Kidman, they don't rob and steal in Thailand - that's the US - Thai people are Bhudhist and it's a different culture - they believe if they steal from you someone would steal 2x from - you could leave $1000 in your desk and passout and no way would any girl be gone with the money in the morning
Big Bet, ever since I was a young boy I've been on a low daily dose of Pennicilyn just in case
Big Bet, ever since I was a young boy I've been on a low daily dose of Pennicilyn just in case
British National Drugged and Robbed by Pattaya Prostitute
A British national has reported to police that he was drugged and robbed by a prostitute in Pattaya. The value of the stolen property is estimated to be approximately 400,000 baht.
Pattaya, the 8th of February 2010 [PDN]: At 10:00pm on Monday, police Lieutenant Colonel Preecha Samrit (Pattaya Police Investigator) received a report stating that a foreign man had allegedly been drugged and robbed by a Thai woman at the Siam Guest House, Soi 12, Second Road, South Pattaya. A team of police were dispatched to the scene to investigate the situation further.
At the scene, room 16 of the Siam Guesthouse, officers found Mr. Paul Edward Metcalfe [61] a British national, lying on the bed in a semi-conscious state. Police reported that he did not appear to be intoxicated, gathering that he had indeed been drugged with some form of sleeping pill. The room had obviously been searched thoroughly.
After Mr. Metcalfe had recovered slightly police interrogated him at which point he explained that; he had taken a prostitute back to his room after meeting her on Pattaya Beach Road. He stated that she called herself Miss Joy and appeared to be approximately 30 years-old. After meeting her and agreeing to pay her 1000 baht for her services they went back to his room, at which point Mr. Metcalfe alleges he fell asleep, not waking up until 9:30pm the following day.
Mr. Metcalfe declared that he had been robbed of a 300,000 baht Rolex watch, 6,000 baht in cash, 2 gold rings and an I-Pod MP3 player. Total value of all stolen items is estimated to be approximately 400,000 baht.
Police will continue with an investigation into the crime, fingerprinting Mr. Metcalfe’s room and requesting to view the Guesthouses CCTV footage in an attempt to identify and apprehend the offender.
========================================================
Lady Boy Prostitutes Bash & Rob Iranian in Pattaya
An Iranian national has been robbed and assaulted at his rental room in North Pattaya. The man had engaged the services of a lady boy in North Pattaya who along with another lady boy and a Thai man, robbed him of nearly 30,000 baht.
Pattaya, the 25th of February 2010 [PDN] At 1.00 am Police Lieutenant Colonel Rerngrit Ragchat (Pattaya Police Investigator) received a report that a male foreigner had been assaulted and robbed whilst in his room near the Fairtex Hotel, North Pattaya. Subsequently the Police along with officers from the Sawang Boriboon Foundation arrived at the scene to investigate.
The Officers found an Iranian National, Mr. Assmel Nbipor [41] with a broken nose and covered in blood and Mr. Ngih Aminzadeh [32] a friend of the injured man. The Officers administered first aid before sending Mr. Nbipor to the Pattaya Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Mr. Nbipor told the Officers, that prior to the incident, he was sitting alone in the area of the open air market in North Pattaya when a lady boy came to talk to him offering him sex. Mr. Nbipor agreed, believing him to be a female and went by motorbike to his room. After taking off his pants, he noticed another ka-toey in his bed. He shouted for help and called his friend Mr. Aminzadeh from his mobile.
During this time, he was assaulted by the two lady boys with the participation of a Thai man, robbing him of 3,800 baht, 700 dollars (23,000 baht) who escaped on a pink motorbike in the direction of Sukhumvit Road.
The Officer had gone after the offenders in a bid to arrest them, but without success. It is believed the incident had been well planned by the gang, but the Police will continue with the search and apprehension of the gang in order to bring them to justice.
Southeast Asia > Thailand > Crime
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THAI CRIME STATS: Top Stats All Stats
View this page with: Just Stats Sources Definitions Both
Acquitted 20,668 [10th of 30]
Assaults 20,125 [25th of 49]
Burglaries 13,222 [32nd of 38]
Car thefts 3,276 [35th of 46]
Drug offences 428.9 per 100,000 people [6th of 46]
Executions 1 executions [28th of 22]
Gun violence > Homicides > % homicides with firearms 79.5805 [1st of 32]
Gun violence > Homicides > Overall homicide rate > per 100,000 pop. 41.4695 [4th of 32]
Illicit drugs
a minor producer of opium, heroin, and marijuana; transit point for illicit heroin en route to the international drug market from Burma and Laos; eradication efforts have reduced the area of cannabis cultivation and shifted some production to neighboring countries; opium poppy cultivation has been reduced by eradication efforts; also a drug money-laundering center; minor role in methamphetamine production for regional consumption; major consumer of methamphetamine since the 1990s despite a series of government crackdowns
Jails 134 [19th of 80]
Murders 5,140 [8th of 49]
Murders committed by youths 1,456 [8th of 73]
Murders with firearms 20,032 [3rd of 36]
Police 215,450 [5th of 47]
Prisoners 213,815 prisoners [6th of 168]
Prisoners > Per capita 340 per 100,000 people [17th of 164]
Rapes 4,020 [14th of 50]
Robberies 780 [53rd of 47]
Software piracy rate 78% [31st of 107]
Total crimes 565,108 [17th of 50]
http://www.nationmaster.com/country/th-thailand/cri-crime
Click for larger flag of Thailand
View full size
THAI CRIME STATS: Top Stats All Stats
View this page with: Just Stats Sources Definitions Both
Acquitted 20,668 [10th of 30]
Assaults 20,125 [25th of 49]
Burglaries 13,222 [32nd of 38]
Car thefts 3,276 [35th of 46]
Drug offences 428.9 per 100,000 people [6th of 46]
Executions 1 executions [28th of 22]
Gun violence > Homicides > % homicides with firearms 79.5805 [1st of 32]
Gun violence > Homicides > Overall homicide rate > per 100,000 pop. 41.4695 [4th of 32]
Illicit drugs
a minor producer of opium, heroin, and marijuana; transit point for illicit heroin en route to the international drug market from Burma and Laos; eradication efforts have reduced the area of cannabis cultivation and shifted some production to neighboring countries; opium poppy cultivation has been reduced by eradication efforts; also a drug money-laundering center; minor role in methamphetamine production for regional consumption; major consumer of methamphetamine since the 1990s despite a series of government crackdowns
Jails 134 [19th of 80]
Murders 5,140 [8th of 49]
Murders committed by youths 1,456 [8th of 73]
Murders with firearms 20,032 [3rd of 36]
Police 215,450 [5th of 47]
Prisoners 213,815 prisoners [6th of 168]
Prisoners > Per capita 340 per 100,000 people [17th of 164]
Rapes 4,020 [14th of 50]
Robberies 780 [53rd of 47]
Software piracy rate 78% [31st of 107]
Total crimes 565,108 [17th of 50]
http://www.nationmaster.com/country/th-thailand/cri-crime
Homicide and Gun-Firearm Violence in Thailand: World Ranking Crime statistics
Surfing the web for world crime statistics, I came across a great world statistic website, and found my way to its Thailand crime stats page and was surprised about my findings, particularly of how high Thailand ranked in certain categories of crime, particularly gun violence and homicide.
Taken from the gun violence data out of dozens of countries surveyed in the Seventh United Nations Survey on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (1998 – 2000), Thailand happened to be the country with the highest percentage of its homicides (reported) that were committed with a firearm. Simply dead said, the weapon murder choice for Thailand is the gun, more so than other countries.
Specifically, 79.58 percent of Thailand murders (some 25,000 in total) reported in the 2 year survey window were done so with a gun. In comparison, the 2nd ranked country, South Africa had only 59.2 percent of its murders (twice as many total murders than Thailand) committed with a gun, while the third, Colombia, amounted 51.7 percent of its murders (about 45,000) to firearms.
As far as firearm homicide rate, South Africa topped the list with 74.57 gun murders per 100,000 rate (29,000+ gun murders), followed by Colombia with 51.76 (some 23,000 gun murders), and Thailand tailing in 3rd with roughly 33 murders by gun per 100,000 people (19-20,000 gun murders).
As far as overall homicide rate, Thailand ranked in at 4th with 41.4 murders per 100,000 people, behind Guatemala at third with 43.9 per 100k (about 5,000+ total murders), Colombia at 2nd with 114.5 murders per 100k and South Africa maintaining the highest overall murder rate with 125.9 murders per 100k.
Come to think of it, I really shouldn�t be surprised that Thailand has a high murder rate, particularly regarding guns. A few years back, I actually saw a 14 year old girl get shot only 20 meters away from me�she was caught in the middle of some teenage gang grudge�she was lucky to survive as the bullet missed her heart by inches. Guns are so common here, but you may never notice as people are really discreet, and will only ever draw if they intend to use it�which would require a good reason i.e. payoff, loss of face, revenge, etc. Thais have high tolerance, but when they do lose their cool, it�s full blast�danger zone.
Not to say that Thailand is particularly unsafe and that just anyone is at a high risk of getting shot or murdered. There certainly isn�t/shouldn�t be a fear of randomly getting caught up in a drive by or such unmotivated killings if one minds themselves and is always conscious of their behavior.
Shootings/murders in Thailand can usually be broken down to business/land grudges-feuds, vocational school rivalries, adultery-jealousy rages, and hired assassins (i.e. political motivations).
That said, the average tourist or visitor will rarely ever likely be randomly caught up in the line of a bullet�granted he or she doesn�t intentionally and arrogantly step on the wrong persons toes, and fails to handle him/herself accordingly
http://www.thaiskale.com/journal/ho...e-in-thailand-world-ranking-crime-statistics/
Surfing the web for world crime statistics, I came across a great world statistic website, and found my way to its Thailand crime stats page and was surprised about my findings, particularly of how high Thailand ranked in certain categories of crime, particularly gun violence and homicide.
Taken from the gun violence data out of dozens of countries surveyed in the Seventh United Nations Survey on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (1998 – 2000), Thailand happened to be the country with the highest percentage of its homicides (reported) that were committed with a firearm. Simply dead said, the weapon murder choice for Thailand is the gun, more so than other countries.
Specifically, 79.58 percent of Thailand murders (some 25,000 in total) reported in the 2 year survey window were done so with a gun. In comparison, the 2nd ranked country, South Africa had only 59.2 percent of its murders (twice as many total murders than Thailand) committed with a gun, while the third, Colombia, amounted 51.7 percent of its murders (about 45,000) to firearms.
As far as firearm homicide rate, South Africa topped the list with 74.57 gun murders per 100,000 rate (29,000+ gun murders), followed by Colombia with 51.76 (some 23,000 gun murders), and Thailand tailing in 3rd with roughly 33 murders by gun per 100,000 people (19-20,000 gun murders).
As far as overall homicide rate, Thailand ranked in at 4th with 41.4 murders per 100,000 people, behind Guatemala at third with 43.9 per 100k (about 5,000+ total murders), Colombia at 2nd with 114.5 murders per 100k and South Africa maintaining the highest overall murder rate with 125.9 murders per 100k.
Come to think of it, I really shouldn�t be surprised that Thailand has a high murder rate, particularly regarding guns. A few years back, I actually saw a 14 year old girl get shot only 20 meters away from me�she was caught in the middle of some teenage gang grudge�she was lucky to survive as the bullet missed her heart by inches. Guns are so common here, but you may never notice as people are really discreet, and will only ever draw if they intend to use it�which would require a good reason i.e. payoff, loss of face, revenge, etc. Thais have high tolerance, but when they do lose their cool, it�s full blast�danger zone.
Not to say that Thailand is particularly unsafe and that just anyone is at a high risk of getting shot or murdered. There certainly isn�t/shouldn�t be a fear of randomly getting caught up in a drive by or such unmotivated killings if one minds themselves and is always conscious of their behavior.
Shootings/murders in Thailand can usually be broken down to business/land grudges-feuds, vocational school rivalries, adultery-jealousy rages, and hired assassins (i.e. political motivations).
That said, the average tourist or visitor will rarely ever likely be randomly caught up in the line of a bullet�granted he or she doesn�t intentionally and arrogantly step on the wrong persons toes, and fails to handle him/herself accordingly
http://www.thaiskale.com/journal/ho...e-in-thailand-world-ranking-crime-statistics/
http://hubpages.com/hub/Thailand-Health--Safety-and-Risks-2-Crime
Getting Crime in Proportion
Thai people are remarkably relaxed and easy going. Buddhist philosophy discourages 'hot bloodedness'. Politeness is ingrained from birth and most Thai people are both scrupulously honest and very unwilling to be intrusive.
Even so, Europeans and Americans are universally viewed as wealthy and this leads to temptation. Some Thai’s have learnt to prey upon travellers and expats and in Thailand crime can be a threat to health and safety as much as it can in any other country.
In matters of honour, business and love, Thai people can be transformed. 'Hot bloodedness' so frowned upon in Buddhist teaching can overwhelm individuals with fatal consequences.
•Thailand: Health, Safety and Risks 1. Dangerous Animals
Creatures that are a threat to your health and safety.
The Statistics
Thailand ranks low for most reported crimes when compared with Western countries- with one big exception. Thailand is near the top of any list of countries for murder with firearms.
Gun crime is most often related to gang wars There is a serious problem of organised drug crime in the border areas with Burma, Cambodia and Laos. Guns are also often used to settle business disputes and jealous lovers- both men and women- use guns to settle scores depressingly often.
A few foreigners each year are caught in the cross fire. An unknown number of foreigners (a few dozen, maybe) are murdered deliberately mainly as a result of business disputes but sometimes by jealous or abandoned lovers. There are occasional reports of foreign men being murdered by their Thai wives for money or property,
Thailand's kids are some of the best behaved and likable kids in the world. Unfortunately, the number of murders committed by teenagers is frighteningly high- more than 1,400 in the last recorded year. Again, guns were the favourite weapon. Often the reasons for the murders are trivial matters of percieved disrespect.
Perception of Crime in Thailand
There is a widespread perception that crime is a serious problem amongst both Thais and expatriates. The local government in Phuket recently identified crime as being the biggest brake on the development of the tourist industry. Many expatriates believe crime levels in Thailand are as bad or worse than in their home countries, despite the statistics and in major tourist areas like Pattaya, Phuket and Ko Samui, this may be true.
Crime Statistics for Thailand http://www.nationmaster.com/country/th-thailand/cri-crime
Crime Thailand
Thai scammers can be young or old, male or female. They are all well dressed and far more 'helpful' than is normal. Crimes against Foreigners
Scams
Scams are common in Bangkok. In fact, scammers are the first Thais you are likely to have contact with on arrival at the airport. The touts will offer tours which are overpriced and hotels which are dingy and expensive.
The best option is to queue for one of the official taxis that, for 600 bt, will take you into central Bangkok to a hotel of your choice.
Away from the airport, taxi drivers and tuk tuk drivers are most often the scammers in Bangkok. If you need a taxi, hail one of the thousands of brightly painted cabs with a Taxi-Meter sign on its roof. If the driver switches on the meter, all is well. The legal fares are not expensive. If the taxi driver doesn’t switch on the meter it is best to get out at the first opportunity. The fare will be exorbitant and he will try any line to keep you in the back of his taxi..
Most especially, beware of taxi drivers offering tours. These will include visits to grossly expensive shops and restaurants from whom the taxi driver will get commission.
Taxi drivers sometimes pick up their victims outside famous monuments claiming falsely that the monument is closed. They then offer their own alternative tour.
Most ordinary taxi drivers don't speak English and don't know Bangkok well (truly). Offering the driver a map- tourist maps are easy to find- is the best way to get to a destination. Hotel staff will write directions in Thai if you ask them.
Avoid touts offering to take you to a gemstone shop. They will sell at hugely inflated prices. The gem scam is famous enough to have it's own wikipedia entry.
•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_gem_scam
•Gem Scammers in Bangkok Images
Jealous Lovers of Either Sex can be a Threat to Your Health
Street Robberies
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Street robberies are usually only a problem in highly commercialised areas like Phuket, Ko Samui and Pattaya. Large numbers of tourists with cash to spend attract criminal gangs. Ko Samui is notorious for bag snatching with gang members on motor cycles. Pattaya has a history of serious assaults during street robberies at night- often on drinkers walking home in the early hours. In Phuket, car drivers are stopped and robbed from time to time in the back streets and foreigners have been knocked from motor cycles and robbed.
Avoid back streets at night!
Sexual Assaults
Given the many millions of tourists in Thailand each year, sexual assaults on visitors are very rare. Even so, they do happen and both men and women have been targeted. Keep a clear head and be aware of your surroundings at all times. If you sense any problems leave immediately. Remember there is safety in numbers.
There have been occasional, unsubstantiated reports of travellers being given drugged food before being robbed or assaulted.
Foreign Gangsters
Russian mafia, English gangsters, paedophiles of every nationality, fraudsters and conmen- Thailand attracts a bad crowd.
In a recent case, an elderly American retiree was shot after a very public internet row on a popular forum. He was resisting payment of exorbitant water rates demanded by an English property developer. The developer claimed the row had destroyed his 'business'. After the shooting, the Englishman fled. It was revealed that he was wanted as a leader of a drug gang in the UK. Link below.
http://www.andrew-drummond.com/2009...land-hua-hin-and-the-rise-of-the-footsoldier/
Pattaya as a Haven for Foreign Criminals
http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.php?IDNEWS=0000001093
Property Scams
It is never a good idea to buy property in Thailand through the internet or from ads in local papers without a lot of advise from locals. Property laws are complex and lawyers and developers should be suspect unless well recomended by people with nothing to gain.
Recently, Hua Hin has seen a string of murders of foreigners involved in the recession hit property business.
Rural Areas
Rural Thais are usually kind, open and helpful people. There are still dangers though. It is well known for quiet country roads to be blocked at night and travellers to be robbed. Also young Thai men are as capable of violence as any other men in the world. Young travellers should be aware of insensitivity and drunkeness in quiet communities.
Full Moon Parties
There have been incidents when foreigners have been assaulted by local men at full moon parties on Islands near Ko Samui.
Crime Snapshot in Pattaya
http://holidaypattaya.blogspot.com/2009/01/pattaya-news-1-15-januari-2009-crime.html Pattaya is notrious for crime. Crime committed by Foreigners
Lese Majeste
This is the crime of insulting the King of Thailand or the monarchy. It is taken very seriously and can result in long prison terms. Generally, foreigners are pardoned by the King and deported but only after a long stay in detention prior to trial.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...-jails-Australian-for-insulting-monarchy.html
Gambling
All forms of gambling in Thailand are crimes except for the national lottery. Illegal card games are a national addiction, usually held in hotel rooms or back rooms of clubs and snooker halls.
Police enforce anti-gambling laws strictly and in many communities it is the cause of most arrests. Never get caught with cards and money on the same table.
Drugs
Tackling drug crime is a high priority for the Thai authorities. Police have the power to stop and search suspects, their vehicles and their homes without a warrant. Sting operations are sometimes used to catch drug users. Clubs may be raided and urine samples taken for analysis. Anyone proving positive will be charged. Amphetamines are a commonly abused drug.
Thai sentencing regimes are very variable, ranging from fines and deportation for possessing small quantities of marijuana to decade’s long jail terms for drug dealing.
Recently the new government has sworn to wage a new ‘War on Drugs’. During the previous 'War on Drugs’, arrests increased threefold, sentences became harsher and 2,500 Thai's died at the hands of police.
Trafficking can attract the death penalty- which is very bad for your health.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1579641/Thailand-threat-to-shoot-4000-in-drug-war.html
Passport Irregularities
Passport or visa irregularities often result in a jail sentence of at least one year. Some companies and tour shops in the larger tourist centres offer to extend visas without the need to visit an immigration centre or leave the country. They then forge stamps in the passport which can lead to arrest when you try to leave Thailand.
You may be refused entry to Thailand if your passport is damaged, especially if any pages are missing.
Copyright and Illegal Software.
Ordinary Thais use pirate copies of Windows and other programs as a matter of course. Any computer shop will provide a full software package for free if you have an upgrade or need a repair.
Lately, though, Thai authorities are taking a tougher line on intellectual property and copyright infringement by businesses. Among other measures, a recent law gives almost any government body the right to search computers for illegal software without warrants. Dedicated enforcement units will raid businesses on tip offs. Staff are offered large rewards for turning in employers using illegal programs. Heavy penalties can result.
Thai Internet Laws
All Internet traffic is logged by ISP's in Thailand. Data and identities of surfers are retained for at least 90 days, Crimes range from hacking and fraud to lese majeste. All Internet pornography is illegal in Thailand.
Counterfeit Goods
Pirated Cd's, counterfeit watches, clothes, cell phones and almost any kind of fake goods you can imagine are on open sale in markets all over Thailand. The police occasionally take an interest and arrest a few sellers. If you take fake goods back with you, customs in your country may arrest you on arrival.
Vice
Prostitution is illegal but the law is rarely enforced. Even the most remote rural community has some form of paid sex available- usually through a karaoke bar.
In the last few years, underage prostitution (involving girls less than 18) has become a serious priority for police with many arrests.
Thai Prisons
Conditions in Thai prisons are generally poor with serious overcrowding and sometimes problems of TB, AIDs and poor medical treatment. Best avoided.
http://www.thaiprisonlife.com
http://www.thai-blogs.com/index.php/2008/10/25/contact-visit-at-a-thai-prison?blog=5
Thailand Visa Overstay
Currently, visas are issued for thirty days at airports but only two weeks at land crossings. This is apparently to discourage people from staying long term in Thailand by making regular 'visa runs' to the border.
For overstaying your visa in Thailand there is a fine of 500bt per day. Overstaying for a long period can lead to arrest and imprisonment. The best option for anyone who overstays a visa long term- whether through illness or personal circumstances-is to exit through Suvarnabhumi International Airport. This is probably the only place where long term over-stayers are not arrested. The maximum fine is around 20,000bt- but this could change anytime and is worth checking.
Longer term visas can be obtained legally in a variety of ways. The rules are constantly altered and a visit to the Thai Visa Forum is recommended.
Visa-and-Immigration-Forums
Thailand's Deep South
A long running Muslim-Buddhist conflict has brought violence and crime to three of Thailand's, mostly Muslim, provinces on the Malaysia border.
Most foreign countries advise against visits to Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.
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Thailand's English Language Newspapers
•Bangkok Post
Main nationwide English language newspaper.
•Chiangmai Mail
•Hua Hin Observer
•Phuket Gazette
•Pattaya Mail
•Thailand Newspapers and News Sites
Complete List of English Language Newspapers
Thailand Crime
•What next for Thailand?
BBC News3 days agoThailand's PM has threatened to retake a fortified encampment set up by protesters in Bangkok. What is your reaction?
•Gun crackdown underway in Phuket
Thailandnews.net1 second agoIn addition to searching people, Thung Thong police aim to document all legally-held weapons and wipe out gun crime by getting illegal weapons off the streets.
Getting Crime in Proportion
Thai people are remarkably relaxed and easy going. Buddhist philosophy discourages 'hot bloodedness'. Politeness is ingrained from birth and most Thai people are both scrupulously honest and very unwilling to be intrusive.
Even so, Europeans and Americans are universally viewed as wealthy and this leads to temptation. Some Thai’s have learnt to prey upon travellers and expats and in Thailand crime can be a threat to health and safety as much as it can in any other country.
In matters of honour, business and love, Thai people can be transformed. 'Hot bloodedness' so frowned upon in Buddhist teaching can overwhelm individuals with fatal consequences.
•Thailand: Health, Safety and Risks 1. Dangerous Animals
Creatures that are a threat to your health and safety.
The Statistics
Thailand ranks low for most reported crimes when compared with Western countries- with one big exception. Thailand is near the top of any list of countries for murder with firearms.
Gun crime is most often related to gang wars There is a serious problem of organised drug crime in the border areas with Burma, Cambodia and Laos. Guns are also often used to settle business disputes and jealous lovers- both men and women- use guns to settle scores depressingly often.
A few foreigners each year are caught in the cross fire. An unknown number of foreigners (a few dozen, maybe) are murdered deliberately mainly as a result of business disputes but sometimes by jealous or abandoned lovers. There are occasional reports of foreign men being murdered by their Thai wives for money or property,
Thailand's kids are some of the best behaved and likable kids in the world. Unfortunately, the number of murders committed by teenagers is frighteningly high- more than 1,400 in the last recorded year. Again, guns were the favourite weapon. Often the reasons for the murders are trivial matters of percieved disrespect.
Perception of Crime in Thailand
There is a widespread perception that crime is a serious problem amongst both Thais and expatriates. The local government in Phuket recently identified crime as being the biggest brake on the development of the tourist industry. Many expatriates believe crime levels in Thailand are as bad or worse than in their home countries, despite the statistics and in major tourist areas like Pattaya, Phuket and Ko Samui, this may be true.
Crime Statistics for Thailand http://www.nationmaster.com/country/th-thailand/cri-crime
Crime Thailand
Thai scammers can be young or old, male or female. They are all well dressed and far more 'helpful' than is normal. Crimes against Foreigners
Scams
Scams are common in Bangkok. In fact, scammers are the first Thais you are likely to have contact with on arrival at the airport. The touts will offer tours which are overpriced and hotels which are dingy and expensive.
The best option is to queue for one of the official taxis that, for 600 bt, will take you into central Bangkok to a hotel of your choice.
Away from the airport, taxi drivers and tuk tuk drivers are most often the scammers in Bangkok. If you need a taxi, hail one of the thousands of brightly painted cabs with a Taxi-Meter sign on its roof. If the driver switches on the meter, all is well. The legal fares are not expensive. If the taxi driver doesn’t switch on the meter it is best to get out at the first opportunity. The fare will be exorbitant and he will try any line to keep you in the back of his taxi..
Most especially, beware of taxi drivers offering tours. These will include visits to grossly expensive shops and restaurants from whom the taxi driver will get commission.
Taxi drivers sometimes pick up their victims outside famous monuments claiming falsely that the monument is closed. They then offer their own alternative tour.
Most ordinary taxi drivers don't speak English and don't know Bangkok well (truly). Offering the driver a map- tourist maps are easy to find- is the best way to get to a destination. Hotel staff will write directions in Thai if you ask them.
Avoid touts offering to take you to a gemstone shop. They will sell at hugely inflated prices. The gem scam is famous enough to have it's own wikipedia entry.
•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_gem_scam
•Gem Scammers in Bangkok Images
Jealous Lovers of Either Sex can be a Threat to Your Health
Street Robberies
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Street robberies are usually only a problem in highly commercialised areas like Phuket, Ko Samui and Pattaya. Large numbers of tourists with cash to spend attract criminal gangs. Ko Samui is notorious for bag snatching with gang members on motor cycles. Pattaya has a history of serious assaults during street robberies at night- often on drinkers walking home in the early hours. In Phuket, car drivers are stopped and robbed from time to time in the back streets and foreigners have been knocked from motor cycles and robbed.
Avoid back streets at night!
Sexual Assaults
Given the many millions of tourists in Thailand each year, sexual assaults on visitors are very rare. Even so, they do happen and both men and women have been targeted. Keep a clear head and be aware of your surroundings at all times. If you sense any problems leave immediately. Remember there is safety in numbers.
There have been occasional, unsubstantiated reports of travellers being given drugged food before being robbed or assaulted.
Foreign Gangsters
Russian mafia, English gangsters, paedophiles of every nationality, fraudsters and conmen- Thailand attracts a bad crowd.
In a recent case, an elderly American retiree was shot after a very public internet row on a popular forum. He was resisting payment of exorbitant water rates demanded by an English property developer. The developer claimed the row had destroyed his 'business'. After the shooting, the Englishman fled. It was revealed that he was wanted as a leader of a drug gang in the UK. Link below.
http://www.andrew-drummond.com/2009...land-hua-hin-and-the-rise-of-the-footsoldier/
Pattaya as a Haven for Foreign Criminals
http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.php?IDNEWS=0000001093
Property Scams
It is never a good idea to buy property in Thailand through the internet or from ads in local papers without a lot of advise from locals. Property laws are complex and lawyers and developers should be suspect unless well recomended by people with nothing to gain.
Recently, Hua Hin has seen a string of murders of foreigners involved in the recession hit property business.
Rural Areas
Rural Thais are usually kind, open and helpful people. There are still dangers though. It is well known for quiet country roads to be blocked at night and travellers to be robbed. Also young Thai men are as capable of violence as any other men in the world. Young travellers should be aware of insensitivity and drunkeness in quiet communities.
Full Moon Parties
There have been incidents when foreigners have been assaulted by local men at full moon parties on Islands near Ko Samui.
Crime Snapshot in Pattaya
http://holidaypattaya.blogspot.com/2009/01/pattaya-news-1-15-januari-2009-crime.html Pattaya is notrious for crime. Crime committed by Foreigners
Lese Majeste
This is the crime of insulting the King of Thailand or the monarchy. It is taken very seriously and can result in long prison terms. Generally, foreigners are pardoned by the King and deported but only after a long stay in detention prior to trial.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...-jails-Australian-for-insulting-monarchy.html
Gambling
All forms of gambling in Thailand are crimes except for the national lottery. Illegal card games are a national addiction, usually held in hotel rooms or back rooms of clubs and snooker halls.
Police enforce anti-gambling laws strictly and in many communities it is the cause of most arrests. Never get caught with cards and money on the same table.
Drugs
Tackling drug crime is a high priority for the Thai authorities. Police have the power to stop and search suspects, their vehicles and their homes without a warrant. Sting operations are sometimes used to catch drug users. Clubs may be raided and urine samples taken for analysis. Anyone proving positive will be charged. Amphetamines are a commonly abused drug.
Thai sentencing regimes are very variable, ranging from fines and deportation for possessing small quantities of marijuana to decade’s long jail terms for drug dealing.
Recently the new government has sworn to wage a new ‘War on Drugs’. During the previous 'War on Drugs’, arrests increased threefold, sentences became harsher and 2,500 Thai's died at the hands of police.
Trafficking can attract the death penalty- which is very bad for your health.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1579641/Thailand-threat-to-shoot-4000-in-drug-war.html
Passport Irregularities
Passport or visa irregularities often result in a jail sentence of at least one year. Some companies and tour shops in the larger tourist centres offer to extend visas without the need to visit an immigration centre or leave the country. They then forge stamps in the passport which can lead to arrest when you try to leave Thailand.
You may be refused entry to Thailand if your passport is damaged, especially if any pages are missing.
Copyright and Illegal Software.
Ordinary Thais use pirate copies of Windows and other programs as a matter of course. Any computer shop will provide a full software package for free if you have an upgrade or need a repair.
Lately, though, Thai authorities are taking a tougher line on intellectual property and copyright infringement by businesses. Among other measures, a recent law gives almost any government body the right to search computers for illegal software without warrants. Dedicated enforcement units will raid businesses on tip offs. Staff are offered large rewards for turning in employers using illegal programs. Heavy penalties can result.
Thai Internet Laws
All Internet traffic is logged by ISP's in Thailand. Data and identities of surfers are retained for at least 90 days, Crimes range from hacking and fraud to lese majeste. All Internet pornography is illegal in Thailand.
Counterfeit Goods
Pirated Cd's, counterfeit watches, clothes, cell phones and almost any kind of fake goods you can imagine are on open sale in markets all over Thailand. The police occasionally take an interest and arrest a few sellers. If you take fake goods back with you, customs in your country may arrest you on arrival.
Vice
Prostitution is illegal but the law is rarely enforced. Even the most remote rural community has some form of paid sex available- usually through a karaoke bar.
In the last few years, underage prostitution (involving girls less than 18) has become a serious priority for police with many arrests.
Thai Prisons
Conditions in Thai prisons are generally poor with serious overcrowding and sometimes problems of TB, AIDs and poor medical treatment. Best avoided.
http://www.thaiprisonlife.com
http://www.thai-blogs.com/index.php/2008/10/25/contact-visit-at-a-thai-prison?blog=5
Thailand Visa Overstay
Currently, visas are issued for thirty days at airports but only two weeks at land crossings. This is apparently to discourage people from staying long term in Thailand by making regular 'visa runs' to the border.
For overstaying your visa in Thailand there is a fine of 500bt per day. Overstaying for a long period can lead to arrest and imprisonment. The best option for anyone who overstays a visa long term- whether through illness or personal circumstances-is to exit through Suvarnabhumi International Airport. This is probably the only place where long term over-stayers are not arrested. The maximum fine is around 20,000bt- but this could change anytime and is worth checking.
Longer term visas can be obtained legally in a variety of ways. The rules are constantly altered and a visit to the Thai Visa Forum is recommended.
Visa-and-Immigration-Forums
Thailand's Deep South
A long running Muslim-Buddhist conflict has brought violence and crime to three of Thailand's, mostly Muslim, provinces on the Malaysia border.
Most foreign countries advise against visits to Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.
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Thailand's English Language Newspapers
•Bangkok Post
Main nationwide English language newspaper.
•Chiangmai Mail
•Hua Hin Observer
•Phuket Gazette
•Pattaya Mail
•Thailand Newspapers and News Sites
Complete List of English Language Newspapers
Thailand Crime
•What next for Thailand?
BBC News3 days agoThailand's PM has threatened to retake a fortified encampment set up by protesters in Bangkok. What is your reaction?
•Gun crackdown underway in Phuket
Thailandnews.net1 second agoIn addition to searching people, Thung Thong police aim to document all legally-held weapons and wipe out gun crime by getting illegal weapons off the streets.
Did alot of reading at this site, very informative.. Thai prison life
http://www.thaiprisonlife.com/
http://www.thaiprisonlife.com/
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Strongly Disagree.........
Like Cheater posted, down south they will do anything, because they know you're leaving soon......
You have 3 options down there
1.Bathhouse, huge selection, a few hrs, and out you go
2.Down south on the beaches, bring one home for the night (anything could happen)
3.Some guys pick up a girl for a week, and think its a new girlfriend....lmao
I can't seem to comprehend the fact that internet porn is illegal in this Country? The whole country seems to be a brothel? hookers every where? Yet they have Ethical values? And the prison sytem is insane! Very confusing country. I can understand the prison sytem; IMO, thats the way a prison should be run, it's not a country club like in the US. I'm sure many are being paid off, but they keep the vistors in check and collect their incoming US currencey.
