SURVEY: How safe is Thailand for Expats?

[Trumpish]

Just now, wump said:

A lot of people on here are not native English speaker. Your holier-than-thou speech really does not help at all. I'm outta here.

 

Right. Got that. Thanks.

 

Interesting that you now describe it as holier-than-thou, it used to be smart. Progress of a sort I suppose. My friend, you own your feelings and responses. not me. I cannot create them for you, you do that on your own, it's a legacy of your life experience.

 

Not my problem.

[wump]

Quote

 

Sorry in advance for a long, perhaps rambling post.

 

I know exactly how you are feeling. Having spent some time in Australia myself (though that was some time ago) and a number of years in England, I agree it is very difficult to take a reasoned view that anything anywhere in Thailand is safe. It's not even safe for Thais,  let alone foreigners, who have for a long time  being considered fair game for Thais. Thais  think that we are stupid and gullible, and this is the reason (and it's the only reason) why Thais think that they are free to lie to, cheat, and steal from foreigners. People (and there may be. many of them) who dispute this view have not in my opinion been paying attention, and it took me some years to dispel the notion that Thailand is some kind of. Shangri-La and not (which I. now believe) some kind of sh|thole, which appears mostly to be populated by. what you would find in most sh|tholes  I suppose.

 

We have to remember (and I suppose, make allowances for the fact) that Thais a very primitive society that has only managed to master a primitive language, and have been fed a diet of being kept stupid and ignorant and indoctrinated for the sole benefit of making money for the baronial classes. This has been the tradition in Thailand for many, many years. In addition to this they have been fed a constant diet of propaganda that they are in fact superior to everybody else, and this naturally shows itself in their behaviour.  I do not propose to. talk about the origin of this, or its purpose, which is likely obvious to all, or should be. Try as I might, I can find no other explanation for what you and I and everybody else who lives here, sees every day. I believe that Thailand, whilst it has the natural advantage of weather  (and they only still have that advantage because the weather is probably the only thing that Thais can't manage to spoil).  Thailand as a dirty and lazy country, most Thais are dirty and lazy people  when compared to people in your country and mine. Thailand doesn't have a great deal of natural beauty, but all Thais  share a contempt for foreigners and a willingness to exploit them wherever possible,  and in this, they are only following the example that they've been set, and are only following the education that they been given. In my view it's a crying shame. A tragedy

 

Despite the wailings and gnashing of teeth from the tourist (fairy dust in their eyes) classes, Thailand is not a safe country in my judgment. I do not ever recall seeing news accounts in England or Australia of old age pensioner tourists being punched and kicked in the head by a gang of youths. I do not recall seeing news reports of disabled people being attacked and killed with swords, and then mounting an argument of self-defence.  in my culture, and probably in yours, men hitting women is anathema and yet  only yesterday a video clip on the news showed a young girl being repeatedly kicked in the head by two or three young Thai men. On three separate occasions  since I arrived in Thailand I've had to pile in and defend my wife who was being assaulted by Thai men. Interestingly  on two of those occasions it was by three or more Thai men. These people have no honour other than to exploit anyone and everybody else for their own benefit. I do not recall news reports in England or Australia where a major city tourist centre had developed a reputation which means that it is not sensible to walk down the street at night on your own, for fear of being approached and then assaulted by transgender men, whose only objective is to steal your money. All of this may exist in my own country, but I never heard of it. I can only comment on America on the strength of a single visit lasting one month, however I have no problem believing that things  similar to what I've described above happen more routinely in America, and it took me only one month to decide never to go back under any circumstances. But that is the only exception I'm aware of in the first world.

 

It's natural to regard a places safe if you personally experience it as being safe, but for the life of me I cannot understand the stupidity of ignoring so many TV news items and so many English press news items demonstrating (certainly to my satisfaction) that Thailand is not a safe place, and I my current opinion is that it is not a fit place to live for much longer, not for me anyway. Ironically I may well find myself in the position of following the advice of a previous poster, and just leaving. For my money, and in my current frame of mind, it would be much more sensible to just walk away and let these  horrid people stew in their own chilli-sodden juice. That, after all appears to be the attitude of Thailand's neighbours in ASEAN towards Thailand.  With good reason.

 

Well, that was a good rant,  I feel better now.

 

 

Okay, I do understand you now and you could've just said what you posted in another thread. I feel kinda sad that you think this way. Are many Thais lazy and uneducated? Certainly. Do they lack the desire to achieve? Probably. But please: Get out of the tourist hell spots and you will find one of the most caring, generous and kind people in the world. Learning the language does help as well.

 

Edit: As this topic is about first-time tourists, I may add that apart from a couple of temple-closed, meter-kaputt and jetski-scams even first-timers would be relatively safe. Just don't be an ass and you'll be fine. 

 

Edited June 18, 2017 by wump

[Bureaucrat]

Perfectly safe for the rich elite expats. But for mere mortals a nasty psychopathic assault course. 

[Foozool]

It is very safe if you be careful with drunk or crazy van drivers, falling objects, holes in roads, reckless drivers, motorcycles in sidewalks(who think that have more rights), bacterias and food poisoning and of course not doing stupid or dangerous things , of course it is safe. 

Just enjoy your unforgettable vacation in LOS. 

 

[Chou Anou]

4 hours ago, bangkoken said:

I'm a New Yorker and have been traveling to Thailand for the last 16 years. Bangkok is for a city of it's size and population one of the safest places to visit. I have never felt threatened in any way shape or form. Exercise common sense and enjoy the wonderful shopping and attractions. The entertainment areas are a lot of fun but, don't find yourself floating around at 2 am after a night of partying. That is where the problems can and will occur. Use you head, enjoy Thailand for what it has to offer and don't get caught up in anyone's problems. There are thousands of lovely young Thai ladies who always seem to have a financial problem. For example: On one of my first trips to Thailand I visited a number of different entertainment areas where the ladies are plentiful and friendly. One of the girls I met told me she needed to have 10,000 THB so she could travel home for her grandfathers funeral. A couple days later met another lovely and guess what, she too needed money to travel home for her grandfathers funeral. Maybe it was just a bad week to be a grandfather in Thailand. Be smart.  Good luck. 

Spot on, man.  Mind your surroundings and mind your business, and Thailand is plenty safe.  And I do find myself walking the streets, alone, often inebriated with many thousands of baht in my pockets, at 3 or 4 am...but I'm always aware of my surroundings, and I'm kind of scary looking anyway, haha, so I've never had the slightest problem.  Mind you, I would NEVER try the above in any major city in my country (US), I don't care how big I am.  

 

The only times I've ever felt mildly threatened in Thailand has not been by Thais, it's been by drunk farangs out for a fight (I swear, some <deleted>s have three goals when they go out on the town in Thailand: get laid, get drunk, and fight someone.  The first two goals are plenty for me!).  I get this a lot from guys with "short man complex," thinking they're going to prove something by fighting a big guy.  Ha!  Even in those cases, the way out is simple: don't engage with them, including verbally, and when all else fails, just walk away.  

[Trumpish]

2 hours ago, wump said:

 

Okay, I do understand you now and you could've just said what you posted in another thread. I feel kinda sad that you think this way. Are many Thais lazy and uneducated? Certainly. Do they lack the desire to achieve? Probably. But please: Get out of the tourist hell spots and you will find one of the most caring, generous and kind people in the world. Learning the language does help as well.

 

Edit: As this topic is about first-time tourists, I may add that apart from a couple of temple-closed, meter-kaputt and jetski-scams even first-timers would be relatively safe. Just don't be an ass and you'll be fine. 

 

Thanks. I am not in the tourist areas, I live upcountry, so what you say in that respect does not apply. And I'm not an ass, I don't look for trouble, in general people don't pick on me, Thais or otherwise but there are reasons for that. My estimation of Thailand is not so much in it's trouble-generating potential for me but for its future prospects for my wife and step-kids, all of whom agree with me (but don't have to) that Thailand has a bleak future of it's own making.

 

Anyway, in most respects, my experience is not your experience, and my opinion is not your opinion. Safe to leave it at that I think I do not insult you for having a different opinion, and there is no benefit to you in you doing so.

[Trumpish]

1 hour ago, Chou Anou said:

... The only times I've ever felt mildly threatened in Thailand has not been by Thais, it's been by drunk farangs out for a fight (I swear, some <deleted>s have three goals when they go out on the town in Thailand: get laid, get drunk, and fight someone.  The first two goals are plenty for me!).  I get this a lot from guys with "short man complex," thinking they're going to prove something by fighting a big guy.  

Makes you wonder what proportion of men (esp single or newly single men) come to Thailand because of it's poor law enforcement, its reputation for easy sex, and their ability to easily conceal psychological flaws in a country where (in my opinion) psychological flaws are the norm. Still, false acceptance and courtesy are better than neither I suppose.

 

But this has been said before.

 

Edited June 18, 2017 by Trumpish

[SEEDGER]

I'm imagine that Switzerland maybe one of the safest places in the world; that is until you strip down to your underwear get drunk and run down the streets screaming I hate Bankers. 

 

When you come too you find yourself in hospital or jail.   You wonder what happened to the safety. (Duh)

 

Thailand is the same; exercise good judgement, don't incite trouble with the locals or call them names and "DO NOT Give them The BIRD," under any circumstance.  Basically respect the people and culture and you be fine.

 

It's the people that come to Thailand and act with no restraint what so ever; people get drunk and fall off buildings, get in accidents on the road, throw all catuion to the wind  and go home with what they think is a girl, without checking under the hood first!  These are the idiots that give Thailand headaches and should be banned for life. Sure there will be accidents that happen; "most involving a mini bus" but that is life.

 

I lived in Thailand for nearly three years and not a day passes that I dream of being able  to return. I found Thailand to be a wonderful place to live and very safe.

[Trumpish]

11 minutes ago, SEEDGER said:

I'm imagine that Switzerland maybe one of the safest places in the world; that is until you strip down to your underwear get drunk and run down the streets screaming I hate Bankers. 

 

When you come too you find yourself in hospital or jail.   You wonder what happened to the safety. (Duh)

 

Thailand is the same; exercise good judgement, don't incite trouble with the locals or call them names and "DO NOT Give them The BIRD," under any circumstance.  Basically respect the people and culture and you be fine.

 

It's the people that come to Thailand and act with no restraint what so ever; people get drunk and fall off buildings, get in accidents on the road, throw all catuion to the wind  and go home with what they think is a girl, without checking under the hood first!  These are the idiots that give Thailand headaches and should be banned for life. Sure there will be accidents that happen; "most involving a mini bus" but that is life.

 

I lived in Thailand for nearly three years and not a day passes that I dream of being able  to return. I found Thailand to be a wonderful place to live and very safe.

Send me a PM, I'll swap lives with you, I like Switzerland, based on a 2-week honeymoon spent there. I do not like this place and I absolutely despise the people who I believe either grovel and are obsequious to you or are arrogant and condescending to you. They are under-educated, under-intelligent, they are hugely xenophobic and study incompetence as a skill as many foreigners would study history or literature. As much as I detest the military government, I have to say that Thais deserve exactly what they've got, and good luck to them for the next 20 years.

 

My considered response to living among Thais is simple. I assume incompetence and deceit in all things despite my own inclination to honesty and fairness. I ask my wife to deal with Thais because I know they will try to charge me a farang tax and in any case, even though she has no problem with my Thai (perfect but understandable) most Thais will pretend not to understand just to be a pain in the a$$. I have no time for them, but it suits me to live in Thailand for a number of reasons not associated with any imaginary benefit the people might bring.

Edited June 18, 2017 by Trumpish

[reenatinnakor]

Put it this way... Whenever I'm driving thru East London, my reflex action automatically lock my car doors! That has never happened anywhere in Thailand. Or Asia... Maybe in Manila I was wary, but generally Asia is the safest places on the planet. You don't get stabbed or mugged like you would in Southall.

[Trumpish]

11 minutes ago, reenatinnakor said:

Put it this way... Whenever I'm driving thru East London, my reflex action automatically lock my car doors! That has never happened anywhere in Thailand. Or Asia... Maybe in Manila I was wary, but generally Asia is the safest places on the planet. You don't get stabbed or mugged like you would in Southall.

 

Accept the opinion. It's natural to form opinions based on your own experience, but concern for safety and/or making assessments (even knee-jerk assessments) ought to take account of the overall incidence of personal crime. With respect, the only thing you can really say is that you have not YET been a victim, though many others have been according to the news and other reports.

 

The survey did not ask if you had been assaulted, it asked if Thailand was safe for lone tourists, a question which makes most comments I have seen from posters irrelevant since they have usually commented on whether they feel or have been personally secure, which is specifically not what was asked. A poorly worded survey I will grant, but it is what it is.

Edited June 18, 2017 by Trumpish

[Goldbear]

It's hard to generalize about an entire country. There is no "safe" country and the level of danger is hard to generalize as some places are more dangerous than others within a country.

 

I'd recommend Thailand on a case by case basis, depending on the person. I'd educate them on the potential problems. Most people who would be interested and who have the means to make it happen, would be fine. 

 

I'd be most cautious with very young adults, especially if I thought they were a follower. There can be monkey-see, monkey-do, in the young backpacker scene. I have seen some stupid sh*t over the years. I'd hate to recommend Thailand to a friend's kid only to have them get drunk, go swimming in the surf and drown, for example. 

 

Don't get me wrong, some young people have their act together. Other older people do not. It just depends. 

 

And there is an element of randomness. A person can do everything right and still get hurt or killed. A reckless person can put themselves in all kinds of risky situations and emerge unscathed. 

 

I do love Thailand and I have recommended it to a lot of people. Only a handful have actually gone. That's probably similar to most of you. 

[wump]

1 hour ago, Trumpish said:

Send me a PM, I'll swap lives with you, I like Switzerland, based on a 2-week honeymoon spent there. I do not like this place and I absolutely despise the people who I believe either grovel and are obsequious to you or are arrogant and condescending to you. They are under-educated, under-intelligent, they are hugely xenophobic and study incompetence as a skill as many foreigners would study history or literature. As much as I detest the military government, I have to say that Thais deserve exactly what they've got, and good luck to them for the next 20 years.

 

My considered response to living among Thais is simple. I assume incompetence and deceit in all things despite my own inclination to honesty and fairness. I ask my wife to deal with Thais because I know they will try to charge me a farang tax and in any case, even though she has no problem with my Thai (perfect but understandable) most Thais will pretend not to understand just to be a pain in the a$$. I have no time for them, but it suits me to live in Thailand for a number of reasons not associated with any imaginary benefit the people might bring.

 

Live in Switzerland with your 400 Baht kebabs then. Somehow you seem forget that you're in a third world country and education is just not that big of a topic here.

Ever seen the news? 90% is road accidents, the rest is some "drug busts" or break-ins and there is 0% from the world outside this country.

 

I don't know why you hold such a grudge against Thai people. Nobody educated them properly and they are poor... of course then money is number 1. But times WILL change. There is a lot of educated people (having been overseas etc) now and Facebook groups that tell things how they are. Give it time. Certainly not 20 years.

Edited June 18, 2017 by wump

[Trumpish]

20 minutes ago, wump said:

 

I don't know why you hold such a grudge against Thai people. Nobody educated them properly and they are poor... of course then money is number 1. But times WILL change. There is a lot of educated people (having been overseas etc) now and Facebook groups that tell things how they are. Give it time. Certainly not 20 years.

"I don't know why you hold such a grudge against Thai people."

 

I understand but I am not going to justify it to you. My experience of Thais is the responsibility of Thais. I do not hold a grudge, there is no point holding a grudge with Thais any more than it's reasonable to hold a grudge against my dog for pooping on the grass. He doesn't understand his error, and neither do Thais understand why they are ostracised the world over. Not all people who disparage Thais (and you will find them in many countries) are wrong. Other than that, I refuse to pretend that I like what I have seen. Others may do so, others may choose to see different things. I will not.

 

"But times WILL change."

 

I've been hearing that for 13 years. Times in Thailand show absolutely no sign of changing, indeed, most Thais seem happy with their unhappy culture and/or lack the will to effect change. The people are undereducated and lazy, by design, it was intended in order to ensure a ready supply of cheap labour.. These factors enable the elites to continue to rape and pillage, the country for their own benefit and the whole culture, though in the triggered process of collapsing, will not lose it's pernicious impact for another 50 years (2 generations).

 

I do not gild the lily, I have no time for incompetence and dishonesty, therefore I have no time for Thais unless they can demonstrate they are honest and industrious, which most of them cannot. So far, after 13 years in Thailand, I have not met anyone who can satisfy both of these requirements. Naturally, I look less hard over time as I lose interest. Sometimes I feel like Diogenes, but to be honest, these days I don't try very hard. I understand Thailand and Thais very well, and I'm not impressed with their real worth or their imagined worth (which has been drummed into them since birth). I have never seen a people whose estimation of their own value is so far ahead of their actual worth. Here's a test. Speak to me again in 5 years and lets's discuss the new high-speed railway.

 

Edited June 18, 2017 by Trumpish

[wump]

"13 years" ...social media only came to the masses about 4-5 years ago with cheap internet and cheap phones. Of course, Thailand is not gonna become Norway or Switzerland in one generation but more and more people wake up to the deceit that is happening.

 

The whole self-centeredness and ego-thing (=face) needs to be get rid off at some point as well.

 

As for your argument about cheap labour: Totally invalid, as 1) 300 Baht a day is not cheap anymore on the world market and 2) in a maximum of 10 years 60% of manual labour will be gone due to robots. Geez, even in 5 years there won't be any drivers in taxis anymore.

Edited June 18, 2017 by wump

[meechai]

Having lived in Thailand for many years I would have to say yes it is dangerous.

But not just for lone tourists but everyone period.

 

The big one- Thailand has roads so dangerous that only one country in the WHOLE world

is worse, war torn Libya

Thailand has more road deaths per day than many  states have per year

Thailand has more than 20k per year. Think tourists dont ride buses,vans,cross streets etc etc?

 

Secondary - we think it sucks that a person like the red bull heir goes free

after running down a cop & it is due to his wealth??

Think again as  there are 170,000 un-served outstanding arrest warrants. The perps are not all rich

The cop shops in Thailand do not work, neither does the military

This translates to many perps running free with a smile for you.

 

How about Murder Rates? Stats? By population or country neither is great.

 

Anyway the point of the Op was

1. SURVEY: Is Thailand dangerous enough that you would not recommend it as a holiday destination for those not visiting friends or family?

 

As such yes I would not recommend it based on living in Thailand long enough to see clearly its faults outweigh its benefits

The world is a big place with many beautiful countries to enjoy for holidays.

 

Unless your a monger who needs to buy a date or looking for the cheapest place to go then just look elsewhere

Btw: Cheap is relative as the value you get for the same or a tiny bit more is so much better in so many other places.

Most who claim it is heaven on earth are stuck there in their own personal hell due to lack of funds/planning.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 18, 2017 by meechai

[wump]

Well, according to statistics your chance of dying on the road is 0.000001% per day. Not that much on a 3-week-holiday, is it?

[meechai]

2 hours ago, wump said:

Well, according to statistics your chance of dying on the road is 0.000001% per day. Not that much on a 3-week-holiday, is it?

Tell it to the 335 people who died in road accidents and another 3,506 who were injured just during 2017's  April 11-16   Songkran holiday

I am sure they will be much relieved.

 

Perhaps more than 10 would be too much if they were your kids or family?

[wump]

What a lot of guys don't understand is that in life you will never have 100% certainty. You could slip on the stairs or in the shower and break your neck, get electrocuted or have your plane crash. It's all a game of numbers. For the enjoyment I get in Thailand, I happily accept that 0.000001% chance. In the end, no one is going to live forever (yet).

 

To not come to Thailand because of the road fatalities is silly IMO. If you are that scared book private transport and stay in your resort. Most of these stats come from pissed or stupid motorbike drivers anyway. Anyone have any statistics on car deaths (before 10pm!)?

Edited June 19, 2017 by wump

[WhyYouTalkMeBad]

I agree with everyone, Thailand is deadly and absolutely scary.

I'm actually flying out tomorrow morning back to London

[brewsterbudgen]

I agree with everyone, Thailand is deadly and absolutely scary.

I'm actually flying out tomorrow morning back to London

What exactly are you so scared of?

[WhyYouTalkMeBad]

What exactly are you so scared of?

Just sarcasm considering London today.

Thailand would be for a foreigner in the top 5 safest as long as you don't drive or fall head of heels for prostitute

[Trumpish]

12 hours ago, wump said:

<snip>

 

As for your argument about cheap labour: Totally invalid, as 1) 300 Baht a day is not cheap anymore on the world market and 2) in a maximum of 10 years 60% of manual labour will be gone due to robots. Geez, even in 5 years there won't be any drivers in taxis anymore.

I'd be prepared to make a sizeable bet that none of that happens in Thailand. Apart from that, I acknowledge your opinion.

[Trumpish]

1 hour ago, WhyYouTalkMeBad said:

Just sarcasm considering London today.

Thailand would be for a foreigner in the top 5 safest as long as you don't drive or fall head of heels for prostitute

 

I just love this nonsense. Do you not think that the rankings as published were based on stats? Thailand stats from the Thailand government one presumes.

 

If you have better knowledge or stats, then you ought to send them to the publishers and set them straight. I'm sure they'd appreciate it.

Edited June 19, 2017 by Trumpish

[sead]

Only felt unsage 1 time and that was when i and gf went to a thaiparty with only thai youths. But i sensed it quickly and so did the gf so we agreed to leabe asap. But i feel safe in Thailand more than Sweden.

[idman]

Use common sense, be aware of your suroundings, keep your eyes moving side to side and never go about flashing gold chains/bracelets/watches/your wad of money in public and you should never have to worry.

Sent from my SM-T805 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[WhyYouTalkMeBad]

 
I just love this nonsense. Do you not think that the rankings as published were based on stats? Thailand stats from the Thailand government one presumes.
 
If you have better knowledge or stats, then you ought to send them to the publishers and set them straight. I'm sure they'd appreciate it.

Comedy gold!!! . When TAT publishes "stats" nobody believes them but when it's bad stats the bashers take it is the undisputed truth

To many hypocrites on TV

[Trumpish]

13 hours ago, meechai said:

Having lived in Thailand for many years I would have to say yes it is dangerous.

But not just for lone tourists but everyone period.

 

The big one- Thailand has roads so dangerous that only one country in the WHOLE world

is worse, war torn Libya

Thailand has more road deaths per day than many  states have per year

Thailand has more than 20k per year. Think tourists dont ride buses,vans,cross streets etc etc?

 

Secondary - we think it sucks that a person like the red bull heir goes free

after running down a cop & it is due to his wealth??

Think again as  there are 170,000 un-served outstanding arrest warrants. The perps are not all rich

The cop shops in Thailand do not work, neither does the military

This translates to many perps running free with a smile for you.

 

How about Murder Rates? Stats? By population or country neither is great.

 

Anyway the point of the Op was

1. SURVEY: Is Thailand dangerous enough that you would not recommend it as a holiday destination for those not visiting friends or family?

 

As such yes I would not recommend it based on living in Thailand long enough to see clearly its faults outweigh its benefits

The world is a big place with many beautiful countries to enjoy for holidays.

 

Unless your a monger who needs to buy a date or looking for the cheapest place to go then just look elsewhere

Btw: Cheap is relative as the value you get for the same or a tiny bit more is so much better in so many other places.

Most who claim it is heaven on earth are stuck there in their own personal hell due to lack of funds/planning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nicely put. Agree on all points. Well said.

 

[Trumpish]

7 minutes ago, WhyYouTalkMeBad said:

Comedy gold!!! . When TAT publishes "stats" nobody believes them but when it's bad stats the bashers take it is the undisputed truth

To many hypocrites on TV

 

When did anyone take anything as undisputed truth? Were the stats generated by the TAT? If they were then they have no value.

 

I'll worry about hypocrites when they outnumber the fools.

[Dap]

I voted - it is a safe location to visit but would like to

add that anywhere is UNsafe to visit if you are not

accompanied by your ... common sense