TH is the same chilled out place as 15 years ago is wishful thinking. To all you guys who just turned up between 2005 and now; this is all you know so yes, if you compare TH to the US or the UK or Syria it still is paradise but for us long termers it's not the place it used to be. We can see the sharp increase in all sorts of crime and a large decrease in smiles. As for tourists; I'm glad I've done all that back then already. I wouldn't want to be a tourist in TH these days with so many 'sharks' trying to get your cash out of your pocket in any possible way; jet skis, canopy walking, elephants, tigers, ladyboys, tuk tuks, etc, etc, etc. The list is endless.

I understand too that some of you guys live up in sticks and some of these places are still very chilled out so to you it might seem as if TH is still the same as 10 years ago but reality is different in the tourist places, incl BKK.

Once again, if a journo. wants to write a balanced piece about crime in Thailand that sets out facts, I'll salute it. My ire is not about the message but about the quality of journalism involved, it's really really poor and shouldn't be allowed in UK broadsheets.

As for the message the article tries to give: there's no data or facts in their to allow anyone to conclude on the subject. You say it's a fact that Thailand is becoming more dangerous, I say prove it with facts. You say "there's been a huge increase in gun ownership, drug addiction, murders, abuse, rape, scamming:, where do the facts that support your claim come from and can we see them please or did you just pull those statements from a dark hole!

I see that tourist numbers increase every year so I would expect the proportion of crime victims to increase but that in itself doesn't mean that Thailand is more dangerous, the percentage of victims to visitors I would guess remains very similar.

And I see that RTA's have increased ridiculously, if that's your sole argument my response is, I thought this was about crime figures!

As for the condo etc: I sold mine several years ago and two years ago bought a house and where I live is quite idyllic, mostly away from tourists and a long way from Pattaya and Phuket.

Seriously, in todays age of the internet and access to almost infinite data could you to just do some "googling" for yourself to see that crime is on the increase. It took me 5 seconds to get to a Wikipedia page quoting the New York Times. Of course the Thai officials disputed the facts saying just it is a modest increase since the Coup but whats new, Thailand is a xenophobic society that will not publish anything that could harm the reputation / tourist industry of Thailand. To make it easier for you i have attached link, there are many more if you care to look.

The facts are that crime IS on the increase, gun crime particularly is now allegedly on a par with the US, this is a big move forward. Juvenile crime, muggings, robbery, rape and murder are all on the increase.

I also have to ask you, why do you make a point of saying that you are well away from Bangkok and Pattaya? Is it because the capital and one of the biggest cities in Thailand you know to be rampant with crime? i suspect so.

So, I go back to my point, it is ok if you are hiding away in the middle of nowhere then of course you won't see what everyone else in the cities is seeing, so i conclude you are not really qualified to answer the question clearly.

But there are statistics to back up the claim and feeling that people are seeing and hearing of more crime then ever before. Please gather the facts and do some research for yourself before you accuse people of not having an open mind and believing "poor journalism".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Thailand

[gyrosman]

I've learn in the several years here, I always carry my 9m with me now. They wish to hassle this 60yr old American will be their last breath on this planet. I don't bother them but, little dumb shi***** Thai be careful the next time you try to hurt a tourist.

[chiang mai]

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.

For some people it's just too difficult to accept that their 'paradise' retirement place is not what it turned out to be so they do everything they can to protect it, even if that means sticking their heads deep in the sand. I know it's kind of embarrassing towards the family back home to have to confess that you bought a condo in the wrong country, after all, they all kept telling you to go to Spain. It's a fact that TH is becoming more and more violent so it's not exactly click baiting. Back in the day when many of us started coming here, late 90's, it really was the land of smiles. TH was extremely chilled out. When you have a look now you can see a huge difference. There are murders and violent attacks almost every week. Some people will argue and say it only seems like that because everything is published on the internet these days compared to back then, when it was all covered up or only the biggest stories would end up on the news or in the papers. Not true. The atmosphere was different. People were really laid back and smiling a lot. Since the greed took over there has been a huge increase in gun ownership, drug addiction, murders, abuse, rape, scamming, etc, etc. It's just a fact. So to say TH is the same chilled out place as 15 years ago is wishful thinking. To all you guys who just turned up between 2005 and now; this is all you know so yes, if you compare TH to the US or the UK or Syria it still is paradise but for us long termers it's not the place it used to be. We can see the sharp increase in all sorts of crime and a large decrease in smiles. As for tourists; I'm glad I've done all that back then already. I wouldn't want to be a tourist in TH these days with so many 'sharks' trying to get your cash out of your pocket in any possible way; jet skis, canopy walking, elephants, tigers, ladyboys, tuk tuks, etc, etc, etc. The list is endless.

I understand too that some of you guys live up in sticks and some of these places are still very chilled out so to you it might seem as if TH is still the same as 10 years ago but reality is different in the tourist places, incl BKK.

Once again, if a journo. wants to write a balanced piece about crime in Thailand that sets out facts, I'll salute it. My ire is not about the message but about the quality of journalism involved, it's really really poor and shouldn't be allowed in UK broadsheets.

As for the message the article tries to give: there's no data or facts in their to allow anyone to conclude on the subject. You say it's a fact that Thailand is becoming more dangerous, I say prove it with facts. You say "there's been a huge increase in gun ownership, drug addiction, murders, abuse, rape, scamming:, where do the facts that support your claim come from and can we see them please or did you just pull those statements from a dark hole!

I see that tourist numbers increase every year so I would expect the proportion of crime victims to increase but that in itself doesn't mean that Thailand is more dangerous, the percentage of victims to visitors I would guess remains very similar.

And I see that RTA's have increased ridiculously, if that's your sole argument my response is, I thought this was about crime figures!

As for the condo etc: I sold mine several years ago and two years ago bought a house and where I live is quite idyllic, mostly away from tourists and a long way from Pattaya and Phuket.

Seriously, in todays age of the internet and access to almost infinite data could you to just do some "googling" for yourself to see that crime is on the increase. It took me 5 seconds to get to a Wikipedia page quoting the New York Times. Of course the Thai officials disputed the facts saying just it is a modest increase since the Coup but whats new, Thailand is a xenophobic society that will not publish anything that could harm the reputation / tourist industry of Thailand. To make it easier for you i have attached link, there are many more if you care to look.

The facts are that crime IS on the increase, gun crime particularly is now allegedly on a par with the US, this is a big move forward. Juvenile crime, muggings, robbery, rape and murder are all on the increase.

I also have to ask you, why do you make a point of saying that you are well away from Bangkok and Pattaya? Is it because the capital and one of the biggest cities in Thailand you know to be rampant with crime? i suspect so.

So, I go back to my point, it is ok if you are hiding away in the middle of nowhere then of course you won't see what everyone else in the cities is seeing, so i conclude you are not really qualified to answer the question clearly.

But there are statistics to back up the claim and feeling that people are seeing and hearing of more crime then ever before. Please gather the facts and do some research for yourself before you accuse people of not having an open mind and believing "poor journalism".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Thailand

If there were conclusive statistics on crime on the internet we wouldn't be having this chat, there aren't hence we disagree on matters. But to be clear, I agree that crime against foriegners is probably on the increase but remains proportionate to the increase in tourist numbers.

And that crime is I believe centered around the key tourist areas, Pattaya and Phuket predominantly.

And whilst my home is in a semi-rural location, a million miles apart from the Thailand most tourists see, I do spend much time in Chiang Mai and in fairly recent times in Bangkok and other cities in Thailand, including in Phuket where I lived for four years.

Posting a link to wiki. doesn't cut it I'm afraid, neither does simply saying you think there's more crime because more people are reading more about crime, mostly just a feeling that there is, the argument needs a lot more than to prove the case..

[Peter Strand]

Sure, Thailand is the land of smiles, but you have to know that Thais smile always, if they like you, if they lie, if they hate you, if they know or don't know something. My advise: Do not give anything on a smile from a Thai person. It simply means nothing.

[chiang mai]

"Violent crimes against foreigners are relatively rare. However, murders, rapes, and assaults do occur. These crimes happen most often at night. Frequently, victims, both male and female, have been drinking and are often alone or separated from travelling companions. These crimes have occurred all over Thailand but are most common in Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, and tourist areas in southern Thailand, including Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Krabi.

https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=15530

Probably slightly better than wiki as a source but certainly an opposite view.

and

"No doubt, killings and sexual assaults are bound to happen in a country with a huge under-represented and semi-impoverished population that welcomes more than 25 million foreign visitors a year. In the wake of the killing of a British tourist on at the Full Moon Party in Koh Panghan last year, the British Foreign office warned of “vicious, unprovoked attacks by gangs.” Yet official murder rates of foreigners are not especially high in the kingdom. It is rather the lax attitude of investigating authorities and the perception that well connected Thais can get away with murder which creates an unsavory image that may damage Thailand’s reputation to a greater extent than the crimes themselves".

http://thediplomat.com/2014/10/thailand-murder-in-the-land-of-smiles/

Edited March 2, 2016 by chiang mai

[RigPig]

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!

@chiangmai : at the opposite, you must have a very long experience of leaving in a small village lost in the middle of the ricefields without putting a foot outside after the sunset

I have twelve years experience of living here, I live in the middle of some very beautiful rice fields and I go out after dark frequently. But I also lived in Patong for four years, just off Nanai and a stones throw from Bangla.

The fact you live among rice paddy's says it all IMO!!

My retirement plan is to marry a Thai lady with 3 kids from 5 different fathers, move to Isaan (in the middle of a bunch of rice paddy;s) watch the chickens, ducks and dogs all day while drinking Archer beer, and eating som tam, under the sala with all my Thai mates. Build a house on the family land and subsidise a corner store in the village. Unfortunately I haven't met the right girl at the bar yet, but I am sure that given enough time I can pull it off !!! I just LOVE fried crickets but the legs get stuck between my teeth.....

Good luck....

[DaveinAsia]

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.

For some people it's just too difficult to accept that their 'paradise' retirement place is not what it turned out to be so they do everything they can to protect it, even if that means sticking their heads deep in the sand. I know it's kind of embarrassing towards the family back home to have to confess that you bought a condo in the wrong country, after all, they all kept telling you to go to Spain. It's a fact that TH is becoming more and more violent so it's not exactly click baiting. Back in the day when many of us started coming here, late 90's, it really was the land of smiles. TH was extremely chilled out. When you have a look now you can see a huge difference. There are murders and violent attacks almost every week. Some people will argue and say it only seems like that because everything is published on the internet these days compared to back then, when it was all covered up or only the biggest stories would end up on the news or in the papers. Not true. The atmosphere was different. People were really laid back and smiling a lot. Since the greed took over there has been a huge increase in gun ownership, drug addiction, murders, abuse, rape, scamming, etc, etc. It's just a fact. So to say TH is the same chilled out place as 15 years ago is wishful thinking. To all you guys who just turned up between 2005 and now; this is all you know so yes, if you compare TH to the US or the UK or Syria it still is paradise but for us long termers it's not the place it used to be. We can see the sharp increase in all sorts of crime and a large decrease in smiles. As for tourists; I'm glad I've done all that back then already. I wouldn't want to be a tourist in TH these days with so many 'sharks' trying to get your cash out of your pocket in any possible way; jet skis, canopy walking, elephants, tigers, ladyboys, tuk tuks, etc, etc, etc. The list is endless.

I understand too that some of you guys live up in sticks and some of these places are still very chilled out so to you it might seem as if TH is still the same as 10 years ago but reality is different in the tourist places, incl BKK.

Once again, if a journo. wants to write a balanced piece about crime in Thailand that sets out facts, I'll salute it. My ire is not about the message but about the quality of journalism involved, it's really really poor and shouldn't be allowed in UK broadsheets.

As for the message the article tries to give: there's no data or facts in their to allow anyone to conclude on the subject. You say it's a fact that Thailand is becoming more dangerous, I say prove it with facts. You say "there's been a huge increase in gun ownership, drug addiction, murders, abuse, rape, scamming:, where do the facts that support your claim come from and can we see them please or did you just pull those statements from a dark hole!

I see that tourist numbers increase every year so I would expect the proportion of crime victims to increase but that in itself doesn't mean that Thailand is more dangerous, the percentage of victims to visitors I would guess remains very similar.

And I see that RTA's have increased ridiculously, if that's your sole argument my response is, I thought this was about crime figures!

As for the condo etc: I sold mine several years ago and two years ago bought a house and where I live is quite idyllic, mostly away from tourists and a long way from Pattaya and Phuket.

You want me to do your Google search for you? Too lazy in your little paradise? 555. Get a secretary mate. Better still, don't Google it. If I lived in a quite idyllic place, I definitely wouldn't be on TVF checking to see what all those bitter old farangs were complaining about No, seriously. If you want to remain happy and contented in your own little fantasy island don't come to this site because it will change your perspective of things.

[Andster 68]

I have never had a confrontation with a Thai person in 50 years-other than my wife- and I have never felt superior or felt that any Thai was below me no matter what so please do not generalize about someone being old or older not understanding how to behave or how to interact with the Thai population. Thais by nature were and still are friendly to foreigners and act in polite ways towards other Thais. This is part of the mask they al wear. However, I understand completely how they have grown up and the challenges they now face as a society. Their dependence on mass tourism has brought the good, the bad and the ugly into Thailand and fueled a large increase in the vices that keep them coming. Unless you know a Thai person a long time- they will never open up to you exactly how they feel about you' the World or their hopes and dreams. They keep it inside- suppress their feelings' hide the truth and then when confronted- it will come out in a way that is shocking and often violent. You can see this every day if you stay in Thailand long term.

the three most important rules for living a stress free existence in Thailand are Never Get into a Confrontation with a Thai Person; Never raise your voice; Always Smile. Actually one more- never-ever make a Thai lose face. The result could be fatal.

"I've learn in the several years here, I always carry my 9m with me now. They wish to hassle this 60yr old American will be their last breath on this planet. I don't bother them but, little dumb shi***** Thai be careful the next time you try to hurt a tourist."

This is the kind of thing I was on about above when referring to the aged population having a tendency for racism (not all granted).

Interact with the Thai population by shooting at them LOL.

Nice one

[DM07]

Thailand - the Land of Smiles" is one the greatest advertising- successes ever!

IMHO it was never true!

I lived here for more than 8 years and I was never in even a hostile situation- at all!

But guess what?

40 years in Europe and that pretty much boils down to more or less the same!

There are good people here and there, there are mean a-holes here and there, there is crime here and there.

Thailand is no better place than anywhere else or a worse one per se!

It depends mostly on what you are looking for and what you make out of it and how you keep your sanity!

If you belong to the "thai'er than Thai"- brigade or the "if you don't like it, go home"- brigade, you lost most of your sanity already!

You are just a sheep!

[chiang mai]

Some of you guys are just too funny. You're bound and determined to believe the rumor and because some unknown source on the internet claims it is true you believe it must be, even though the US State Dept. and others says to the contrary. And of course I couldn't possibly be right either, even though I've lived here for X years etc etc the fact that I now live near rice fields means I can't possibly know. And wait, Wiki., that fountain of all truth and knowledge says it is so hence it must be so!

I'm really cool with whatever you want to believe on this score, if you want to live your life in fear of crime here in Thailand then so be it, your choice. And if all of that makes you less likely to visit, that's really cool too, if nothing else it will certainly improve the average IQ of the population! Me, I'm going to continue to look for facts and stats. that actually describe something other than emotion and suspicion, when I find them I'll post again.

[loll]

I personally rate The Independant as one of the worest media establishments when it comes to credibility,professional honesty and,guess what,independance!!!.This poltically controlled paper is an example of how big the disgusting lie of British independant media is.

[lkv]

... because some unknown source on the internet claims it is true you believe it must be, even though the US State Dept. and others says to the contrary.

Most citizens coming from more developed countries would question whatever their own Government is saying, regardless of whether they are from the US, Europe, Australia etc.

Governments have a fetish in regards to manipulating the masses.

The best results are obtained in relatively poor countries.

Edited March 2, 2016 by lkv

[chiang mai]

... because some unknown source on the internet claims it is true you believe it must be, even though the US State Dept. and others says to the contrary.

Most citizens coming from more developed countries would question whatever their own Government is saying, regardless of whether they are from the US, Europe, Australia etc.

Governments have a fetish in regards to manipulating the masses.

The best results are obtained in relatively poor countries.

Believing you're being manipulated by your government, there's a name for that condition is there not.

http://mentalillnesspolicy.org/medical/schizophrenia-delusions.html