Flashermac Posted June 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 In any armed robbery, the perps must accept that there is a possibility someone will be killed. And isn't it amazing how quickly the police can do their job when somebody high in the government makes them gets off their butt and do it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekong Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Flash, To quote what was previously posted in this thread and what can Chalerm do to stop all this?. very little i doubt. It seems that our Phuket expert believes it has nothing to do with Dr Yubarung the current Deputy PM and ex interior minister and ex justice minister who's wife happens to sit on the Bench of Dusit Family and Juvenile Court and was sat in on my alleged negotiations with my soon to be ex and will be one of the three judges hearing my testimony next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamui Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Flash, To quote what was previously posted in this thread It seems that our Phuket expert believes it has nothing to do with Dr Yubarung the current Deputy PM and ex interior minister and ex justice minister who's wife happens to sit on the Bench of Dusit Family and Juvenile Court and was sat in on my alleged negotiations with my soon to be ex and will be one of the three judges hearing my testimony next week. Could you explain a little bit more? I guess I am lacking the background to your comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekong Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Chalerm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted June 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 I'd forgotten about the PhD he "earned" from Ramkhamhaeng. It is in criminal law. As soon as he received it, people were asking why he didn't go arrest his sons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallenda Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 i will continue defending Phuket as i kinda know the place. but your other point hits the nail on the head....'clueless tourists'. exactly what i have been saying for Years. i am quite savvy about Phuket and know where to go and where not to go. in Pattaya i would be the 'clueless tourist'. Is there any other place in Thailand (or any other country!) where people would be physically threatened for trying to use some kind of transport other than the 2000 baht taxis? Where taxi mafia would be so brazen as to block roads? It speaks for itself. The jetski scam was well-entrenched for years in Phuket before it appeard anywhere else. Clueless tourists are not the problem. Every place worth going to has clueless tourists, but only Phuket has a never ending regular stream of these kinds of stories. The reason we keep hearing these kinds of stories about Phuket is obvious: because they keep happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamui Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 Is there any other place in Thailand (or any other country!) where people would be physically threatened for trying to use some kind of transport other than the 2000 baht taxis? Where taxi mafia would be so brazen as to block roads? It speaks for itself. The jetski scam was well-entrenched for years in Phuket before it appeard anywhere else. Clueless tourists are not the problem. Every place worth going to has clueless tourists, but only Phuket has a never ending regular stream of these kinds of stories. The reason we keep hearing these kinds of stories about Phuket is obvious: because they keep happening. Agreed. Remember that the taxis even blocked the US Navy! It seems that the Phuket scammers are backec by very powerful figures and one wonders how high in the Thai political system the mafia connection reaches. I guess that's why Chalerm was forced to jump in - the Phuket governor seems to be not willed/powerless to stop the scams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbaron Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 It seems that the Phuket scammers are backec by very powerful figures and one wonders how high in the Thai political system the mafia connection reaches They're untouchable mate - the "taxi mafia" even questioned a mate of mine who got a lift with his guesthouse owner from the airport! (Guesthouse owner was a 60 ish Thai). They don't even seem to have a laugh anymore (the taxi drivers), not so long ago they would see the funny side of demanding 400 baht for a 5-10 minute trip, now they just glare at you if you dare to haggle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 I accept that sayjann, Phil and others have enjoyable experiences on Phuket, and that many other tourists have no problems whatsoever - similarly, I had no issues in Bali other than overly aggressive vendors in Kuta. The issue with both 'island paradises', as I see it, is that the authorities pay lip service to cleaning out the 'trash' which are happy to tarnish the image of their respective islands. Most Balinese are, as their reputation would have it, pretty cool people. For that matter, most of the Javanese I have had any interaction with are also reasonable human beings with no particular hatred of foreigners. If we put religious extremists aside, there will always be a lowlife element attracted to any destination which has a large population of (supposedly) clueless tourists, be it Patong Beach, Kuta or Beach Road. If we accept that corruption is rife across all 3 destinations, why would I single out Phuket as the 'worst' ? Because my perception is that no-one in authority, from the Governor or whatever down, gives a rats arse about the battering their island's image is taking as long as the money keeps rolling in - incredibly short-sighted, but that seems to be the Thai way for some people. Pattaya might be chock full of criminals (and wannabes) from all over the world, but they seem to be getting enough of whatever it is they need to keep them from knifing tourists 50m from their hotels. As its stands at the end of June, 2012, I believe Sayjann would have to be incredibly clueless to meet a similar fate in Pattaya, to the point of antagonising the wrong people, but I'm not prepared to rule it out. I just dont think that a 'series of unfortunate events' would be dismissed as casually in Pattaya as they seem to be in Phuket - tenth floor 'early checkouts' notwithstanding. The only people I have to watch out for in Patts are Russians and drunken Farang from other parts of the world, and both are little more than an annoyance - really hoping it stays that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayjann Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 As its stands at the end of June, 2012, I believe Sayjann would have to be incredibly clueless to meet a similar fate in Pattaya, to the point of antagonising the wrong people, but I'm not prepared to rule it out. i've said before i would be clueless in Pattaya,i would need a chaperone to hold my hand. yes i've fucked up whilst on Phuket but i know the place. i know where to go and where not to go around Patong. i don't go anywhere near the beach after midnight as it can be a haven of crime. i last used a tuk-tuk in 2010 when it was an option easier for me at the time and price agreed upom before i got in. in fact as far as i can recall i've only ever got into a tuk-tuk 4 times in 12 years. taxi's are not an option as my hotel provides them if i need one. motorbikes are a much better option,quicker and cheaper. many of my female friends have them and have often given me a lift locally. i don't need to go into the tourists traps to eat as i know many fantastic small places off the beaten track. people moan about the price of food but they don't look for the little gems of restaurants which only 30 feet from where they buy a KFC. i eat the street food while many tourists will not,their loss in my opinion. no need to pay high prices for a day-trip when if you window shop the prices can be much lower. i use the same 2 booths which sell the trips and normally 40/50% cheaper then the advertised price. i used to ask tourists what they had paid for the trip and they were quite often surprised i paid less than half what they paid. i just say,look around for a bargain. some of the recent stories of murder and other crimes seem to have happened off the beaten track a little. Patong/Bangla Rd is relatively safe in my eyes as packed with people and difficult for a major crime to occur,but obviously things do go on. the locals are not stupid,they spot a newbie 100 yards away. i buy DVD's for 100bt and i hear other people saying they got a bargain after paying 400bt for the same thing as me. i know i would get scammed in Pattaya bcause i don't know how it works there. and after going to Phuket for many years i can get good info from friends if i have a query. many times an enquiry i have had has been sorted out quickly and to my satisfaction and enjoyment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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