Are foreigners safe in Thailand?
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A future student recently asked this question. For a foreigner who lives in Thailand for years, this question is a surprising one. Nobody forces us to live here. We are here because we have a good life. Certainly, it's not dangerous for foreigners to live in Thailand.
On a second thought, however, we all remember stories when a foreigner learned it the hard way. So, let's write down some thoughts on risks for a foreigner in Thailand. Real dangers we couldn't identify at all.
Some care is appropriate in the current political turmoil in the country, of course. Basically, there are two groups causing the news on global TV. The first group (with yellow shirts) represents the old rich and fans of command leadership, as opposed to democracy. The other group (with red shirts) represents the elected government, but also represents the new rich who have the sympathies of the growing middle class.
Doing some desaster tourism is definitely not a good idea. Any violence is local and the rest of the country is doing business as usual, in every day life not affected at all by the clashes. If you see a larger group of people in either yellow or in red shirts, you should move away quickly. If you come to a place where you see both groups at the same time, move away very quickly. Both groups are under heavy indoctrination and brain washing, thus heated up to the level of potential violence between them. They sure don't target you, but when you are between the front lines, you may have a big problem.
No, even now, Thailand is not dangerous. Our students go to class every day and learn about the incidents from TV, just as you do.
Well, let’s begin with what you might mean with ‘dangerous’. The chance of getting killed in Thailand is very small, at least, when we assume you watch out for busses before crossing a street. In the past few years, very few tourists have been murdered, and each of their stories covered front pages for weeks since it is such an extraordinary event. Compare it with news in your country – wouldn’t you find it as a short note on page 6 of your newspaper?
In this regard, Thailand is a surprisingly safe country, which attracts large numbers of female tourists travelling alone.
If you define ‘dangerous’ a bit wider, including getting robbed on a street, the answer might be different. As you would not walk alone through a dark bystreet in an unknown town in your country, however, you shouldn’t do it in Thailand.
People sometimes are robbed in dark, little Sois (bystreets), mostly by youngsters looking for money or valuables. As a foreigner, you are generally regarded as somehow rich since you can afford to travel to Thailand. You may want to avoid walking through a dark Soi in which a group of youngsters is hanging around. They only need 300 Baht to spend a funny evening with alcohol and snacks, and they know you have at least that money in your pockets. Even your brand name jeans well can be sold for 100 Baht and you will have a mobile phone as well (may be cached in for 250 to 500 Baht).
If you got robbed, by the way, you will see the reaction of foreigners who live in Thailand for a longer period of time already. You will read in their eyes ‘oh, you made a mistake’. In fact, in many cases the victim caused the event by stupid behaviour.
For similar reasons, there is a risk that one tries to break into your apartment while you are at the university. Apartment buildings often have several hundred apartments, and anonymity is high. Modern apartment buildings use CCTV and electronic key cards, together with uniformed security personnel that you can see everywhere. An additional locker for your front door, however, is a cheap and effective investment – it causes noise and costs time when trying to break it. For a few hundred Baht, you can also buy a mobile motion detector emitting a terrible noise in case somebody enters over the balcony. That’s always a good thing if you leave something valuable in your room, such as a computer.
In any case of trouble, contacting Police is your best choice. They do a much better job than rumours might say. There are two kinds of police available to foreigners:
- Tourist Police in the Sathorn-Silom and central Sukhumvit areas in
Bangkok, as well as in Pattaya, tel. 1155 (free call from any phone). Tourist Police speaks English well.
- Regular Police is available everywhere, emergency numbers are 191 or 123 (free call from any phone).
Let’s define ‘dangerous’ even wider and include petty theft. Then, we must admit, Thailand is not without risk. Anything what fits into pants’ pockets likes to disappear, and you would never believe what people make it disappear. This includes money on the table, a part (only a part, yes) of the money out of your money bag while you take a shower and, more often than anything else, your mobile phone.
In any shopping mall, you find numerous shops selling second-hand mobile phones. You can ask your Thai friends – you will hardly find anybody who ever sold a mobile phone making it a legal second-hand phone the normal way.
As a conclusion, Thailand is a very safe country. There are some things you should not do, as they are in any other country. Avoid dark little streets, and keep your valuables with you. Leave your money on the bank account and get from the ATM only that what you need until you reach the next ATM. Experienced foreigners usually carry less than 1000 Baht in cash with them. Lock and secure your room, whether you are inside or on tour.
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