Is HH becomming more violent ?

Post by **gooze** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 8:30 am

As someone who has lived here over 5 years I am beccomming a little concerned over the ammount of increased violence in the town. I know for a fact last week a thai was brutally murdered not far from town and last night someone told me a farrang was stabbed three times on soi sleazy last week (not sure if this is true).

However it does seam to me that the little sleepy town I used to love so dearly is beccoming a bit of a monster.

Is it me or are things on a slippery downward spiral. I like many others now stay away from soi sleazy due to the increased violence there.

Post by **SuperTonic** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 8:53 am

Like most places, if you hang around with rough people in rough areas you'll end up in some variety of shit. Hang around in the red light district (and let's be honest that's what it is) and you'll end up in some bother. While I don't condone violence it seems to me that it's easy to avoid trouble if you stay away from known problem areas. Indeed if fewer of us falangs were frequenting these spots I suspect Hua Hin would become much more the place we claim to want it to be.

Post by **SHADOW** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 10:37 am

What an absolute load of rubbish. The red light district you make it sound like the wild west with curb crawlers. The night life area is perfectly safe, with all the bars and restaurant's and people walking (in high season) where are these attacks going to take place. If you want to see a fight go to a karaoke or a Thai disco at kicking out time. While I will admit there has been an increase in motorcycle gangs and muggings these very very rarely take place in the main tourist area's. With more police per person than any other town in Thailand trust me it's safe or as safe as it can be, in over seven years I've never had a problem not once. If trouble starts it's either two drunks squaring off or one drunk rude and abusive idiot. If you go back to the days of disco's and western bars and long before the Hilton, there were empty streets without lighting, dumped cars, rubbish every where, armed cops inside disco's and gun shots could be heard going off every weekend. I even had a drunk Thai fire a automatic hand gun through the ceiling of a bar I was drinking in and it was no where near "sleazy street".
Thailand is Disney land...... for adults

"Always with the negative waves Moratti"

Post by **Wanderlust** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 10:48 am

SuperTonic,
I think you are right to a degree, but it's a bit of a misnomer to call anywhere in Hua Hin a red light district as those services are available all over Thailand in all sorts of areas; I think bar district is really the name that should be used, but even then any trouble is not necessarily concentrated there. I think if there is more violence as there appears to be, it is more down to the increased numbers of people coming here, and consequently the increased number of violent types that come with that, Thai or farang. As any place becomes more popular crime increases unfortumately. I think the approach you suggest is OK for some, but personally i have never thought that where I choose to go should be restricted by other's actions, and on occasion I may just want to walk along said soi to get from A to B, or even to meet friends - not all the establishments there are sleazy. To me saying don't go there is like telling someone not to cross the road to avoid road accidents.

Post by **GLCQuantum** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 11:06 am

With more police per person than any other town in Thailand trust me it's safe

SHADOW I'm not sure if you read the 'What!!!' thread so I will mention this again.

3:30 in the morning.

Enter police station to report 3 crashes.

Old guy looks at me behind desk.

"Police sleep already, come tomorrow"

Post by **Guess** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 11:10 am

I started this topic last November under the title "The Streets of Thailand" which I was hoping would stay alive to note peoples observations.

I can see what Tonic is trying to say but it is a general ism.

SHADOW is correct. If you refer to the bar area known as the Night Bazaar then it caters for late night drinkers. This is always going to lead to some trouble wherever it is located. The red light element has no effect except maybe the odd problem starts over a drunk coming on strong to some other guy's girlfriend thinking that she may be on offer.

An increase in violence is bound to happen as a town grows. As a conurbation gets larger the social problems can rise exponentially.

In my experience it is the areas that SHADOW describes where the increases take place.

For many hours per week over the last year I have in earshot of a Police radio and I can assure you that most street attacks occur out of town usually outside of tourist areas.

Post by **buksida** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 1:17 pm

Agree pretty much with the above, in the 8 years I have lived here the town has grown at such a rate that an increase in violence and crime is inevitable. That said Hua Hin is still one of the safest and friendliest places in the kingdom.

Shame an increase in a half decent police force hasn't followed suit!

Post by **redzonerocker** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 5:27 pm

i'm not in a position to compare hua hin with years gone by so i couldnt comment on that score.i do though have a friend that has lived in hua hin for the past 2 years & he is very happy there.
the increased numbers of tourists & people moving into the area will of course be a major factor. in any environment where there is alcohol & a party atmosphere there will always be flashpoints, usually petty disagreements that get taken out of context.
to suggest that the 'red light area' or 'soi sleazy' are to blame is a bit of an over reaction. to label these areas in such a way is a bit unfair too.they are no different to any downtown city centre anywhere in the west, just less inhibited.
i agree with shadow, its like disneyland for adults.
my time in hua hin was spent in the bar areas, the hilton & the karaoke bars. it has a great not in your face atmosphere & i felt comfortable & at no time unsafe & i can't wait to get back there

Post by **bunthom** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 12:16 am

While I would agree that bar areas all over the world have generally higher crime rates, to call the bar areas of Hua Hin a "Red Light District" is convincing proof that this writer does not know of what he speaks - both in regard to red light areas and Hua Hin itself.

It is also potentially true that the bulk of the posters claiming Hua Hin to be safe, are unaware of the rates of crime in the Kingdom.

Any people with this perspective have any hard data on violent crime rates in Thailand, and how this compares to the west?

Post by **Vital Spark** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 1:12 am

It's a sad fact of life that the more 'rich' farang (or Thais) that move into an area, the more low-life criminals also move in. Hua Hin is suffering from a massive influx of ex-pats. I've been living in Thailand for over 10 years and visited Hua Hin 15 years ago. It really was a quiet, sleepy, fishing village then. Things have changed, and I don't like the way it's going.
I live in a small mooban outside Hua Hin and when the villagers heard that there may be a small housing estate built nearby they were horrified. Not because of the impact on the environment, but because they believed that 'kamoy' (thieves) would decend on the village to pillage the 'rich peoples' houses.
As far as the 'red light district' goes. Of course it exists in Hua Hin, and everyone knows where it is. Don't pretend it's not there. I rather liked the OP's description of 'soi sleazy'.

V.S.

Post by **caller** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 2:02 am

I guess the tourists will be less aware of problems on their (mine) fleeting visits, rather than those that live there?

I've always felt safe around town although being sensible, when staying a little way out, I've always got a T-T back, rather than walk. Now its drive as I'm under orders from the missus!

I've never believed LOS to be any safer than anywhere else, but it certainly feels safer. Don't know why that is? And I don't just mean HH.

I guess apart from those visitors drinking too much, most trouble has to be between those already there, Thai or farang. And there is enough of that reported.

I've personally never seen any trouble in the bar areas. Am amused its viewed as a red light district, although accept the comparison. I wonder how the Hilton would feel about its disco being known as part of Soi Sleazy?

I happened to have a reason to drive down Bedford Hill in Sth London on Saturday en route from Battersea to Croydon (I live in neither, I was going from the dogs home to a chinese food store - sound familiar?). Its a well known "red-light area". Was amused to see signs everywhere that regular police patrols take places and that road designs have been altered to stop kerb crawling. Thats what I understand by a red-light district, or the places in Bkk?

Post by **STEVE G** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 2:18 am

This article relates to an increase in violent crime in Thailand:
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_ ... 619C476001

Post by **Mulder51** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 5:24 am

I know i am going to get slagged off for this, but can only talk of my experience. I am not interested in violence, not even after 15 bottles of Chang !
But there have been two occasions now where i have found myself where i could have been involved in a punch up in HH, i have also witnessed other people in this situation.
This is where i get slagged, the trouble in every instance fuelled by alcohol has been involved with ex pats.
I am sure this is only a very few, but it seems they are so bored they drink themselves silly.
Myself am level headed and would try to avoid confrontation however like you, i know people who would not.
I have never come across any problems with people on holiday in HH regardless of nationality.
Unfortuantely, i sense a change of atmosphere amongst some of the drinkers within certain bars, that will lead to a steady increase of violence in this great little town.
As i say i can only talk on what i have experienced.

Post by **Wesu** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 5:46 am

But the marketing of HH as the safest place in Thailand or so, with the King's "castle" and everything is just not real.

Neither is Pattaya a paradise, oh well...

Thailand is more than meets the eye. I think it's got more violent, or I just see things differently now and can see things that a first-timer can't. Yes, I am not a pioneer or anything, it is 3,5 yrs since my first visit, but seen a lot since, been there 5 times, totalling 9 months. I feel like it's getting a bit less paradise. ?

Post by **redzonerocker** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 7:27 am

there is no safe havens in the world anymore.
think back 10 years or more to any holiday resort or w/end destinations in europe & they were relatively safe places to go. not anymore, the increase in cheap travel & accomodation makes it easier for the undesirables to widen their nets.
in general, thailand & hua hin particularly are a lot safer than most destinations.
over the last few years i have travelled in eastern europe, spain,germany, france,the usa & also the uk.
i felt a lot more comfortable & safer during my 6 weeks travelling in thailand.i do agree its no safe haven, but is anywhere 100% safe these days?