Baronbonk.com: Safety in Thailand: an in depth assessment of the dangers for visitors and residents alike

Dangerous, or not?

The question that seems to have done the rounds recently is asking if Thailand is less safe now than it once was for us farangs. Web boards have been inundated with topics and posts and even when I trundle into the pub the subject is often raised. There seem to be three views: most old hands think no, a good sprinkling think yes and those running businesses here - both Thai and farang - think the subject should be verboten lest it frighten off the punters. I will say straight off that I find the last attitude deplorable! Ignore it and it does not go away and normally it gets worse!
Obviously part of what I do here involves watching the news, and talking to people and generally being in the 'know.' I am not sure whether the country is less safe or not, mainly because the Thai authorities try to cover everything up. And to a certain extent because of that everybody thinks it is worse. But let me say what I do think is true, and that is that the general respect for farangs has gone from good tolerance to close to despising them. Again I refer to several web board threads about Thai speakers who have had bad things happen and who have understood the comments of the people around - which in many cases have been very anti-farang.
I believe this is happening for a number of reasons:
1. There are a lot more of us and thus we are much more visible
2. We, as a group, are not behaving well. It may only be a few but it reflects in the end on all.
3. The Thai society itself is in a state of flux as the inevitable drift from rural to urban gains momentum. This has happened in Europe and nothing is different here. It unfortunately involves the breakdown of the family unit and there are not enough jobs for the newcomers who invariably find themselves living in slums and have little option but to turn to crime to get a daily crust.
4. Mass media that shows a high life that little can obtain but breeds jealousy. And yes we flash our money in their face. In the 2 nd World War there was a saying about GIs in England : "over paid, over sexed and over here". I am sure many Thais would empathise with that
5. The increasingly obvious corruption in Thai politics can not be ignored. Despite the highly publicized moral high ground claims made via various crackdowns, the government has certainly lost any moral authority, particularly in Bangkok .
6. Despite having the 5 th largest police establishment in the world, the Thai police appear remarkably inept when it comes to either crime clear ups or crime prevention. And one gets a nasty feeling that crimes against farangs are not only not given any priority but indeed are often covered up so as to avoid negative publicity.
7. In my early days here, and this is in a way a summary of the above, we always felt that as a farang you were respected. I believe the much publicised crack down on farang over-stayers and those who do not carry passports, sent a message to many that really we no longer mattered and were fair game.
These points, right or wrong, would not make us less safe per se but they show a change of our circumstance. That change has made us less protected and therefore more likely to be victimised.
Of course most farangs who are killed and injured are involved in RTAs and in far too many cases it is entirely their own fault. If this Thai government really cared about it's tourist visitors it would ban the hire of motor cycles which would at a stroke almost certainly reduce farang casualties by about 50%, if not 75% overnight. But the other issue that invariable pops up when a farang is killed here is why they were killed: and frankly few seem to be totally random. The vast majority are people living here who have managed to tangle with a local. In some cases it is in dubious business dealings. But sadly, as a case highlighted just a few weeks ago, they do little more than fall for the wrong gal.
As regards muggings and robberies dare I say it walking around with 5 baht of gold, currently worth about 60,000 Baht, displayed on one's body is an invitation to any robber let alone somebody on a bread line salary of 4,000 Baht. We often simply ask for it. Every single hotel has signs up saying to put valuables in the safe - some do not! Who's fault is that? Pickpockets and crimes of opportunity happen in every major city, and tourist area in the world.
But in the end there are two more key questions. Is Thailand a dangerous place to live, and that must be in comparison to where you have come from. I suppose on one technicality it is. Thailand 's murder rate is the 14 th . highest in the World with .080 murders per 1,000; with the US at 24 th (.048); and the UK at 46 (0.014). But is that worse than it was a few years ago: I doubt it.
The final question is there anything we can do about it. There is little doubt it would help if we behaved with more respect to Thais and their culture. It would help if we were less in your face with our money. It would help if we practiced ethical business practices. But that means that we farangs as a tribe have to behave better. But, of course, we are not one tribe, we are many - even if we are seen as one. What about the Thai authorities? Could they do more? Yes I am sure they could. The police could start taking crimes against farangs more seriously and the authorities could make it clear that it is not ‘open season' on farangs. But I suppose the main thing that could help would be if businesses here who pay both taxes and police taxes, used their little influence to pressure the authorities.
But what about coming to LOS - is it unsafe? There I believe the answer is clear. No it is not! Those coming on holiday and staying in mainstream holiday areas are very unlikely to have serious problems. The flight out here is about as dangerous, which means the drive to the airport in your home country was statistically the most dangerous part of the trip. There is of course one big proviso: that the visitor goes no closer to a motorbike than looking at it!
For the long term resident there may be more risk, but mainly from getting involved in some dubious business or other ‘risky' transaction, including marriage!
But then look at most of us who do live here. We are here for the lifestyle. We are here to get away from the politically correct claptrap back home. We are here because we can do much more and enjoy much more here than in Europe or the States. Many of us regularly break Thai laws with impunity, and even if caught, a few quid will sort it out. Back home you would be trying to explain to the beak why a custodial sentence was not appropriate.
Frankly if you are that worried about death, stay at home and maybe then you will live to spend the last few years of your life in a nice retirement home. As you sit in the armchair watching the rain run down the window and listen to your fellow inmates shuffle and complain you may catch yourself thinking: I wish I had gone to Thailand . Death in the Land Of Smiles would have vastly preferable to this eternal dallying in God's waiting room!