Phuket, why I never go back

[cdiver2]

A similar thing happened to me in Costa Rica (no help from the hotel)

We had been at the resort for a week and I always parked in the same place. On our last night I packed the car to get an early departure the next day. That's when the security guard told me not to park there and showed me where to park it (in a shadowed quiet area).
The next morning I found the car had been broken into. On reporting this to the front desk there English was suddenly not so good but the did manage to tell me that the police would not come out to the hotel and if I wanted to report it I would have to drive 40 miles to the nearest city.

 

[stevenl]

A similar thing happened to me in Costa Rica (no help from the hotel)

We had been at the resort for a week and I always parked in the same place. On our last night I packed the car to get an early departure the next day. That's when the security guard told me not to park there and showed me where to park it (in a shadowed quiet area).
The next morning I found the car had been broken into. On reporting this to the front desk there English was suddenly not so good but the did manage to tell me that the police would not come out to the hotel and if I wanted to report it I would have to drive 40 miles to the nearest city.

A story like that does not surprise me and is totally believable. Could happen anywhere in the world (provided more or less isolated) including Thailand.

I would be very tempted to have a quiet word with the security guard :depressed:

 

[lord khram]

I find it interesting that the hotel didn't want him to call the police. It's also interesting that everyone posting from thailand wants the post censored.

Incidents like this unfortunately seem to have increased dramatically in Thailand, I am aware of numerous muggings and robbery incidents (some violent) around the Pattaya area. The frequency of these incidents seems to have increased recently coinciding with a significant downturn in the number of tourists.
If I was planning a diving holiday I would be very interested in this sort of information to help me make an informed decision on locations to ensure i get the most out of my holiday, not only the diving.
But then again too many on here have a financial interest in the industry and seem to want to only use this forum as a sales pitch.
And many seem to think others opinions are inapropriate if they are disagreeing, I always thought that a discussion forum was for everyone to voice their opinions freely.

 

[lord khram]

Anybody that says this has nothing to do with diving is right. BUT, since when is there nothing other than diving discussed in a sub-forum? I asked about resorts. I have participated in similar threads to this about Bonaire. To say this should not be allowed simply because the OP does not mention water? Just silly. I am going to Thailand for 3 weeks in Novemeber and I'll tell you something.....I would rather be warned about such things (I do not belive the OP in this instance though) than to have someone delete the posts just so someone's part of the world does not get tarnished.

Totally agree, more to your holiday than just diving.

 

[josh]

I would rather be warned about such things .

Ok Steve. Now where do I start. Hmm. Planes crash, cars crash, boats sink, trains derail, people get knocked over, bags get stolen at airports, pockets get picked....

well, this is kinda going to be a looooooooooong post. I'll get back to you with the rest.

Point is, nothing that happened to OP, sad as it is, is any more unique to thaliand than any other city in the world.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Wow Josh...you sure seem to be smart and worldly . You have taken some creative liberties and made some significant assumptions that this is a normal, run of the mill crime as well (since I think most found it difficult to say exactly what happened....but you have it all figured out). I do not care if this is unique to Thailand. You seem to think that I am as uninformed as you seem to be. What I care about is the fact that if there is a trend of any kind in a part of the world that I will be exposing myself and my loved ones to, that I know about it and handle it accordingly. I am not going to be like an earlier poster and write off Thailand altogether. But if a particular resort has a lot of bad press then I'll steer clear. If a particular area has a lot of bad things happening...then I'll steer clear. But a self-proclaimed superior individual like you would end up stuck in the Bangkok airport held hostange because of your

"Point is, nothing that happened to OP, sad as it is, is any more unique to thaliand than any other city in the world."

attitude. Somehow you translate gathering information into being a dumbass worthy of your attempted condescension. Keep trying. I do not obsess. I gather information, process it and act accordingly. You can move on now. Thanks for coming out.

Ok Steve. Now where do I start. Hmm. Planes crash, cars crash, boats sink, trains derail, people get knocked over, bags get stolen at airports, pockets get picked....

well, this is kinda going to be a looooooooooong post. I'll get back to you with the rest.

Point is, nothing that happened to OP, sad as it is, is any more unique to thaliand than any other city in the world.

 

[lord khram]

Wow Josh...you sure seem to be smart and worldly . You have taken some creative liberties and made some significant assumptions that this is a normal, run of the mill crime as well (since I think most found it difficult to say exactly what happened....but you have it all figured out). I do not care if this is unique to Thailand. You seem to think that I am as uninformed as you seem to be. What I care about is the fact that if there is a trend of any kind in a part of the world that I will be exposing myself and my loved ones to, that I know about it and handle it accordingly. I am not going to be like an earlier poster and write off Thailand altogether. But if a particular resort has a lot of bad press then I'll steer clear. If a particular area has a lot of bad things happening...then I'll steer clear. But a self-proclaimed superior individual like you would end up stuck in the Bangkok airport held hostange because of your

"Point is, nothing that happened to OP, sad as it is, is any more unique to thaliand than any other city in the world."

attitude. Somehow you translate gathering information into being a dumbass worthy of your attempted condescension. Keep trying. I do not obsess. I gather information, process it and act accordingly. You can move on now. Thanks for coming out.

Well said Steve, I agree entirely.

 

[penguintom]

Incidents like this unfortunately seem to have increased dramatically in Thailand, I am aware of numerous muggings and robbery incidents (some violent) around the Pattaya area. The frequency of these incidents seems to have increased recently coinciding with a significant downturn in the number of tourists.
If I was planning a diving holiday I would be very interested in this sort of information to help me make an informed decision on locations to ensure i get the most out of my holiday, not only the diving.
But then again too many on here have a financial interest in the industry and seem to want to only use this forum as a sales pitch.
And many seem to think others opinions are inapropriate if they are disagreeing, I always thought that a discussion forum was for everyone to voice their opinions freely.

What has been happening? I am going to Pattaya for an extended break next week.

 

[cdiver2]

I think most law abiding tourist expect a certain amount of isolation from crime.

Because
1/ As this and the other thread on Th shows it can effect tourism big time.

2/ They tend not to get into bad areas, (stay in the tourist area)

3/ They are guests and expect to be treated as such.

 

[lord khram]

I can't agree with your point 2 cdiver. There's not many bigger tourist areas than Pattaya beach road, and in the very recent past there has been reported in the local media several quite nasty incidents involving robbery from tourists, and indeed in the daytime, the latest one involving several katoeys I believe.
Maybe Aquanauts can enlighten us as to the exact circumstances. The location of their shop, they should be well in with the local katoey community.
But joking aside.
Regardless of any ill effect the bad publicity may have on tourism figures I feel it only right people should have true factual information available to help them make informed decissions. Not selected information from those with their own financial interests at heart.
Maybe the authorities could put some effort into tackling this kind of awfull behaviour which emits from a small minority, then surprise surprise, the bad publicity would stop. And all law abiding Thai citizens and tourists will be much happier.