Are we still going on holiday to Thailand?
Is Thailand becoming a risky destination for foreign tourists? Those who look at the figures of the tourist police (and they have no interest in exaggerating them) must answer the question in the affirmative. Last year, the police handled 3.119 cases: 26,6 percent more than in 2011.
The cases concern loss and theft (82 per cent), fraud by jewellers, tailors and travel agents (15 per cent) and assault (3 per cent). That was last year, but the number of cases of physical attacks on tourists in the first four months of this year has already exceeded last year's total.
No shortage of soothing words. "The situation is tense, but still under control," said Roy Inkapairoj, commander of the Tourist Police Division. 'While our workforce has remained the same, the number of foreign tourists is increasing every year. But we managed to limit the ratio to less than XNUMX criminal cases per XNUMX tourists.'
Roy also plays the ball back. “Tourists should know how to avoid risks. For example, they shouldn't walk late at night in deserted places or interact with complete strangers.'
Tourists who rent a motorcycle get a slap on the wrist from Pawinee Iamtrakul, affiliated with Thammasat University. A survey by the university of eight hundred people (tourists, service providers and civil servants) showed that the majority of them did not have an (international) driver's license, had little driving experience, did not know the Thai traffic rules and did not know what fines are for traffic violations. A fifth had no travel insurance, half said they got on a motorcycle after drinking, did not care about the speed limit, 58 percent rode without a helmet.
These are alarming figures, especially since Thailand ranks 10th among the most dangerous countries for traffic. Motorcyclists account for half of road deaths globally, in Thailand 74 percent, mostly due to alcohol consumption.
Let's list a number of incidents, where we do not have the illusion that the list is complete.
- In June, a drunk student opened fire in a restaurant. Three foreigners were injured.
- In Phuket, a Russian had a gun held to his head by the jealous boyfriend of a Thai woman with whom the Russian had been dating. The gun was fake, but the Russian did not know that.
- In Saraburi, a tour bus collided with a truck. Nineteen people were killed. Although no foreigners, the foreign media reported extensively about it.
- This month, the night train to Chiang Mai derailed; eighteen foreign tourists were injured. See photo homepage.
- In April in Phitsanulok, a coach crashed off a mountain road. Five people were killed, including a Belgian woman.
- A Dutch young woman was raped. Her father put on the protest song Evil Man of Krabi on Youtube.
- Two speedboats crashed in Pattaya. Three Koreans were injured, one lost his leg.
And we could go on like this for a while. Question to the government: what do you do?
"The safety of tourists is one of the government's top priorities," said the ministers of Foreign Affairs and Tourism and Sport in unison. The latter adds: 'The most important thing is not to have no crime, but to provide help as quickly as possible, both physically and mentally.'
The only concrete thing he has to say is the establishment of a special chamber for tourist affairs at the court. "We're going to try to streamline the legal process." And foreign tourists have to make do with that.
(Source: bangkok mail, July 30, 2013)
See also:
https://www.thailandblog.nl/nieuws/zingende-amerikaan-krabi-doodgestoken/
https://www.thailandblog.nl/nieuws/buitenlandse-kritiek-veiligheid-toeristen-thailand/
I would like to see those figures, which the Tourist Police mentions, and compare them with other holiday countries, such as France, Spain, Greece, etc.
We bet that Thailand will not come off so badly at all?
Dear Gringo,
Would you like to compare the figures of the tourist police with the figures of other countries?
Me too, actually.
Provided, of course, that the numbers are reliable.
Let us assume that figures regarding tourists are “massaged” in every country, no country excepted, after all a significant group earns its living from tourism, therefore negative figures are undesirable.
.
Well, I understand that you live in Thailand?
Then, just like me, you will take Thai numbers with a hefty mountain of grains of salt.
I cannot escape the impression that it is gradually becoming less safe in Thailand, and also for Western visitors/tourists/expats.
But… that's just an impression.
There are politicians and statisticians.
Both are liars who debit, massage and abuse each other's figures and untruths inappropriately and especially inappropriately.
@Gringo, funny how Dutch people there always react (subjectively) to a message like this. If it is something negative, it is always stated that this is not unique to Thailand, this also happens in Spain, Greece, etc. (you write that, I do not agree with the violence against tourists in Spain and Greece, but that is aside), but regarding one positive field, the so-called smile of the Thai, then this positive fact only applies to Thailand, then no other countries are included by you, such as Spain, Greece, etc. As an example, I would mention the many blogs about the Thai fold, which on this blog are often elevated to supernatural levels, completely ignoring all women in the world, which I don't think is really objective. Where does this need come from among (in Thai eyes, wealthy) retirees/expats? Is it to have to confirm their choice to emigrate to Thailand at all times as a good choice? That Thailand is a paradise on earth for the rich farang and in the west, is it all bad? (with the exception of pensions and the AOW from the mother country of course, only that is good).
Just a comment. Go for a walk in a deserted place in one of our big cities in the evening and see what can happen. In the Netherlands you are also robbed in your own home.
I come to Thailand every year and get the impression that many tourists ask to get into trouble.
My advice: just keep going to Thailand and behave decently and you'll be fine.
(Tourists who rent a motorbike get a slap on the wrist from Pawinee Iamtrakul)
I've seen them tear around bare-chested, in shorts and flip flops, making wheelees and having the greatest of fun. forget that there are also other road users.
bare-chested, shorts and flip flops I don't want to think about them making a bang.
What tourists also do not understand is that a Thai when he sees family or a friend does not look back to see if it is possible, but goes full anchor and turns off without indicating
I have been driving for years with either a pickup or a Honda click on the Thai roads. I adhere to 2 rules: keep a good distance and drive calmly and look closely at what others are doing.
and Thai traffic can only be safe if the police adhere to the rules, in the countryside almost everyone drives the motorbikes without a driver's license, children who cannot even touch the ground, 3+ on a MB, no helmet, motorists who have no traffic insight at all, but without a receipt and a handshake of 100 baht you can continue.
so it's not just the tourist's fault, I think Thailand is still a beautiful and safe country to vacation.
Crime is everywhere, don't accept offers that are too good to be true.
if you want to see a show, go into a gogo yourself, don't let a tout fool you.
have fun in the land of smiles
Please capitalize next time, as the moderator usually rejects comments without capitalization.
Why wouldn't they go on holiday here?? delicious food, beautiful beaches, good hotels in every price range, cheap transport, generally friendly people etc etc etc In other words, it is a beautiful country to go on holiday.
Of course there have also been negative things that have occupied the news very recently 2 Americans stabbed to death in a month, the first about money (51 baht) with a taxi driver the 2nd probably got into a tipsy fight with a couple of Thais in a bar.
Theft and robberies of course this is a major blot on any holiday country and Thailand is not alone in this. in Spain or Mexico you don't even go into the water and leave your valuables alone. Robberies happen everywhere I've been to Barcelona many times there the number of street robberies is a real plague (North Africans).
Take an example like Pattaya beach road, if they were to add more lighting and visible police control all day long, there would be fewer robberies here. In the time I have lived in Pattaya I have never seen tourist police during the day, you only see them in their beautiful black suits in the evening and at night, let them also wear shorts and a shirt during the day. I agree that road safety here leaves much to be desired, the recent accident is very tragic, but it is an incident. Thailand is a unique country, the things that happen here as described in the submitted piece, Thailand is not unique in that. In 2-3 months the high season will start again and they will come again to enjoy themselves for a few weeks and go crazy, well then every now and then something happens because we are talking about millions of tourists here. .
mvg
Just a postscript to my response above. I have sailed for years and have been to virtually every country that borders an ocean or sea. South America ??? We always received a speech from the captain that you should be on your guard here and better not go out alone. South Africa, Durban Cape Town Richardsbay which are generally tourist places there: advice from hotel reception staff: it is better not to go out after dark. Dominican Republic of Cuba there you see many guards with shotguns to guarantee your safety. Compared to a lot of countries, Thailand is still in its infancy in terms of crime against tourists.
Can only confirm that, I have sailed for years myself and then I think you get a different frame of reference.
Dominican Republic for example, we went out in Rio Haina, then you were taken away by a local, usually you were dropped off in a brothel and the local got some commission. Along the way you will encounter all kinds of people who lie in a dark corner, so-called guards with shotguns indeed. If you didn't have that local with you, you came back in your underpants or worse. When you are finally in the cafe, the police come to ask for some protection money, dressed as Don Johnson with a snow-white 3-piece suit and a 9mm Baretta a little too conspicuous between the belt.
West Africa is no different, we went out and were taken away under armed escort, a few men with AK47s, and brought back neatly.
So I know a few stories. Worked in the office in Venezuela for a later employer. Your transportation was an armored 4×4 with an armed driver. The first day I introduced myself to my department manager. He comes to the office, opens his suitcase, first puts his gun away and only then takes his papers.
In that respect, Southeast Asia is really very relaxed and safe. Not only Thailand but all surrounding countries as well. Only some parts of Indonesia don't mind the Dutch so much. Thailand you run a little more risk in some places, but don't forget that the farang people are also of the type that makes them miserable, now I probably don't have to mention names anymore.
Pfff, I don't understand!!
I thought I was a sour person (I actually am) who is enormously disillusioned with people and (Western/multicriminal) society, but here I often read ominous messages that I want with the best or (if you like) worst I really can't agree with the will of the world.
I am the last person to ignore/laugh off numbers and statistics, but I fear that sometimes too little perspective is put into perspective and the context is not sufficiently considered.
Public (in this case tourist) opinion is the best barometer.
Well, ask anyone who has visited Thailand (regularly) (short or long stay) what they find so striking (positive) about Thailand and they will say: “it is a relaxed and safe country”.
I'd like to keep it here!
Yes, I totally agree with these statements.
I live in Thailand and when I watch the news from Thailand on TV in the morning, 5 out of 7 days there is a murder somewhere.
I walk in a busy street off a center I will never walk in a rural area = much too dangerous for Farangs
You are typically someone capable of giving Thailand a bad name. Of course you are in danger, but as a Farang you can walk around Bangkok, Pattaya and other seaside resorts quite safely. Maybe you mean the bawling drunk Farang who start pawing and think they are better than the Thais because they happen to be a different color.
Sorry for your negative impression of the Thai.
There is an expression of that famous donkey with that stone. It's simple with your common sense. You are in a foreign country, please adhere to the norms and values !!
DO NOT make comparisons with our country. Typically Dutch: But with us it is ….and in Holland……..(just the word Holland, it is the Netherlands. We have NORTH AND ZUIDHOLLAND)
You are a guest. It is your OWN responsibility for how you behave. Do not look at the other foreigners, only with a crooked eye. Don't go looking for trouble. You can't prevent everything, but alcohol is a big enemy there. You don't have to let yourself eat the cheese off the bread, but you can prevent a lot of misery by being a good guest.
Finally, leave responsibilities where they belong.
I wish you all a good holiday and make sure you have good travel insurance and a sober mind.
Jan
Thailand is no different from other tourist areas such as the Spanish costas and also Florida and Amsterdam. As a tourist you stand outside normal society and you soon see everything through rose-colored or especially sunny glasses. If you have stayed in those kinds of areas for a long time and are somewhat integrated, you will soon notice that it is not rose scent and moonshine anywhere, on the contrary it is the same murder and manslaughter everywhere.
In Thailand I rarely or not at all go out on the street where Thais have to earn their living, such as open bars, street vendors and prostitutes. Probably because of this, my experiences in Thailand have been the best of all the countries where I have had long-term residence so far.
In Amsterdam I almost lived on the Rembrandtplein.. Once a motorist was shot dead right in front of my door, not to mention the rest, In Spain I experienced being forced to stop the car and then robbed. That was in Málaga. In Barcelona my car was robbed in broad daylight on the Ramblas. The same things happened around me that I now see on the Dutch news from Bangkok. In Florida, the average population on the coast is fairly developed. Ten km inland you still have a lot of red necks and KKK. In St Pete someone gave the finger and with a well aimed shot it was blown off. I had a business there and it only survived an uproar for days because the police and fire brigade used my parking lot as a base. The city was on fire for days.. Last night my Thai son came back from a fall in the Bijlmer and just before midnight he thought he heard fireworks, but that was a shooting right in front of his door, I believe you can still read it on nu.nl .
In 10 years in Thailand the worst thing I've experienced is being tossed every now and then for next to nothing by a motorbike taxi or paying higher entrance fees than a Thai somewhere, annoying but I always think if I was a born Thai I would maybe so too.
I think the opening question is a bit vague with the numbers.
For 4/5 part it is not known whether it is a crime or not.
82% of the cases handled by the police concern loss or theft.
However, you cannot call loss a crime.
If that 82% is all about loss, the crime rate is significantly lower than if that 82% were all theft.
Abuse is also a somewhat vague concept.
Tourists who get into an argument with someone else in a bar in a drunken stupor?
Then it is not even known who started the fight and is therefore guilty.
That could also have been the tourist.
@ Ruud Abuse is called physical assault in the original text, so there must have been more to it than an altercation. I agree with you that the numbers are not very convincing for what the writer is trying to substantiate in the article in question, especially that 82 percent. But the sharp increase in abuse is of course alarming.
It's that I'm already here, but otherwise I definitely wouldn't go here on holiday. If you do read what is not going on here. That's why I don't go outside anymore anyway. Far too dangerous. I feel safest indoors. I don't have to go into traffic and I don't get ripped off. I don't know how long it will be safe inside, because they already say that the Thais will come and take care of us one of these days. The Thais are angry because the sun only makes us red and not brown, while their women want to turn white. They don't think that's fair! Plus all the money it costs the Thai household on whitening. It's all the Farang's fault, it is said. He came here with his white nose.
My wife says I should go outside anyway, still have to move something, because I'm staying fat. Going from 6 to 4 cans of beer during the day doesn't help either. It's because of the coke and whiskey, she says. But that is in the evening and a person has to do something. Well, I do that to please her. A little walk, I mean. They are fine creatures those Thai women. Never complain, always ready, so much different from those European women. And never a headache. Too bad they have family and are always on the money.
It is also a pity that all those murders, fights and shootings, rapes, crooked skating monks, neighbor quarrels, corrupt scams, mutinous school youth, robberies, moped accidents, train, bus and pick-up accidents and so on, slips away so easily. Maipenraai she always says. I do not agree with that. I think they should listen to what we Farang think, and above all they should do what we say. We've all been there before and solved it. That's just how it is. Has proven history. We bring prosperity and harmony. Well, that is far from the case in this country. Just look at next week. Read Thailand blog.
My wife also says that I shouldn't read that much Thailand blog because they take it a step further. They already take it from the newspaper and then post it again, after which all kinds of people add their strange experiences to it. Well, that makes me restless. So every now and then I go to a large department store in our area. Do I have some distraction. Can I still walk a few meters? Then have an ice cream. 15 Bath. Recently also become more expensive, like so many groceries. It's almost impossible to afford. They also say on Thailandblog that The Hague no longer wants to reimburse our medical expenses, and there are rumors that the Thai want us to pay taxes. Shame. They make all that up. How do they get there? They should be happy that I spend my money here and not somewhere else. Besides, I've been spending my whole life! What do they want!?
Well, I won't worry because otherwise I'll end up in the hospital, and then you're pretty screwed too. They literally and figuratively strip you completely in such a hospital. Half transactions and whole accounts. No, then the Netherlands. There it is the other way around. The day before yesterday or so, a slow train derailed here for a second time. All in all, they were unfortunately injured. Well, in Spain a train goes off the rails with many deaths. But you can't compare that. What happens here is always more disastrous. It doesn't look like here. Well, I'll just stop there. I'll go close the doors, fences and gates. Because you never know. You hear a lot about creeping burglars. They'll kill you before you know it. The latter is an advantage. They also do it with tourists. Watch out!
Rudolf, I think I'm getting really scared now too… at the moment I'm temporarily living in the second house of an acquaintance of mine, with two dangerous ducks in a big pond near the house. There is no fence there, so that I fall into the water almost every day when I feed the fish…
It's awful here. You wake up at six in the morning because the sun is rising and that is dangerous in itself. Then I look at a green island with banana trees. Just awful. I can't stand it anymore. Then I'd rather go back to the Netherlands, in my old bunker of a house and lie comfortably shivering in the winter, because you burn less, because of the high energy costs…. or not?
I'm also tired of being threatened by all kinds of vermin: mosquitoes chasing my blood, flies, wanting to eat my Tom Yam and dogs chasing some chicken thighs… Oh… maybe another discussion? Why can Thai dogs eat fried chicken and Dutch dogs can't????
Don't put your Dutch sleeve anywhere and just enjoy Thailand, even if you don't always understand Thai culture, the risk is no greater or smaller than in the Netherlands, where older people are also robbed for a few euros, we often feel safer in Thailand than in our own country.
I had to grin that, according to an all-knowing Thai, the tourist finds it dangerous on motorbikes, because he or she does not know the traffic rules. ha, ha.
I think that tourists generally know more about traffic rules than the Thai population.
And then I'm not even talking about the age of some of these hum-devils.
With every angle you have to take. you have to look around yourself 380 degrees before you want to do anything other than drive straight ahead.
The only direction quite harmless above you.
And please don't stop, like for example on second road, to let people cross, because absolutely some weirdo, car-taxi or motorbike will race past the inside with an emergency corridor and said pedestrian must be a jump ahead / make her life.
We have also experienced this a number of times that this was done by a farang, but most often it was the thai himself.
It will only happen right in front of you.
And we also notice that more and more farangs drive like idiots.
Really do the things that are forbidden in their homeland.
So no motorbike for us, but a safe sturdy car around us.
Greetings and many safe kilometers.
Louise