Tokyo business man just ten minutes into first trip to Pattaya - now 50,000 baht lighter

[Tony125]

2 hours ago, nausea said:

Wearing gold jewellery on the street is putting a big sign over your head saying: "Please rob me".

Can happen anywhere especially in "bad"  areas of town/ Had 2 girl cousins in Boston ,MA   USA have gold necklaces pulled off their necks.   1 was in her car at a red light guy reached in open window snatched chain the other cousin was in a an elevated train guy snatched chain as doors of train were closing.

[Tony125]

11 minutes ago, Guitar God said:

That's only a 5 baht chain, hardly unusual. I had a 2 baht chain that was so thin it broke while I was sleeping on a plane so I got the thinnest, most compact 4 baht chain and never had a problem. 

 

I think the secret is wearing it under your shirt, not like Mr. T. 

Doesn't that defeat the purpose of buying/having jewelry bling ? People wear it to show flaunt their worth, just have to know it makes you a target. If going to special occasions I might wear expensive jewelry but if hanging on Walking Street or looking for fun in other areas of Thailand I am not wearing any real gold  and realy don't want to wear fake gold as that could still make me a target.

[dutchbull]

No visible gold wear anywhere...strict rule in any 'third world country!

only a matter of time and Thailand rules this list

[The Deerhunter]

8 hours ago, Thechook said:

Best to just stay completely away from Pattaya

And lots of other places in the world away from Japan, if you insist on wearing valuables looking jewelry.  

How about flash gold jewelry that explodes with indelible purple dye a minute after the chain is subject to extreme stress.

 

Or Just EXPLODES!!! Forget the purple dye.

[moe666]

8 hours ago, Thechook said:

Best to just stay completely away from Pattaya

Why stay away, I have been there many time never lost a thing but of course I do not wear 50,000b necklass, or expensive watch or carry a camera worth more than my house. You have to be smart when you travel no matter where you go

[jesimps]

Think they've cocked his name up, sounds very un-Japanese. Maybe "Single" is his marital status

[sambum]

"Police promised to investigate." And here endeth the first lesson for the guy!

[thailand49]

2 hours ago, starky said:

What you think 50k baht is a big gold chain? Its <deleted> tiny not even 1500 dollars. 2 Thai baht gold. most bargirls wearing bigger bracelets than that.

Sorry are you living where?  a 50,000 gold anything hanging on your neck.  Do you know what the wages are here,  the number of kids running around without anything to do, the lack of jobs for them. By the way, don't even look at the unemployment rate here it is doesn't even give a proper account everything is smoke and mirror.  Go put on a gold chain and walk around and lets see how long it last. 

When I first got here, 16 years ago on the Darkside, Soi 13, off Siam Country Club road, I and the wife was returning home one night on the motorbike, she happen to be doing the driving, she had on only a 3-4,000 necklace, I happen to spot in the mirror a bike trailing behind us, thought nothing but when we turn it also did,  as we went further into the dark Soi, I could hear the bike motor rev up a bit,  as to pass us, as it came up it got closer, as I turn I saw the passenger hand reach out I kicked out my right leg to push the bike off path at the same time grab the passenger arm, which pull them both down they were both hurt, bike on top of the driver and the passenger ringing with pain. 

You actually think people who need money and turn to crime here , is waiting around for the whale to show up to rob, they could be waiting until next year!  It is not like they have a telescope with a gold weight scale casing out victims?  Your remark requires a response a long one, because you are out of touch.

[jenifer d]

8 hours ago, Thechook said:

Best to just stay completely away from Pattaya

couldn't agree more- went there once for 1/2 day, couldn't wait to leave!!!

[champers]

5 minutes ago, jenifer d said:

couldn't agree more- went there once for 1/2 day, couldn't wait to leave!!!

For someone who supposedly dislikes the place, you sure spend a lot of time posting about it. Your half a day spent in Pattaya hardly qualifies you as an expert.

[sambum]

10 minutes ago, jenifer d said:

couldn't agree more- went there once for 1/2 day, couldn't wait to leave!!!

I'll second that - been once for 2 or 3 days a few years ago - it was bad then, but now seems unbelievably dangerous - especially for the "first time tourists". 

[Moti24]

Any budding film producers could clean-up, if they thought a bit harder:

 

"Quality Tourists Meet Pattaya's Cream of the Crop"

[soalbundy]

32 minutes ago, moe666 said:

Why stay away, I have been there many time never lost a thing but of course I do not wear 50,000b necklass, or expensive watch or carry a camera worth more than my house. You have to be smart when you travel no matter where you go

usually when one goes to Pattaya you have nothing to lose

[pontiac]

9 hours ago, Thechook said:

Best to just stay completely away from Pattaya

After living here since 1999 and never have been robbed for anything

, I have to disagree with you.

[natway09]

Now all you guys are blaming him !!!!!!

Stealing is still a crime even in Thailand 

[sambum]

1 minute ago, natway09 said:

Now all you guys are blaming him !!!!!!

Stealing is still a crime even in Thailand 

But apparently not as much of  crime as a dancer performing too many pelvic thrusts!

[free123]

10 hours ago, steven100 said:

oh well ....   he can absorb the 50k loss. He's lucky it was only 50k and not more ...

when arriving tourists need to keep gold and money safely hidden ...  it's that simple. And don't carry shoulder bags if you don't need to.

 

 

great country where u have hide everything...after all jewellery was created to be worn not to be hidden...

[dunroaming]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

He grumbled that Pattaya had a reputation as a world renowned resort but was clearly unsafe

You have been reading the wrong reviews my friend, Pattaya is a world renowned resort but for specific reasons and street robbery is one of them.

[steven100]

4 minutes ago, free123 said:

great country where u have hide everything...after all jewellery was created to be worn not to be hidden...

yeah, similar to Brazil, Argentina, USA, Africa, Mexico, Parts of Europe, Parts of Australia ....  Indonesia and Philllipines ..  and many other places.

Edited June 16, 2017 by steven100

[sambum]

1 hour ago, champers said:

For someone who supposedly dislikes the place, you sure spend a lot of time posting about it. Your half a day spent in Pattaya hardly qualifies you as an expert.

You don't have to be an expert to see the negative aspects of Pattaya - they are there for all to see - and the crime figures speak for themselves. It is a rare day indeed when ThaiVisa does not have some  mugging, theft, beating up, or some kind of  rip off of tourists in their headlines - and that's apart from the "unexplained deaths/suicides" that are such a regular occurrence in the place that some would have us believe is a haven for "nature lovers" 

[just.a.thought]

No warnings to tourist, TAT don't want to ruin Pattya's image as afamily resort 

[sambum]

3 minutes ago, just.a.thought said:

No warnings to tourist, TAT don't want to ruin Pattya's image as afamily resort 

"Pattya's image as afamily resort" Indeed, a  would have been better than your , but I certainly get your drift! 

[bbi1]

29 minutes ago, sambum said:

"Pattya's image as afamily resort" Indeed, a  would have been better than your , but I certainly get your drift! 

Start the kids as young as possible. That's why Russians always bring their whole family and their kids to Patts.

[user343434]

C'mon guys,

 

its a worldwide rule not to show your values.. In Colombia Brasil and other countries you stand a good chance to get shot before snatch.

[hotchilli]

10 hours ago, Moonmoon said:

NOt on the side of snatch thief here, but Pattaya and Thailand surely has a less safe crime index, so why wear a 50,000THB necklace around.

 

Take extra care when travelling overseas. 

Brains clearly left at home in Tokyo.....

[janpharma]

TAT should warn tourists about: Thai thieves at work...ladyboy-gangs...jetski-scam...etc...etc...This is also a part of 'Thainess'...

[soalbundy]

2 minutes ago, janpharma said:

TAT should warn tourists about: Thai thieves at work...ladyboy-gangs...jetski-scam...etc...etc...This is also a part of 'Thainess'...

That would be what one could call p1ss1ng in your soup

[soalbundy]

2 hours ago, free123 said:

great country where u have hide everything...after all jewellery was created to be worn not to be hidden...

I must say though that this behaviour is probably limited to big cities, in the village that i live in not only do people not lock their doors when they go out they leave them wide open.

[Sydebolle]

Kobkarn from the Tourism Ministry will have to readjust the increase of arrivals from 230% to 229% over last year. 

Once the BiB get these snatchers, together with all the rest of the slime in this city and throw them in the slammer and seriously undertake some steps in helping the victims (Thais and Foreigners alike) - only then there might be light at the end of the tunnel (pun intended)

[The Deerhunter]

4 hours ago, pontiac said:

After living here since 1999 and never have been robbed for anything

, I have to disagree with you.

And I'll bet you do not wander round showing off in designer clothes, flashing expensive cameras, wrist watches, and gold chains.  I have been hanging around in SE Asia for over 20 years living here for the last some years.  There is such a thing as "being street wise."   And then there are idiots.   And then there is just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  The last can happen nearly anywhere in most countries, and yes Japan and a few other places are relative exceptions.  I have been in Russia and Cambodia and had some "interesting" experiences at times including here.  I have certainly been in bad places, and apparently been lucky, or there in good times, or more probably NOT looking like either a flashy rich person or an easy drunk mark.  

Pattaya is a tourist town and in every country of the world this attracts crims who like to prey on dumb flashy tourists or anyone else (preferably drunk) who looks worth rolling.  Know that and behave accordingly.  The people who "hate Pattaya"  from a distance are helping reduce the traffic and dumb tourist count.  I live several hours drive from Pattaya but go there on business occasionally.  I do like to wander round the "interesting areas" but there are proviso's. I do not wear gold or flash clothes - anywhere really, (that is just not me.)  I do not walk along Pattaya or Jomtien beach or stroll Beach Road on my own at 4am with or without 50,000 in my pocket.  I do not wear gold or anything that looks flashy or expensive.  I try not to count the money in my wallet while walking down the street.  I don't even carry a wallet at night in "entertainment areas," and use different (buttoned down) pockets for different size bills so I can control how much money I show.  I sometimes go into a toilet just to re-arrange money.   When I am in higher risk areas I turn round occasionally & see who is behind me and then check a few minutes later to see if it is still the same person/people.  I stay away from ladyboys a foot taller and 30 years younger (and stronger) than me,  especially, immediately well away if they are in 2's or more's; and tell me I am handsome.  (Grow a brain and look in the mirror.)  I do not wander off by myself in strange areas or sit with a shoulder bag hanging out of a song-theou.

 

By the standards of most people who get robbed I guess I am lucky.  Well, being lucky probably helps but trying to be street smart and understanding opportunistic street crime certainly helps and is probably better that trusting luck. 

Edited June 16, 2017 by The Deerhunter