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Random Foreigners Being attacked by gangs


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Speaking of Usa, there's usually an article per day about soe "hate crime" (usually defined as a white native attacking a minority group member) which carry a higher sentence. If thailand's legal system had "hate crimes", all the above (thai on foreigner) crimes would be "hate crimes" . In todays usa paper a hate crime was described, and the article said that some people driving by stopped and interrupted the attack, saving the victim. I knew it wasn't thailand when i read that...no one would stop and help there

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Gentlemans:

 

Thought i would update you on my training progress.

 

I found Discount Machete Fighting School here

 

 

They have a highly specialized program designed around the machete.

 

 

The instructors only want 1000 baht per day so Old Hippie, P127 and Khun Sanuk thought my idea was a good one. They joined me at my new school.

 

P127 is more aggressive than i realized, no one wants to be his training partner.

 

Old Hippie likes to wear protective gear during training, the instructors seem to prefer that he covers up.

 

Khun sanuk has already put his training to use. Just today he fought off an attack by a troll.

 

After seeing how good of shape i was getting in, my mother decided to join the school. She is a raving whore so this is not a good thing.

 

Will keep you posted.

 

Edit update: Training accident. JJSushi stopped by the school and just for laughs thought he would show us old farts how to do it.

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It's human nature, I guess (but i guess i'm not human because I know better) to conclude that the crime rate has gone up because this happened to you, or because you "heard" about alot of incidents lately. But the truth is, this says nothing at all about whether the overall crime rate has gone up, down, or remained the same over time. The only thing that has changed is the the "rate at which YOU are aware of or experienced crimes".
This is obviously true. But it also seems as though many of us here - including those of who have never been attacked - think Bangkok is more dangerous. And we are coming to that conclusion because we are reading, seeing and hearing about more acts of violence.

 

I don't think it is entirely the internet, although it probably helps get the information out there more quickly. And I recognize that Thai authorities in general have tried to manage the news that goes out about Thailand, and that it is much harder, perhaps impossible, these days. But Thailand has gone through so pretty major changes recently. Consider the following:

 

- The war on drugs where over 2,000 extra-judicial killings occurred in a scant three month period.

 

- The New Social Order policies which has pushed late night farangs out on to relatively more dangerous Sukhumvit street venues. The early closings certainly haven't eliminated late night partying; they have only moved it to more dangeous venues.

 

- I am not familiar with the drug scene, but I guess the same thing is happening there. People haven't stopped taking drugs; the drugs have just become more expensive, and drug takers are taking more aggressive and violent action to raise money for their more expensive habits.

 

- This government has not been shy about employing gross nationalism to garner votes. When things have gone wrong, and they have been going wrong a lot recently, it's the first to point fingers at outsiders as the cause. This will affect attitudes towards outsiders, and helps legitimize violence against tourists.

 

- Tourism is way down according to the government's own figures. At this point, you can't blame the tsumani or bird flu anymore. I think the new social order pollicies are taking their toll on tourism, and I am not the only who thinks this (some in the government are quietly making this argument). This could be driving many who worked in this sector to now resort to crime in that sector to make money.

 

- The Thai economy is slipping. The government projected 6%+ growth this year. We'll be lucky if the offical figures come in at 3%. To get votes, the government subsidized oil prices, which means that Thais were paying an artifically low price for oil over the past two years. Now that the subsidies have ended (like the float of the Baht in 97', the government had no choice but to end the subsidies), prices are shooting up, and this is really taking a toll on the Thai wallet. Money is short and unwitting farang tourists are tempting targets.

 

- Corruption at the highest levels is more becoming more apparant. Criminal activity is becomg legitimized.

 

The combination of poor social (new social order) and economic policies (subisidizing oil prices) and blantant appeals to nationalism to garner votes and rampant corruption which legitimizes crime, particularly against outsiders, seems to having an effect.

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Quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

It's human nature, I guess (but i guess i'm not human because I know better) to conclude that the crime rate has gone up because this happened to you, or because you "heard" about alot of incidents lately. But the truth is, this says nothing at all about whether the overall crime rate has gone up, down, or remained the same over time. The only thing that has changed is the the "rate at which YOU are aware of or experienced crimes".

 

 

 

Sounds like you need a reality awakening. I suggest going to the websites of various countries and see what they post about Thailand.

 

When a Thai airport had a bomb go off in an airport, should that have risen your concern level?

When people are judicially executed, do you believe they all deserve it?

When people are beheaded, do you actually believe that does not go on in Thailand?

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"I suggest going to the websites of various countries and see what they post about Thailand."

 

Link?

 

"When a Thai airport had a bomb go off in an airport, should that have risen your concern level?

When people are judicially executed, do you believe they all deserve it?

When people are beheaded, do you actually believe that does not go on in Thailand?"

 

I'm sure all that goes on, but almost never directed to farangs though...Why do you have such an interest in hyping this stuff?

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Quote: [color:"red"] "I'm sure all that goes on, but almost never directed to farangs though...Why do you have such an interest in hyping this stuff? "[/color]

 

 

I once thought like you do but changed my view on such matters when I found myself in a hospital. Shortly after my arrival, my new attitude was reinforced when they brought to the hospital another falang in from the same area.

 

We were both attacked.

We are/were both falangs.

The attackers had machettes.

I am not sure of why he was attacked, but in my case they wanted everything I had. This is known as robbery.

 

 

Sometimes I worry about that other falang. I arrived at the hospital without a passport but my wife was able to take care of that problem. When the other falang arrived, he had his passport. I felt it would mean his admittance to the hospital would be easier, but it was complicated because he did not have any money. Shortly afterwards they told him he was HIV and then they moved him out of the hospital. What became of his fate, I worry about every day. When I get fully back on my feet, I would like to try and find him.

 

My question is why are you so skeptical of what happens to falangs?

 

When it is written up that a falang committed suicide by tying a plastic bag around his neck and discharging an aresol can inside the bag. Do you really believe that is what happened?

 

All kinds of stuff happens in the Kingdom.

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I met a travel agent the other night. he says the only ticket to BKK he has sold this year was for a thai lady. He thinks it's mostly to do with the tsunami.

I can't talk for europeans, but I think americans are very sensitive to negative News from a country and easily get cold feet.

I quite admit that by adding all the bits of News (though i still think violence against farangs is not a big item, and presumed xenophobia even less), Thailand may look a bit less of an exotic paradise these days.

Also, people easily scoff at Thailand, for being stuck in some archaic "law of the jungle" set-up, rightly so, and when you hear that a cop killed a backpacker for some attitude problems, i can't blame them for writing the country off. It may not be out of concern, just simple bad publicity, heaping on more general news coming from the country and the tourist grapevine.

 

Thailand is not in at the moment, maybe, and since the fabulous 80s, a lot of other countries catch the attention of tourist wanting a gentle experience in an exotic culture (Cambodia, Vietnam, and now definitely Burma). It's the luck of thailand that you have to pass thru BKK to get there, so they can claim they had those tourists, except they stay 2 to 4 weeks less than before.

 

I'd think if you are not too attached to thailand, the country is losing its appeal for repeat visitors. I may be wrong.

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pattaya127 said:

I met a travel agent the other night. he says the only ticket to BKK he has sold this year was for a thai lady. He thinks it's mostly to do with the tsunami.

I can't talk for europeans, but I think americans are very sensitive to negative News from a country and easily get cold feet.

Well, there is an incredible amount of Yanks running around the Kingdom at the moment. Regular travellers, not sex tourists. Families with kids, college packpackers, etc. All the flights to LAX on TG are full until the second week of September. I know. I just tried to get a seat on one. And wife was trying for two weeks to change her flight from 12 Aug to an earlier date (7-8-9 Aug) and could not as the plane was full. So people *are* coming here from the US.

 

Regards,

SD

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  • 1 year later...

Well, I can give an account of what's happened in Hua Hin. Here is a small selection of the incidents I am personally aware of, without being overly sensationalist:

 

A BG arriving at my home to tell me my friend was in hospital. He had been the victim of an unprovoked attack by a large group of Thais armed with bricks, bottles and bats. He was lucky, a few broken fingers from protecting his head from the brick and some relatively minor head wounds and cother cuts and bruises.

 

A 75 year old Farang friend beaten with bats by guys on a motorbike while driving home. He wasn't too badly hurt.

 

A Dutch co-worker shot twice in the leg. They tried to get his Filipina wife but missed.

 

Another farang, well known case, beaten to death by his ex-wife and family and then cremated.

 

Another guy robbed at gun point in broad daylight recently in sleepy Khao Takiab, south of town.

 

A Thai teacher in my school beaten by 4 men with bats, at the end of the school day when the school was packed with parents picking up their kids. He ended up on a life suport machine.

 

There have been more. And as you can see from the above, Farangs are not being exclusively targeted. My girlfriend can't drive her motorbike home after dark because there are particular areas on the route that are well known for robberies, often involving people being pulled off their bikes.

 

They look for anyone they think has cash/gold. They watch business people shut up shop and, knowing they have the days takings, follow them home and attack them on the way.

 

I think it is getting more dangerous...

 

BTW in NOT ONE of the above cases did the Thai police make arrests.

 

 

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