Personally, I see this question in 2 parts:
Security - very difficult with faceless terrorists. How do you identify them to stop them? I think this is a problem for every nation in the world. However, some Thai application of their security measures are very relaxed (yes, you could probably find similar actions everywhere, but on a Hua Hin forum, people talk about what is happening here, not e.g. Mumbai). As an example driving into Market Village yesterday, there were guards with mirrors to look under cars. Were they looking? No, they were leaning against the wall, staring into space, mirror parked beside them. However, this goes down to the old saying, 'pay peanuts and you get monkeys'. Yes, it was an in your face failure, but didn't make me feel any less safe.
Actions such as not being able to place security cameras on PEA lampposts because it might disrupt power supply is something I find incredulous. It's not as though we have uninterrupted power anyway. Then every man and his dog seems to hang their wires off these posts with no objection. Really amazing. However, do I feel less safe without these cameras? Not at all. There are a lot more cameras in town now than when I decided to move here.
Why stay here? - I have no problem staying, I moved here to die. However, if I see something wrong, why shouldn't I say something? I would have said something in the UK, so why shouldn't I say something here? Should I just lay back and accept everything? How would anybody know it was wrong if everybody was dumb? If enough people complain, it might make a difference. A good example was the new road layout in about 2013 in the centre of Hua Hin. There was such an outcry, they had to scrap it within 24 hours. OK, they've cocked it up bit by since
, but speaking out can/did have an effect.
Why do people stay? For various reasons, I know quite a few people who would leave tomorrow (I'm not one of them), but they are tied to Thailand because they've invested in property, and the bottom has fallen out of the property market here. Basically, they are in a queue, waiting. Similarly, I was in a queue waiting for the right circumstances to leave the UK for a few years.
If the OP is a way of saying if you don't like it, go home - well, we've heard it all before. As I've said, many (not me) have made their bed, and now circumstances are changing, but getting out is easier said than done. Likewise, if the original OP thinks we shouldn't have a voice, maybe it's him/her needs to reconsider life here. They may be more suited to North Korea.
