Vicious Thai gangs at Songkran

Discussion on where to go when the sun goes down in Hua Hin; bars, pubs, clubs, karaoke and general nightlife.
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Bristolian
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Re: Vicious Thai gangs at Songkran

Post by Bristolian »

den123 wrote:What will happen to the attackers.
The case against them will drag on and on and on......if convicted they will appeal against the verdict. The appaeal will drag on and on and on and on. They may get a fine with community service but perhaps not. Nothing will really happen!. By the time there is an outcome, everyone will have forgotten the case. TIT
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Re: Vicious Thai gangs at Songkran

Post by Spitfire »

Trolls everywhere now on the net.

However, the local resentment of foreigners in general here in Thailand (I refuse to call it the "Land of Smiles" anymore) has increased over the last 10 or more years quite a lot, despite many indigenous business people here getting quietly rich and providing jobs for countless slaves to the elite. Maybe, it's because there are more tourists here now and they are being mindless tourists, couple that in with the Chinese and Indian brigades of cheap-charlie sight-seeing types that spend little etc....and it doesn't go down well with the average mind controlled bread-and-butter Thai.

It's happening everywhere, resistance seems to be slowly gathering towards the free-for-all movement of people (whether tourists/migrants/expats or whatever) everywhere in the world depite it's benefit (in some sections) to the economy of a place and cultural diversity stuff etc....not sure if people want it anymore in a lot of places.

Many places have nationalistic/right wing political parties that are flourishing everywhere in one form or another due to their feelings that their insular culture is under threat...and we are also seeing a militant left wing reaction in the west that is hardly any better in some places.

Trouble is on the way in many places as intolerance builds. Ironically, as an idle aside, this all seems to have been instigated and intensified with the proliferation to the access of the Internet and social media.......people are going nuts everywhere.

:| Not so much 'mai bpen rai' etc anymore.
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Re: Vicious Thai gangs at Songkran

Post by StevePIraq »

IMO the best one can do is avoid the big bar areas in any city on wild occasions, Songkran is one period I would not even leave the house, rather just enjoy some good food and drink at home. Apart from the crazies on the streets it is just not worth dealing with the traffic.
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Re: Vicious Thai gangs at Songkran

Post by Vital Spark »

pharvey wrote:
StevePIraq wrote:You see many tourist here acting terribly, especially in the bar areas, however it should not lead to a violent attack.
I'd agree 100% on that one, but I certainly don't believe this couple and their son acted terribly - from some reports possibly naively, but not terribly (not suggesting that you are saying that Steve).
I totally agree with both of you. Sadly we can all possibly be tarred with the same brush, and an innocent bump into a drunken Thai (plus the over reaction of a protective mother) can easily be seen as a 'let's have a fight and sort it out' reaction by the Thais.
Spitfire wrote:Maybe, it's because there are more tourists here now and they are being mindless tourists, couple that in with the Chinese and Indian brigades of cheap-charlie sight-seeing types...
You hit the nail on the head there, Spitfire. I luckily live in a non-touristy area (thank goodness), so the local Thais are much more gentle and friendly. When I venture into a tourist spot I cringe at the way some tourists behave towards the locals, and I also notice a difference in the way that Thais treat me.

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Re: Vicious Thai gangs at Songkran

Post by HHTel »

"The case is expected to take several weeks."


WHY?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... court.html
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Re: Vicious Thai gangs at Songkran

Post by pharvey »

^ You raise another question there VS (and my apologies mods if this is going off subject) - there's been a hell of a lot of complaints/feelings against the Chinese tourists in Thailand recently and not without reason. My question is do Thais treat all foreigners in the same vein, or are westerners and Asians (Chinese/Indians/Japanese) treated differently?

[EDIT] Are Westerners singled out for violence? I've heard many complaints about Chinese tourists (in Chiang Mai) for example, but have not heard anything regarding violence.
Last edited by pharvey on Tue May 03, 2016 2:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Vicious Thai gangs at Songkran

Post by pharvey »

HHTel wrote:"The case is expected to take several weeks."


WHY?
TIT at a guess.......
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Re: Vicious Thai gangs at Songkran

Post by dtaai-maai »

pharvey wrote:I've heard many complaints about Chinese tourists (in Chiang Mai) for example, but have not heard anything regarding violence.
Probably because there is usually a couple of coachloads of them. Not too many singles, couple or families.
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Re: Vicious Thai gangs at Songkran

Post by pharvey »

dtaai-maai wrote:
pharvey wrote:I've heard many complaints about Chinese tourists (in Chiang Mai) for example, but have not heard anything regarding violence.
Probably because there is usually a couple of coachloads of them. Not too many singles, couple or families.
A fair point.
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Re: Vicious Thai gangs at Songkran

Post by PeteC »

In general I don't think any Asian people are easy targets as there's always the uncertainty factor as to who/what they are. Us fat belly white guys stick out quite easily. :shock: :laugh: and for some reason the thought is we're all rich. :shock: Pete :cheers:
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Re: Vicious Thai gangs at Songkran

Post by pharvey »

prcscct wrote:In general I don't think any Asian people are easy targets as there's always the uncertainty factor as to who/what they are. Us fat belly white guys stick out quite easily. :shock: :laugh: and for some reason the thought is we're all rich. :shock: Pete :cheers:
I'd go along with that.... I am however slim!! :thumb: :wink:
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Re: Vicious Thai gangs at Songkran

Post by alleykat »

prcscct wrote:In general I don't think any Asian people are easy targets as there's always the uncertainty factor as to who/what they are. Us fat belly white guys stick out quite easily. :shock: :laugh: and for some reason the thought is we're all rich. :shock: Pete :cheers:
Well when they see swarms of fat belly white guys sitting around in bars all the time drinking beer after beer, and white guys who don't appear to have to work much, and who pay 100 baht plus for a beer in a bar, these people are rich compared to the average working class Thai male. Just the fact that they can go abroad for a holiday, or live abroad, usually means they have a lot more money than them.
But in saying that there's lots of rich Thais too, who are richer than the average farang tourist, these Thais have buckets of money.
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Re: Vicious Thai gangs at Songkran

Post by Stargeezer »

Usual Suspect, thanks for your information on this incident in Bintapaht, and the fight that
ended with those Brits beaten badly. I have been there during the holidays, and was lucky enough to
have a group of friends to walk to the night market area and get my ride to my place after that.
I still like Hua Hin better than Pattaya, but it does pay to be watchful and careful late into the
night. The only police action I got near Bintabaht was to get charged for going the wrong way on
a soi from that area up toward the Hilton Hotel. 500 baht later I was allowed to go the 1/2 block to MacDonalds for my coffee and burger. Thailand, I doubt that it will ever change very much.
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Re: Vicious Thai gangs at Songkran

Post by buksida »

The trouble with tourism
Four Thai men committed an uncivilised criminal assault on three foreign visitors last month. They also left the country with a black eye. The Hua Hin market assault on two British men and a woman triggered a series of reactions in the country from officials who should know better. Almost all of the reactions were wrong-headed.

First, however, conditional credit where it is due. The justice system had to be kicked into action, but after that, it worked well. Police found a video recording of the vicious attacks. They quickly found all four men seen in the video beating the foreigners. They brought them to prosecutors and the courts at speed, and an expedited trial was under way in Hua Hin Provincial Court by Monday morning.

There is really no other good news. Officials to the very top of the political tree made a bad situation worse. The constant complaints about "damage to the country's image" are not at all helpful. Isolated incidents like the barbaric Hua Hin attack require action, not talk. Police blamed the victims for not reporting the crime quickly, then blamed the release of the video.

Then there was a ray of light. At Monday's court session, PM's Office Minister ML Panadda Diskul showed up. He spoke at length with the Owens, and noted there are bad people everywhere, and Hua Hin actually is a safe place. Lewis and Rosemary Owen told him that after 20 visits to Thailand, they will never return. The visit was an excellent decision by the minister, but could have occurred earlier and included an apology.

It is difficult to make a positive impression from this horrendous assault on friends of Thailand like the Owens. But it is easy to turn a bad situation worse. There was the initial slow response by law enforcement, then matched by the political classes until ML Panadda's gesture. The Prachuap Khiri Khan tourism office had reached out to the Owens, but just to ensure they would appear at court to relive the beating as witnesses. The Tourism Authority of Thailand showed no public concern for the victims.

The family deserved much official sympathy and, just for starters, assurance that Thailand would look after their hospital expenses. The Owens got sympathy, mostly from the public and social media. It was of course online forums where news of the savage beatings emerged. Thai-language media, possibly through timidity, refused to cover the full brutality until the story had gone around the world twice.

Police are a major part of the problem. No Thai or tourist expects 100% safety. But the Hua Hin police failure to provide the promised Songkran security played at least a minor role. Four drunken men obviously felt safe enough to attack people who accidentally bumped them in the crowds.

Then there is the overall police attitude. Example: Last Thursday, eight men intruded into a small group of friends in eastern Bangkok. They singled out a young Lao woman and proceeded to beat the daylights out of her -- worse than the uncivilised attack on the Owens. Two men kicked her in the head 11 times, all caught on two video cameras and shown on social media. Police say the thugs were hired by a jealous wife to get revenge on her husband's gik. As of yesterday, there had been no arrests.

This incident, although not reported in blazing Fleet Street headlines, also "gives a bad image" of Thailand. It shows police are efficient, only when they want. For any number of reasons -- influential figures, difficult crimes, even fear -- police in far too many cases neither protect citizens from crimes nor solve them.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opin ... th-tourism
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Re: Vicious Thai gangs at Songkran

Post by Ginjaninja »

Found the video of the young Laos lass and managed 30seconds before closing the browser.
Unbelievable!
Any of these brave young lads want to jump into the ring with someone their own size... I'm ready and willing.
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