In recent times, you may have heard, or read, various different reports with regards to security in Thailand. The political events in Thailand have reached the world news and give an image of the country that may be more sensationalism than reality. As such, I have taken the liberty of explaining the situation as well as a more general view of security and safety in Thailand.
I would like to highlight that this is my totally independent and unbiased opinion, and its purpose, is to simply give you as much information to assist you in planning any holiday and deciding whether or not Thailand is right for you. I will split this post into 2 parts. The first part gives a general overview of security in Thailand while I will discuss specific current events tomorrow.
First of all, one very strong statement I would like to make is that I consider Thailand an extremely safe place for tourists to travel. For many years now Thailand has been considered one of the leading tourist destinations in the world, and this remains no different today.
Because of its popularity, Thailand supports a huge tourist industry, and is very dependent on this for much of its revenue. As mentioned in my post last week there is an excellent infrastructure in place to support this, and a worthy reputation for extremely safe travel. Outside golf vacations, it is very popular with families and single tourists alike due to this excellent reputation.
Being a predominantly Buddhist country, the Thai people are very peaceful by nature, and tend to avoid confrontation at all costs. In the Buddhist philosophy, it is wrong to cause harm to others, and certainly not to act in a violent manner. In all the time I have spent in Thailand, I have personally felt safer than any time I have spent in any city in the United States. The warmth and the generosity of the Thai people never ceases to amaze me, and I find it most refreshing compared to other countries.
Whether during the day or in the evening, the streets of Bangkok and other main tourist destinations are extremely safe to walk, and for any problems you may encounter, there is a national network of tourist police(both men and women) whose sole job is to assist you with any problems or questions you may have. In addition, they will give you guidance on any other aspects of your stay in Thailand and are of great help. Outside the main tourist destinations, the local people are extremely welcoming to you; it is simply part of their nature
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5 Responses
Mark, I do agreed with you. Bangkok is among the safest city that I know. It seems it’s much safer compared city like Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.
Mark, Enjoy your posts greatly, a couple of comments about security…while I agree that Thailand is a relatively safe country, I think your post is maybe a little too positive. Yes, the Thai are generally a very peaceful nation, but many Thai men have short tempers. If you’ve ever seen a street fight where some poor drunken farang thought he could get the better of the small wiry Thai guy, you’ll know what I mean. The street demonstrations about Thaksin were generally peaceful, but I heard of a few incidents where there were disagreements that lead to violence.
I don’t think anywhere is completely safe, and think that any comment about safety should be tempered with at least a few words of caution about common sense and street awareness.
Great golf info, by the way. I love playing golf in Thailand, and do so at every opportunity. Keep up the good work
Loz,
Your comment does not make sense. Of course if you instigate a bar room brawl here you will wind up in jail, if you are lucky! That is not a security risk, but rather another example of how safe Thailand really is.
As for the demonstrations, I picked up a guest to take them golfing and had to go right in the middle of a so-called “demonstration”. When the “demonstrators’ saw I was lost, they stopped their “demonstration” to give me directions and offered me some cool water. After I left they carried on normally. I think they were happy to help me.
Maybe a post on what not to do (like pick fights or listen to lies broadcast by the likes of CNN) might make a good follow up post.
Mark
Mark,
You are missing my point, which was that you should temper your glowing report about how safe Thailand is with a little reality. It is a very safe country, but not completely so. There are bad people in every civilization – yes, MOST Thai are peaceful by nature, but not all, and I’m sure you know that if you live there.
Just FYI, I do not get my information from CNN. I lived for seven years in Thailand, still visit at least three times a year, and my wife of nineteen years was born there.
Anyway, this is supposed to be a golf blog, is it not? Maybe we should stick to safe topics, like what to do when one gets stuck behind a group of six Thai guys with twelve caddies……..
Respectfully,
Loz
I do agree with you that every country, Thailand included, has their share of rotten apples. Needless to say that if your involved in a druken bar room brawl you most lilkely will encounter persons from the dark side and big problems.
If you think this makes Thailand any less safe country then I painted in my post, then I accept your point.
Now lets get on to golf, and do expect that “How to Avoid Slow Play” post to be up very soon!
Cheers,
Mark