Crisis of tourist safety

The string of bad PR incidents that have left behind an alarming number of dead and seriously injured visitors to the Kingdom are greatly compounded by inaction or worse on the part of police and can only be countered by strict reform of local law enforcement agencies

Published: 2 Dec 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

On Tuesday in Australia, Channel Nine's A Current Affair programme called the actions of Koh Samui police "callous, calculated and evil" as they attempted to extort money last month from a man after his fiancee, 24-year-old dancer and sportscaster Nicole Fitzsimons, died in a motorcycle accident.

On Thursday in The Sun, a British tabloid, a prominent story about a violent attack in October by a machete-wielding "rape gang" of Thai youths on a young British couple in Ao Nang, Krabi, included many details of other such cases, scams and safety issues around the Kingdom.

The Evil Man of Krabi YouTube video, made by the father of an alleged rape victim also in Ao Nang, Krabi, in July, has garnered more than 500,000 views since Oct 23.

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zulu
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Discussion 35 : 02 Dec 2012 at 12.1735
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wanted to cross phetkasem in Hua Hin the other day. cars, bikes, trucks all on halt at the traffic light down the road, like waiting for the GO of an F1 race. empty street. perfect to cross! as i step on the road a motorbike came with full speed the wrong way down road to reach the tiny path that is left for pedestrians...this $&†§er almost run over me.i was shouting in shock. the policeman on the other side didn't do anything but called ME over . he looked at me, looked at my buddha dangling from my neck. took it in his hand, looked at me again. gave me two thumbs up. "Good Buddha, you good luck!" T.I.T. :)
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bkk-farang
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Discussion 34 : 02 Dec 2012 at 11.5434
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I think Tourist can still enjoy their holiday in Thailand, but they should open their eyes, inform themselves and don’t take anything for granted.
I.e. crossing a street on a zebra crossing can be very dangerous but if you know the danger look twice or take a pedestrian bridge. If people rent a bike somewhere don’t think the same rules apply as in your hometown. And if this guy is nice to you and he invites you for a drink, fine. But don’t expect that he has the same rules in mind then you have.
Maybe all this is not fair and not what some tourists expect but many people still enjoy their time here. They know how to behave and what to
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dok
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Discussion 33 : 02 Dec 2012 at 11.4633
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It is fine if someone say "There can be similar events in other parts of the world."
Sorry we are talking not about the similarities. But looking forward to the safety and justice in the land which itself loves to retain good image. You can not achieve that if ways of thinking are lame and you consequently will have wrong deeds especially when people stay at the administrative level deny the victims access to their rights.
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bobby2000
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Discussion 32 : 02 Dec 2012 at 11.3632
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I would consider Thailand a safe place to live in. The problem is that if something actually happens there is no one to help or protect you, since the police here more or less operate like a criminal gang. In most cases they are friends or in business with the local criminals and they boost up their salaries from "protection" money.
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bkk-farang
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Discussion 31 : 02 Dec 2012 at 11.3531
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@Khun Ken #13: No, it’s not racism. Lots of farangs live happily together with Thais in Thailand for years. Some farangs get arrested or deported for crimes, and lots of Thais go to jail for crimes. There are double standards, but most of the time they are about money and not race or nationality.
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bkk-farang
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Discussion 30 : 02 Dec 2012 at 11.2130
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Maybe foreign media will help Thais to wake up and demand a better police. It’s sad that Thais are still not fed-up with their own corrupt police that they demand change.
To be fair there are a couple of cross culture misunderstandings and Thais are not to blame for all the tourist trouble. Maybe let’s focus on obvious problems which concern everybody in Thailand like traffic police demanding cash without receipt, pirated goods in shopping malls and streets (think about Pantip and Sukhumvit). Laws blatantly ignored like smoking regulations, etc. Thais should demand a corruption free police in their own interest!
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zulu
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Discussion 29 : 02 Dec 2012 at 11.0929
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after 9 month i returned to thailand. there were more beggars at sanam luang than ever. i went to an ATM at a 7/11. a blind beggar was already eagleing over to me. i got my money, but i didn't had any coin, and i thought "be it" and i folded a 20baht note and pressed it in his open palm. while
walking away i was thinking "how come? the reds are ruling, but i see more beggars than ever? this isn't safe anymore!" - a young boy came running after me, shouting “Mr.Mr. you forget your ATM card in the machine" and handed it over! - while all the crimes, scams, described above might be true - the thai magic is still there, but you must have the
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Steve

Discussion 28 : 02 Dec 2012 at 10.5728
All false smiles and schemes to extract money from out wallets. Everyday I pass through Times Square on Sukhumvit where the 2 tourist police wait for a foreigner to drop a cigarette butt so they can pounce on them and get money. I dont think they have ever issued a warning or have actually helped tourists as they dont speak English
from iPhone application.
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wvavin
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Discussion 27 : 02 Dec 2012 at 10.4127
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It is a blessing that foreign medias are helping to publicize all the ills of the Thai police and justice system. Without these efforts, there are still a lot of vulnerable tourists, who thought it is a safe haven. Yes, there are a lot of alternatives in tourist destination in this region. Its time tourists should avoid visiting Thailand at all cost for their own safety until the system is revamped.
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Claude108
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Discussion 26 : 02 Dec 2012 at 10.3326
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I lived for many years in Thailand, but knowing what goes on there I wouldn't recommend a relative or friend to visit. The image Thailand tries to project to the world is vastly different from reality. For every shiny new broschure the TAT issues, harping on the country's wonderful Buddhist values, there will a few killed or raped tourists.

A country as terminally corrupt as Thailand can't protect or give justice to its own citizens, so forget about the safety of tourists.
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Crisis of tourist safety | Bangkok Post: opinion