trooper Posted January 14, 2003 Report Share Posted January 14, 2003 Damn, the second Finnish traveller stabbed to death in Thailand in just two months. "Kai Muuranto, 31, from Helsinki, was walking with his Thai wife to a wedding reception at about 10.30pm on Sunday when a motorbike carrying the four young thugs pulled up in front of him, police said." This guy was a very well known traveller who wrote reports to many travel magazines and and always prized Thailand as a heaven on earth, yesterday I just read an excellent article on Lamai and Koh Samui written by him. He was killed because he carried a digital camera. The other Finn, young woman, was robbed and killed by a taxi driver in Bangkok in November. One reason why I have always liked Thailand is that I have felt very safe everywhere. Lately I have just seen too many sad news about violence against foreigners. Could it be that the safe times really are over? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straycat Posted January 14, 2003 Report Share Posted January 14, 2003 Yes, I read the news today as well. Very sad indeed. Killed because of a 40.000 bath camera... Safe times over? I don't know. A problem in Thailand is that very little of the violence is actually reported in media...that goes especially for the English language newspapers. It's not all smiles out there -- and probably hasn't been for a while. On the other hand, I do think the cases involving farangs are quite limited incidents. It's a big country. And there's a lot of tourists here. All in all, I do not think this is an unsafe country for the average farang. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted January 14, 2003 Report Share Posted January 14, 2003 This is disturbing, as yours is the third account of violence towards Farangs I have seen on the board in the last few days. If we substitute 'Detroit' for 'Bangkok', the attacks would seem commonplace, but BKK isnt Detroit, or at least it wasn't ..... As I've said before, I felt safer in big cities throughout Asia than I ever did in Sydney, but perhaps that was more naivety than reality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samak Posted January 14, 2003 Report Share Posted January 14, 2003 yesterday there were 4 farangs killed in the small (below one million population) town i am staying at the moment in the USA... :onfire: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli13 Posted January 14, 2003 Report Share Posted January 14, 2003 not sure about news & violence. I can't read thai, but every time I check the thai paper in the newsstand, street stall wherever it never fails to produce a morder/etc. photo in the left lower corner while the top right often portrays some pretty girls! still pretty safe overall to me - even I might be too naive as well... take care Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted January 14, 2003 Report Share Posted January 14, 2003 samak, My advice is get out now ! If they continue to average 4 per day, and we can assume that 10% of the population are capable of murder, it can only be a matter of time before your number comes up in what must be a shrinking population ... BrisVegas has 1.5 million people, and if someone is murdered its usually big news, certainly not 'ho-hum, another drive-by'. If there is more than one in a 24 hour period, its a major news day, but 4 ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samak Posted January 14, 2003 Report Share Posted January 14, 2003 Says artiew: samak, My advice is get out now ! sure i will follow your advise; will leave thursday and fly to LOS! :grinyes: :grinyes: :grinyes: :grinyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadaBing Posted January 14, 2003 Report Share Posted January 14, 2003 Says artiew: If we substitute 'Detroit' for 'Bangkok', the attacks would seem commonplace, but BKK isnt Detroit, or at least it wasn't ..... Can we please leave Detroit out of this ???? Bada8mileandcoolidgeBing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rovineye Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 Says artiew: samak, My advice is get out now ! If they continue to average 4 per day, and we can assume that 10% of the population are capable of murder, it can only be a matter of time before your number comes up in what must be a shrinking population ... Unless samak is the one doing the offing!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Toad Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 I fear what many tourists forget is that a normal item to us, like a good camera, is a few months salary in much of Thailand. Generally the Thais are very poor by Western Standards. I remember buying a Thai girl dinner and she was horrified. What I had just paid would have fed her family for moths! In London it would not have bought a decent pub meal! In tourist areas Thais are more use to seeing the wealth of farangs Nakon St T is not a tourist area. Reasons for the theft maybe just to get money, but do not over look resentment as well. But where ever you are it is worth remembering do not flash it......be it money or possessions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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