Break-In

[Guest]

can i ask which apartment you live in?

 

just want to know if there is a danger that i live in the same apartmentblock with a risk of getting robbed..

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[Sarisin]

First, I would say I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of good wishes, suggestions, and similar experiences from fellow board members - but, I am not. This board is great when it comes to sharing all of the above and more. It would be hard for me to respond to every great post and thank the poster, but I will say one big collective thank you here and then address a few comments in individual posts.

 

But, first, an update:

 

My company rattled some cages and I have an appointment with one of the Lumpini Police honchos Sat. AM. I still have not been able to get the expat owner of the guard company to return my calls. I have heard that the guard who was supposed to be on duty during the time of the theft has not turned up since for work and is missing. Hmmmm.

 

Someone at my company suggests I retain a lawyer and go after the guard company. But, I am not sure for what. Proving what was stolen might be difficult.

 

The deal on what was to be my new apartment unfortunately fell through. I am still looking.

 

I put all of this in perspective when I learned my former secretary was involved in a car crash on the expressway a few nights ago. She hit a stalled car, killed the passenger, and badly injured the driver. Only 23 years old and she has to live with this the rest of her life.

 

One more thing:

 

I was in shock I believe when I wrote the list of things I though were missing. I am constantly finding out there were other things taken I did not include. For example, I lost some decent watches in addition to the two already noted, and, sadly, my college and high school rings.

 

I keep wondering what I will do if I ever meet a Thai or a farang wearing a piece of jewelry that belonged to me. What would you do? ::

[Sarisin]

[i think you are right in not paying the police

 

a/ They should do it anyway its their job

b/ Do you want the police knocking on your door whenever they need some cash

c/It prolongs your involvement in the whole affair.

 

It wont harm to start looking for a new place, if it is someone within the complex it is highly unlikely they will develop a conscience and cease looking for opportunistic gain.

 

STH

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Thanks. I still have not paid anyone, although others have suggested a post a reward at least locally for information leading to the arrest of the thieves and recovery (ha!) of my stuff.

 

Yes, this could not have come at a worse time for me as I have a few physical problems I am dealing with too. Moving is such a physical pain too. Still, I will move, the sooner the better. Too bad the deal on the place I had in mind fell through.

 

Thanks for your comments.

[Sarisin]

Says uniformguy:

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Hi there Sarisin,

 

I'm really sorry to hear that story and especially as you had only moved there recently. I'll bet you wish now that you hadn't moved.

 

>>I have been in this apartment for 17 months. First real problem other than a leaky toilet. I had no choice but to move as I retired from work.

 

For several weeks I felt just like you do I kept hearing funny noises at night and every little sound like the thermostat on the kettle readjusting woke me up.

 

>>This does drive me crazy. I have actually started to close windows even though I am on the 5th floor and put stuff in front of locked doors. I have a bar that I put on the maid's door even though it now has two bolts.

 

However it does and will pass for you. Do not let this one person, (it was only one in my case and people even saw him leaving), taint your positive image of the Thai people and spoil your happy life in BKK.

 

>>Good comment. Day by day, I think I am getting over the anger phase.

 

As far as advice goes I offer two ideas: the first is probably not one you will consider but that is get a flatmate or a live in GF. I have done that and it makes a huge difference to my feeling happy in my home.

 

>>No live-ins for me now, UG. 12 years with my Korean wife (ex) taught me THAT lesson.

 

The second is to make sure that everyone else in the building knows that you have been burgled. If I remember correctly you live in a big block, put up a notice in English and Thai asking for information and whether anyone saw anything.

 

>>I think everyone in the building (it is small) knows as well as the neighborhood. I was shocked when my best friend in Burma called me two hours after I discovered the break-in Sat. His Thai GF got a ride with a taxi driver who works this soi to Pattaya and he told her about my incident. She told my friend and he called from Burma! Bad news travels really fast here.

 

IDeal with it, move on, and stay positive about Thailand.

 

>>This I will try to do, my friend.

 

By the way I'm going to Angeles in January....... wanna come with me, you like it there.

 

>>I had reservations there Nov. 30, but just canceled because of an anticipated move and not wanting to be away again. I will likely be back in AC during Songkran.

 

Thanks for taking the time to comment, UG.

 

 

[torrenova]

I am sorry that your privacy has been invaded and for your loss. Perhaps, given the inside nature of the burglary, it would be better to move.

 

To correct some previous posters, it would not happen anywhere. In the UK, where I am now, yes it could happen but we have colour CCTV burnt to CD. Expensive but effective. In Hong Kong, when I most recently lived, this would never happen. The security was too tight and not bribable.

 

Unfortunately, not having insurance is very risky. Stupid you might say, given the relative cost. Then again, having substancial assets protected by relative weak security is not very sensible either.

 

To others, remember LOS is a world where the minimum wage is circa Bt165, hardly a bottle of beer in NEP. If you are a farang and have nice "things" you will be targeted.

 

I seem to remember a quote from where I no not "if you not in Thailand, this not happen". Sums up the official line I think.

[Sarisin]

Says Escape Rabbit:

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I have no idea how much they got away with, but if it is a lot of dough, one thing the police should be looking for is lifestyle changes. Has anyone connected to the joint bought a home up country, a car, etc? I've noticed from Thai crimes in the news they tend to instantly spend and stand out like a sore thumb and get caught.

 

>>I have no idea what the police are doing, but should find out Saturday when I meet with a high-ranking officer in the Lumpini station. Not counting the $50,000 in US Savings Bonds (I will claim those and have them reissued), I put my loss at around $20,000. I am finding new things missing daily. Is that a lot of dough?

 

That's spooky for sure. Due to the highly probable inside job, I would hope the police owe AT LEAST enough to get prints of every roaming worker and every resident on your floor. Even if it doesn't find them, at least you can feel better about the people around you.

 

>>They got fingerprints (good ones, I have heard) off my safes and my tool box. They also got a worker's type shoe print in the dust that was clearly not mine. I am surprised they have not fingerprinted all. The guards must log in and log out every one that enters/departs my building. Of course, if the guards are in on it...

 

Thanks for your comments, ER.

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[Sarisin]

Says pattaya127:

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this is a tough one. The reason why i am not buying a house so far, is because everyone one, thais and farangs, always passed the message that it is not a question of if but when it would be burglarized. There are tons of thais looking after the farangs weaknesses to prey on them. This definitely could be most 3rd world countries nowadays.

 

>>Interesting comment, 127. I too would not consider a house for security reasons. But, now you can add apts/condos to that too. BTW, I find it strange that no one else on the board anyway has been personally burgularized in the LOS or at least not posted about it.

 

can you deal with it by differentiating between the telling experiences and people who were good to you in Thailand, vs these aspects of life in a country where a farang never quite belongs. a truth you certainly found out, very early in your stay.

 

>>Good point and something I thought about. Now I realize my view of Thailand was much too jaded for the experiences I had. This was a slap in the face to be sure.

 

Also, did these "inside' people know about the extent of your belongings and the presence of 2 safes? Isnt' there too much tempting and maybe encourage us to keep expensive items safely in a bank box, and live or pretend to live a thai lifestyle ?

 

>>Not many people knew about these safes. Only the two maids I have had,and, true I fired one for cause and she still hung around the building as she worked for another tenant. I told the police to consider her as a suspect.

 

But, it is possible because they had the luxury of time and knew I was out of town, they looked everywhere, broke the locked cabinet and simply came across the safes. My clothes from drawers were strewn about indicating they looked everywhere. I think the insider part applies mainly to knowing I was out of town.

 

I think this thread may be here for a while. there seems so much perception from farangs that thais should obligate us by adotping our sense of ethics from the west, which they rarely do. This may be no consolation, but nothing about Thailand has really changed, only "your" Thailand.

 

>>I absolutely agree and this is an excellent point. I never saw this coming and did not expect it. Call me idealistic or simply naive. I did take very good security precautions, I think, but still got hit.

 

Sorry if that sounds wise-ass, but I meant my comments to be taken outside of your own ordeal, which i wish sincerely you could have been spared from. Cordially

 

>>I don't see your comments as wise-ass at all and appreciate them greatly. Thanks.

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[Sarisin]

All great advice LaoHuLi and i appreciate it a lot. I agree that someone here still in this building is the instigator of this crime and that is my big fear as long as I continue to live here.

 

I did get this bumped up to some of the honchos at the police department, so we will see what happens. Really, I thought with the money involved it would get more attention, but, probably as someone already said no one was hurt, so it has a low priority.

[Sarisin]

Says Uthai:

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Sorry about your most unfortunate situation. I agree with part of your analysis that it had to be an inside job, someone that knew you would be out of town. But I disagree with your assumption that it had to be a Thai person. Have you considered the possibility that the job could of been done by a fellow Farang?

 

I hope your quickly able to find some resolve to your situation.

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I really don't think it was another farang that did the job. I don't live in a big building - only 8 floors and the owner (Indian) has two of them. Two of the tenants are Japanese, and two apts. are vacant. One apt. per floor. There are only two other farang tenants besides myself. Farangs would stick out like a sore thumb here.

 

Also, I don't know how they could have known I was out of town.

 

I appreciate your comments.

[Sarisin]

Thank you for your comments and personal experience jitagawn. By the way, I went to the police station with the building gardener (owner was busy, guards wouldn't go) who is a nice guy. I wore a nice shirt and a necktie and was polite throughout even though I was still a little in shock and getting angry with the shenanigans of the police in the office. They thought I could not understand what they were saying, but understood most of it. Afterwards, even the gardener told me he was sorry for what they said and how they acted.