Is Thailand too dangerous?

I`m a 50 y.o. man who has visited Thailand several times over the years, and about five years ago I met and fell in love with a beautiful woman in Udon Thani. She`s got a bachelordegree from a thai university, and her family seem really great. Her parents have a small shop where she and her parents work, and she has one (older) brother who`s an engineer working in Bangkok. My plan for me and my wife is to live in Scandinavia through the spring, summer and autumn, and to live in a warmer environment through the wintertime.
I`m now a bit worried after reading about the increasing level of scams and problems "farangs" encounter in Thailand. It seems to me that the trouble and unrest lately have made it dangerous for us to live in this country in the future. There`s alot of robberies, thefts, burglary, motorbike holdups, violence and even murders happening everyday all over Thailand, and the thai police seem unable or unwilling to stop this. Some of my friends with thai wives have encountered big problems (scams) lately, and a few times there are also officials involved..
I`m reading that big foreign companies are now moving their assets to Cambodia and Vietnam due to short leasing of the land, civil unrest, corruption and unstable conditions in general. Many thais previously working in factories in the Bangkok area are now out of work and the tourism has also been a catastrophy after the seizing of the Bangkok governmentbuilding/airport (actually after the coup ousting Thaksin) and the red/yellow-shirt mess. This spells more trouble ahead; my mother-in-law tells me that my wife can`t walk the streets of Udon wearing any visible valueable items at all or she will be robbed by motorbike gangsters. The knowledge among streetmobsters and Jaba-users that she`s married to a "farang" seems in itself to be a risk to the whole family. Recently they had burglars at night inside their house while sleeping, stealing her mother`s jewelry and some other stuff.
I`m not sure what to believe, can anyone tell me their view upon this; Is it safe to live (or even travel) in Thailand anymore?

Welcome to the Forum.

I can only speak for myself, but I've been coming to Thailand for nearly 7 years and have lived in Udon for almost 5 of those. I've traveled rather extensively through the country during that time. The one and only crime ever committed against me was, about two years ago, I had my sandals stolen. But the scoundrel did me the courtesy of leaving his old ratty pair behind.

This doesn't count, of course, my wife picking my pocket every other day.

thailand is A piece of cake.If ya think thailand's bad walk the streets of Detroit about 2am.After ya do that and your still alive you'll understand that crime in thailand is rather low.

VikingMan,

Welcome to the Forum

I live in Ireland and Im taking a year off from December to take a sabbatical in Udon. Of the violence Ive been reading lately there seem to be alot of farang on farang crimes but mostly in the flesh pits down south. Indeed like BobHelm I would feel a hell of alot safer walking down a street in Udon with a few drinks in me than walking in my hometown of Dublin! Ive been going to Udon for a few years now and much prefer the more laid back life there than in BKK, Phuket or Pattaya. On the Motorbikes.....like BOB said there was alot a while ago but to keep you updated its started again!

The tgf has been keeping me updated on things. The first time I visited Udon she told me, no red or yellow t-shirts and no wearing of visible gold jewellery. Now methinks that farangs that go around with a few Kilos of gold chains around their necks deserve to be robbed! but thats just me. If you stick to what my girlfriend told me about the clothing and gold you wil be fine!

Quick story for you, in July I was n Udon and had a big fight with the girlfriend. I went to the pub to calm down and have a few drinks. A few drinks turned into more than a few and around 2 am it was time to go back to the hotel. I was in pretty bad shape and cant remember anything else until the next morning. Around 2PM the next day there was a knock on the hotel room door. I opened to find a small thai man smiling and talking to me in isaan. I didnt have a clue what he was saying so i sent the gf out to talk to him. Turns out he was a tuk tuk driver and had found me passed out in Nong Prajak park on the grass. He thought Id been beaten up and robbed until he got closer to me and could tell i was just drunk. Anyways he got me off the grass put me in the back of his tuk tuk and I must of managed to tell him what hotel i was at and the room number. ANyways he got me back and put me to bed! He came back to see if I was ok and NOT looking for his tuk tuk money! I gave him 1000 baht and thanked him. Now if the same thing had happened me in Dublin, id suggest Id have been robbed, beaten up and left to rot!

I know this wouldnt be the general rule as there are good and bad people everywhere but I just thought Id share!

I think you will be fine VkingMan and things arent as bad as they are being made out. Just take the same precautions as you would going anywhere and I cant see you having a problem

P.S. No i dont make it habit to get that drunk and in fact I dont drink that much at all, it was just the night that was in it.

Is it safe to live in Thailand, that's the question and the answer is, of course it is a safe to live here as anywhere else.
What one must remember is whether it is safe to live? With todays' pace of living and the stress and all that, living is more dangerous than ever. Gone are the idyllic days of wandering as a youth completely safe wherever you were, with the knowledge that you could call into any house to get help. Where people would stop and help you if you had a problem as opposed to now seeing if you were worth robbing or beating you up small change.
When Doctors and Nurses did not look at you as a way of making money through Insurance rip offs, where when someone came to your house as a workman they actually worked and not scouted out your wealth to see if you were worth burglarising.
IS IT SAFE TO LIVE IN THAILAND....YES, as safe as anywhere in the WORLD.

Just remember that you are a very small minority in this country and considered relatively wealthy compared to the majority of Isaan!They also know that you probably have no support system for them to fear!

Just don't into confrontational issues with Thais,be diligent in relation to your surroundings and how ''flashy you act'', as most crimes against falangs,IMO,are opportunistic in nature!

That said ,I believe,that Thailand ,for me, is extremely safe,especially when the actions of the police are not preventive in nature.

I would imagine that a police force of this nature,anywhere else,would make that country far far more dangerous!

Thai people are easy going,fun loving and friendly ''acting'' unless confronted or feel they have been made to lose Face!

IMO,most of the publicity crimes that you hear about,happen because of the actions of the victim that invites these problems with their attitude,chosen environment and lack of cultural difference and understanding!

Bandung_Dero wrote:Is Thailand too dangerous? Don't know about TOO dangerous but there are areas where one should be careful visiting at certain times of the night and no one knows better than one of our more colourful characters here in Ban Dung. Who just happens to be supporting 2 black eyes, 6 stitches to the back of the head (Leo Bottle) and cuts, bruises etc. after being attacked by 4, yabba crazed, youths at a dodgy Karaoke Bar a few nights ago.

But then again that sort of thing can happen anywhere I guess.

Never had any problems with the Thai people, Just a certain Falang.

Kevro

I have lived in a number of different places around the world and find Thailand to be relatively safe. As it has been pointed out, be smart about where you go and what you flash. Wearing heavy gold chains while bar hopping might be questionable behavior. Property crimes are what I consider the biggest problem. You need to make sure your home is secure against those who would like what you have. Keeping a good relationship with the village head man if you live in a village, local police officials, and such. Always remember as a farang you are a visitor (even if you are married to a TG). Visitors who exhibit good manners have far fewer problems than those who don't.

maaka wrote:I have been in and out of LOS since 74. Dont know if you have seen the recent tv doco ' trouble in thailand ' about the Tourist Police in Pattaya, its an eye opener..ladyboys beating up guys and stealing all their have, people spiking drinks and getting robbered, fancy gold scams where farangs have lost $200,000, drunken motorbike accidents, and deaths, drug busts and prison for the smallest of drug stashes, visa overstayers hooked on drugs but to broke to go back home, so becomes farang stealing from farang, tourists pulling insurance scams re stolen cameras so they can pay for thier trip, which now the thai police are onto...

its all about awareness and being sensible like anywhere else in the world. best is to keep a low profile.

That is the problem with publicity through the media,places like Pattaya representing the whole of Thailand!

That is like taking a sleazy ''red light'' district in an American city and reporting the incidents like it was the norm in America!

I think the advice given has been good. Mostly, just use common sense. I've never had any serious safety issues while living in Thailand and I'm not even a Viking. .............. I think you'll do just fine.

After serving in the Pacific for many years, my family was stationed in Texas. The first 10 minutes of local news each evening was filled with drug/gang related crimes. It gave us the impression that the city we lived in was very dangerous. Only after a few months did I realize that the majority of the crimes were related to drug activities or to bars in the 11:00PM to early morning hours.
Lady boys beating up on folks, bar fights, getting plastered and having your wallet stolen.....that sort of thing hardly describes the normal way of life in Thailand.

I have lived here for over 5 years. The only danger I have really experienced is driving car/motor cycle anywhere in Udon after about 11pm. Unless it is a real necessity I prefer to stay at home rather than be involved in a nasty accident be it a Thai or Farang