Originally Posted by
maskedavenger
Maybe some of you own a business here.....or maybe have some self interest at heart (i.e. an income stream depending on tourism, etc.)?
The fact is that if you are walking with your family on the street and one of these incidents occurs, a loved one might be injured....or killed.
Can this happen in other places?.......maybe.......but we are talking of Thailand....not an American or European city....if you want to post danger signs for cities in the US or Europe please go to the appropriate area. I would not expose my family to this type of political situation and street scene anywhere....US and Europe included.
Bangkok is the center of Thailand activity and tourism. Most people coming to Thailand spend time in Bangkok.....especially first time tourists. The comments that this is a Bangkok problem and not a general Thailand one is fictitious.
If you read Thai newspapers on a daily basis, you will see that the crime situation in Thailand, separate from the political situation is still a bad course of events. Also, because the governmental authorities take little responsibility for anything......many times, crimes against persons go unanswered.
When you put the blah, blah, blah in about this peaceful little country.....make sure you footnote the amount of farangs killed here, by Thai's in robbery activity and other criminal acts against tourists, which the Thai's are very quick to throw under the carpet. Tell your "peace" story to the family of a 21 year old kid who was knocked to the ground and his femoral artery severed after he was down....by a Thai with the jagged edge of a beer bottle....or the kid who was shot and killed by a Thai on a motorcycle to get his gold chain. There is a level of violence here equal to that of any American inner city......and yes...I wouldn't visit an American inner city either ....especially to go clubbing and hanging out....a recipe for disaster.
A lot of people see Thailand as this oasis in SEA.......very different from their own country....a country with a peaceful religion and a quiet reserved people. This is simply not true. Thais are the same as anyone else......don't take chances when in Thailand.........you wouldn't take these chances in your own country. Don't be fooled by the rhetoric here and elsewhere.
Thailand is going through some serious political times......and there is always that criminal element......throwing a bomb into a crowd......sounds just like the Santa Monica Pier......doesn't it?
(this Behuman guy ruined his post by his final comments......but the thrust of his original comments stand true....Thailand can be a very dangerous place.......just like the rest of the world.......if you visit keep your guard up!!....UM.....OK!)
PS....your reverence and respect for the King is very interesting.......the King is probably the richest man in the world (not so in Forbes because his funds are looked at as "royal family funds")......yet his people live in poverty and ignorance. He is probably a nice guy....but he needs to spread the wealth.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1224...googlenews_wsj
Of course I have an interest in Thailand, I'm there every other month. My interest is fortunately human and not money.
What is misleading about some posts is that people make it seem like every time you walk down a street something bad will happen. BKK is a major city and like any major city there is crime and danger. Who said it was nirvana? But it sure is not the battle ground that people are making it out to be. I can personally think of many other cities that are much more nirvana like then BKK.
You've got your touts and your scams and dangers like any other large capital but, there is two major differences from what I SEE. 1) the crime to foreigners are significantly lower then crime towards foreigners in other countries, other countries target out foreigners and 2) the political demonstrations and conflicts are well documented locations and the only moderate risk area I would classify is the south.
And yes I do read thai news daily and talk to thailand four / five times a day. Anyone can pick up a paper and pull out some dangers. Gee a city of millions people of all races that has some crime, go figure. But it's not TARGETED specifically to tourists, there is far more crime thai vs thai, there is some serious crap that is thai vs thai. And I will admit I am surprised that there is not more danger to tourists and I expect that crime against foreigners will increase over the next five to ten years. But even if that happens it will still be safer then many SEA cities.
Do you get the news from other SEA cities? Do you know how dangerous other places are? In Thailand do you go through vehicle check, personal check, drug sniffing dogs through your luggage, bomb sniffing dogs through your luggage, and metal detector to get into your hotel like I have to do in other SEA cities? Sure in the south I've had my vehicle checked when entering properties but that's about it.
A few murders, armed robberies, kidnappings, extortion and such every night do not make the news or are considered strange in many other cities, but for some reason because of the perceived "peaceful people" of thailand, when something they do gets violent it becomes international news when in reality what you describe about stabbings and others are daily happenings in most large cities and are not even back page news events. Now that might be a sad commentary on how the world media treats items but it is fact.
Me and my family can walk in the streets in Thailand a lot safer then in Philippines and in a lot of other places in Asia and South East Asia. And I'm in 5 different Asian countries on a regular basis so I do have the mileage to make my own judgment on this issue. But to say BKK is dangerous and people should avoid it is far too extreme a statement to be taken seriously given the crime rates and dangers towards foreigners in other cities, even cities in countries you might consider civilized... Thailand goes out of its way to avoid conflicts with tourists. It is for the most part an internal struggle.
Ah.. the king... yes I wish I had his families fortune. But it is their culture and their society which foreigners should respect and let them evolve and progress. And I think he is trying to change slowly as even he see's the crown prince unable to rule the country in today's climate. Be it modern times, a shift in thinking or values or whatever, but it is clear to me that the king is allowing the country to evolve. His silence in the political arena tells volumes to me about how he feels.
It always amazes me how people from so called developed worlds think that countries can completely change their political and historical structure over night. It takes many long years for political and cultural systems to change in countries and many countries in SEA are changing... slowly... but they are evolving.
And if we want to wander into the field about spreading the wealth around... don't get me started on how the masses are treated...