Farang petty crime over-publicized?

[Gecko123]

Lately, I've been struck by the drum beat of news reports about foreigners committing petty crimes in the Thai (and English) language news feeds.

 

Recent examples: the two English gents who stole a drone on Koh Samui; the two women shoplifting clothes from a curbside vendor in Krabi; a Chinese tourist stealing from a temple donation box, and a foreign tourist apprehended at the airport after he stole a computer case from a store.

 

Seems kind of light in terms of newsworthiness, doesn't it? I mean, shoplifting doesn't usually make the news back home, does it? Is this reporting being encouraged because it feeds into the government message that Thailand needs to be more selective in who it lets into the Kingdom? Is it promoting an idea that foreigners can't be trusted? Or maybe that it's ok to take advantage of foreigners because they are ripping Thais off? 

 

What's going on here?

 

 

[bbi1]

It's just one big conspiracy theory

[bannork]

Tourists  are supposed to have money so when they are caught stealing and robbing it's news.

Like a monk with amphetamines and a wife.

[giddyup]

Name and shame.

[pgrahmm]

They should all be publicized.....

 

Each & every one.....

 

No matter whether a tourist or not.....Might help to point out that we are not as entitled as some believe themselves to be....To take those risks in a foreign country is the height of stupidity......

[JohnJay]

Thais seem to think that all foreigners are very wealthy. It's extremely strange the 25-year-old white guy doesn't spend 700,000 baht on a brand new pick up truck for the girlfriend he's known 5 months, why is he cheap Charlie? Surely he has millions and millions? It's hard to draw the line at what is said to save face, or make others lose face, and what they actually believe sometimes.

[chickenslegs]

3 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

What's going on here?

IMHO - It's just business.

 

News sources need our clicks (or need us to buy newspapers, etc.) to boost their revenue. Stories about crime, especially about foreigners committing crime (shoplifting or otherwise) get our attention - therefore reporters are keen to find these stories.

 

If we didn't click they wouldn't publish this cr4p (I'm not excluding myself from the blame).

 

Another factor is that this is very inexpensive journalism. No need to send reporters all around the country to spend months investigating matters of real public interest (e.g. corruption in almost every public office). Just need to phone the local police station and get all the daily crime stories and gossip. 

 

My two-penn'orth

 

 

 

[Gecko123]

11 hours ago, pgrahmm said:

They should all be publicized.....

 

Each & every one.....

 

No matter whether a tourist or not.....Might help to point out that we are not as entitled as some believe themselves to be....To take those risks in a foreign country is the height of stupidity......

It is surprising how many people take the risk of committing petty thefts over here. Thrill seeking? Impulsiveness? Free souvenirs?

[Gecko123]

8 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

IMHO - It's just business.

 

News sources need our clicks (or need us to buy newspapers, etc.) to boost their revenue. Stories about crime, especially about foreigners committing crime (shoplifting or otherwise) get our attention - therefore reporters are keen to find these stories.

 

If we didn't click they wouldn't publish this cr4p (I'm not excluding myself from the blame).

 

Another factor is that this is very inexpensive journalism. No need to send reporters all around the country to spend months investigating matters of real public interest (e.g. corruption in almost every public office). Just need to phone the local police station and get all the daily crime stories and gossip. 

 

My two-penn'orth

 

 

 

Agree that inexpensive journalism is a big factor - whatever shows up in a Facebook news feed is broadcast.

[Gecko123]

11 hours ago, bannork said:

Tourists  are supposed to have money so when they are caught stealing and robbing it's news.

Like a monk with amphetamines and a wife.

Good point about being more newsworthy when a foreigner does it because it's not expected, but I do wonder at times whether the media is trying to influence public perceptions about foreigners.

[bbi1]

10 hours ago, JohnJay said:

It's extremely strange the 25-year-old white guy doesn't spend 700,000 baht on a brand new pick up truck for the girlfriend he's known 5 months, why is he cheap Charlie? Surely he has millions and millions?

Most likely because he's not a stupid idiotic person who likes to be a walking ATM or a rug people walk over :)

[pgrahmm]

3 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

It is surprising how many people take the risk of committing petty thefts over here. Thrill seeking? Impulsiveness? Free souvenirs?

While visiting Mexico on a goodwill sports tour a few years back we heard about a guy that tried to take a pair of flip flops from a local store = 4 years - and Mexico doesn't provide meals (we were told).....It's up to the inmate's families to supply....

[Chou Anou]

I don't know where you're from, OP, but in my country, tourists do not as a rule tend to engage in criminal activity. So yeah, it's news.

[NoshowJones]

On 6/14/2017 at 6:55 PM, giddyup said:

Name and shame.

Yes, but only if they are prepared to compensate anyone who is found to be innocent, Oh! wait, a Thai judge finding a farang not guilty????

[Suradit69]

On 6/14/2017 at 10:03 PM, JohnJay said:

It's hard to draw the line at what is said to save face, or make others lose face, and what they actually believe sometimes.

Farangs are all about saving face. This thread, and much of what is posted on TV, is farangs throwing hissy fits ... when they feel they've lost face individually or as members of some mythical tribe ... as well as constant attempts to bash Thais in the mistaken belief that the only way a farang can feel good about himself is by trying to put down Thais.

 

Why on earth should the commission of a crime by a farang not be covered in the news.  If your sense of self worth is so fragile  that you feel threatened by some news story about some low-life farang, maybe you need to find some other way to think of yourself than as a cheerleader for Team Farang.

 

Certainly a high percentage of the threads on TV involve negative things about Thais followed by an orgy of revelry by farang who make mindless comments about Thai culture or education in order to inflate their own shaky egos.

 

 

[Suradit69]

On 6/15/2017 at 8:20 AM, bbi1 said:

Most likely because he's not a stupid idiotic person who likes to be a walking ATM or a rug people walk over :)

... or one of the flood of sex tourists who likes to think of himself as the one who's being exploited.

[RandG]

Not sure it is much different from other countries, other than the newspaper photographs of the "baddy" surrounded by a dozen police officers. In the UK, it would be East Europeans, southern Europe North Africans, US Mexicans etc., etc.

[Gecko123]

1 hour ago, Suradit69 said:

Farangs are all about saving face. This thread, and much of what is posted on TV, is farangs throwing hissy fits ... when they feel they've lost face individually or as members of some mythical tribe ... as well as constant attempts to bash Thais in the mistaken belief that the only way a farang can feel good about himself is by trying to put down Thais.

 

Why on earth should the commission of a crime by a farang not be covered in the news.  If your sense of self worth is so fragile  that you feel threatened by some news story about some low-life farang, maybe you need to find some other way to think of yourself than as a cheerleader for Team Farang.

 

Certainly a high percentage of the threads on TV involve negative things about Thais followed by an orgy of revelry by farang who make mindless comments about Thai culture or education in order to inflate their own shaky egos.

 

 

The topic of the thread was potential over-reporting of PETTY crime committed by foreigners, not the reporting of homicides, dismemberments, arsons, serial murderers, human traffickers, sex crimes, international criminal gangs, etc.

 

You don't see footage of shoplifting and other petty crimes on the nightly news in the west. The government has repeatedly said that Thailand attracts unwelcome criminal elements. The question I posed was whether the media's heavy reporting of petty crime committed by foreigners might be being encouraged by the government because it fits in with its program to clean up immigration.

 

I hope this clarification doesn't deflate anybody's sense of self-righteousness…   

 

 

Edited June 17, 2017 by Gecko123

[connda]

Reporting of all petty crime is simply a reflection of the type of journalism you find in Thailand. Thai papers are the same way.  Melodrama for the masses. These aren't cerebral tomes.  Ya gets whats ya pays for -- free!  Enjoy!  

[Thaidream]

The only way to answer this is by posing the question- whether the news media in Thailand report petty crimes of theft such as we see reported regarding foreigners. I watch Thai news morning and night and I can tell you they don't normally report such things regarding Thais and there must be many daily.

I think they report foreigners- especially western foreigners because Thais consider us all to be wealthy and why would we steal. It is an anomaly to them. They just can't seem to wrap their head around the fact that a foreigner might steal because they can't afford it; or are simply trying to get something free. It's kind of the same mind set when foreigners coming to Thailand see Thais smiling and figure all the smiles must be authentic and Thailand is always wonderful.  Stereotypes.

[Gecko123]

4 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

The only way to answer this is by posing the question- whether the news media in Thailand report petty crimes of theft such as we see reported regarding foreigners. I watch Thai news morning and night and I can tell you they don't normally report such things regarding Thais and there must be many daily.

I think they report foreigners- especially western foreigners because Thais consider us all to be wealthy and why would we steal. It is an anomaly to them. They just can't seem to wrap their head around the fact that a foreigner might steal because they can't afford it; or are simply trying to get something free. It's kind of the same mind set when foreigners coming to Thailand see Thais smiling and figure all the smiles must be authentic and Thailand is always wonderful.  Stereotypes.

Some stations broadcast these petty crime stories more than others. Channels like TPBS and TNN seem to carry these stories less than the main broadcast TV channels 3, 5 and 7. Taking Channel 7 as an example, from about 6:20 am to 6:45 am, it's just one big reel of CCTV footage showing burglaries, shoplifting, sneak thieves, motorcycle theft, traffic accidents, bad driving, etc, mostly involving Thais. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but my impression is that the vast majority of the English language Thailand crime reports originate from and are translated from the Thai media. 

[Si Thea01]

On ‎15‎/‎06‎/‎2017 at 6:46 AM, Gecko123 said:

It is surprising how many people take the risk of committing petty thefts over here. Thrill seeking? Impulsiveness? Free souvenirs?

None of he above. Just thieves.

[Khon Kaen Dave]

On 6/14/2017 at 4:13 PM, chickenslegs said:

IMHO - It's just business.

 

News sources need our clicks (or need us to buy newspapers, etc.) to boost their revenue. Stories about crime, especially about foreigners committing crime (shoplifting or otherwise) get our attention - therefore reporters are keen to find these stories.

 

If we didn't click they wouldn't publish this cr4p (I'm not excluding myself from the blame).

 

Another factor is that this is very inexpensive journalism. No need to send reporters all around the country to spend months investigating matters of real public interest (e.g. corruption in almost every public office). Just need to phone the local police station and get all the daily crime stories and gossip. 

 

My two-penn'orth

 

 

 

Bugger! does this mean i will ave to return the Biro that i walked away with, when i done my 90 days

[Been there done that]

3 hours ago, Suradit69 said:

Farangs are all about saving face. This thread, and much of what is posted on TV, is farangs throwing hissy fits ... when they feel they've lost face individually or as members of some mythical tribe ... as well as constant attempts to bash Thais in the mistaken belief that the only way a farang can feel good about himself is by trying to put down Thais.

 

Why on earth should the commission of a crime by a farang not be covered in the news.  If your sense of self worth is so fragile  that you feel threatened by some news story about some low-life farang, maybe you need to find some other way to think of yourself than as a cheerleader for Team Farang.

 

Certainly a high percentage of the threads on TV involve negative things about Thais followed by an orgy of revelry by farang who make mindless comments about Thai culture or education in order to inflate their own shaky egos.

 

 

I would say that it is pretty mindless to blame foreigners who make mindless comments about Thai culture or education. 

 

Get real mate.

 

[Been there done that]

2 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

The topic of the thread was potential over-reporting of PETTY crime committed by foreigners, not the reporting of homicides, dismemberments, arsons, serial murderers, human traffickers, sex crimes, international criminal gangs, etc.

 

You don't see footage of shoplifting and other petty crimes on the nightly news in the west. The government has repeatedly said that Thailand attracts unwelcome criminal elements. The question I posed was whether the media's heavy reporting of petty crime committed by foreigners might be being encouraged by the government because it fits in with its program to clean up immigration.

 

I hope this clarification doesn't deflate anybody's sense of self-righteousness…   

 

 

One starts as one means to go on. Hopefully you keep your eyes open from now on. 

Thainess is more important than money.

The junta needs scapegoats to deflect the uncaring populace from its true intentions.

[Ulic]

Simple, it is the type of news that sells. For Thais it is a man bites dog type of story.

[chickenslegs]

6 hours ago, Khon Kaen Dave said:

Bugger! does this mean i will ave to return the Biro that i walked away with, when i done my 90 days

Either return it or spend some time in the "pen"

[jacko45k]

It is called distraction. The real issue is crime by locals on tourists.

 

Although I don't mind if a few low-life tourists are given a good lesson.

[Si Thea01]

10 hours ago, Khon Kaen Dave said:

Bugger! does this mean i will ave to return the Biro that i walked away with, when i done my 90 days

So your the one who causes us grief and they stopped putting out the pens and we now have to bring our own. 

[Ian Maxwell]

Well I have commentated on this subject before and although this not main news I do think that the public should know who these petty thieves are and name and shame them this is good for public awareness and is a deterrent for the amateur petty thief ! when you say its not mainstream news neither is football results or who has left who in some stupid TV soap or which gay guy marries a thai man or what some old fart marries a ex porn star that also is not main news either quite honestly is it ? 

I would like to see these stupid idiots prosecuted and sentenced here for their crimes and not sent home with a warning or a ban into the kingdom this would teach them a very good lesson I can assure you ! but instead they are sent back to a country that sees this as petty crime and even ignore it ! and consider it a bad habit so they carry on stealing from others hardly an example is it ? it is a very hard life here to earn a few bucks for the Thais and most thai people respect each others property and don't touch it as its bad Karma ! I have had some very pleasant experiences in regard to this and amazed as well in retrieving my belongings because in Europe the goods would have been gone forever thats for sure ! sad but true if its not bolted down or locked its free game for all what a disgusting way to live ! respect others as you would like to be respected and things will be fine for you and others !