Looking at the state of Lt-General Pongpat Chayapan, the former head of the Central Bureau in pictures in the local press it is not hard to imagine what might have been happening to him and despite his massive alleged crimes involving bribery and corruption nobody is going to cry ‘human rights’.
Now, as this drama plays itself out, more and more books are coming out written about Thailand’s dark side.
Following the publication of ‘How not to get murdered in Thailand’ by Andrew Gardner, and ‘Thailand Deadliest Destination’ by Australian author John Stapleton, we now have Thailand ‘A Place to be Killed’ by D. Farang. Well obviously his name is not Farang as he’s a regular visitor from Canada with a Thai wife I guess he thinks it best not to put his real name to it.
Anyway ‘A Place To Be Killed’ is of course jam packed with deaths of foreigners in Thailand from road traffic crashes to suicides and of course those murders. The author claims that some 10 in 24,000 Brits coming to Thailand never return home alive.
Or rather he asks that if you filled a football stadium every match with 24,000 people and you knew that ten people would die in every match – would you still go and follow your favourite team? Well obviously not if they are playing like Man U at the moment.
All these books are of course, say the authors, published in the public interest…on the basis ‘if we can save one life it will be worth it.’ Here’s a bit of the Amazon spiel for the latest book.
A tourist dies in Thailand every single day, and for Australians in particular, “The Land of Smiles” (which becomes an oxymoron for the victim’s families) is the deadliest destination of them all. British subjects also die of unnatural causes with alarming frequency in the country, in almost every way imaginable.
In 2013 I decided to write about WHY so many tourists die tragically in Thailand of unnatural causes (including several people I knew).
I wanted to get the word out – on the nature of a number of key tourist fatality factors, so people can learn the truth about what’s really happening in Thailand.
For those readers that may be deciding to travel to the Kingdom for the first time, fore-warned is fore-armed! When even one visitor is potentially at risk, safety information should be shared and stories should be told. In the end however, it’s up to the personal behavior choices a tourist makes in the country.
When a visitor chooses higher levels of risk-behaviors in Thailand as compared to in their country of origin, disaster too frequently follows. The majority get away unscathed, but many don’t, hence this book.
It could be your own son, daughter, niece or friend that’s going to the country (or you) soon, so advise them to read this book, and also “Thailand – Deadly Destination,” by John Stapleton.
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| From ‘The Nation’ |
It seems the ‘I hate Thailand’ video which is in fact a state sponsored gimmick to advertising the Thai core values of hospitality, has a lot of competition.
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| From ‘How not to get murdered’ |
I have lived in Thailand for many years and it is a concern to me, my family and friends, that the incidence of death b "misadventure" increases year on year rather than diminishing. Seems to me there really is a rule book people should read before they travel for the fist time as the highest risk appears to be to first time travellers….
There should be no doubt there is a powerful gang in Thailand that controls and profits from every aspect of crime. They are involved in extortion, smuggling, tax avoidance, gambling, drugs and prostitution. They are major suspects in people being murdered or disappearing without trace. This gang has branches nation wide and operates with feudal rules where junior gang members must pay more senior members for promotion in the gang.
The junior gang members spend their time collecting extortion money for senior members. They get to keep a percentage to save for payment for promotion in the gang to a higher profiting position when one becomes available. Any public debate on legalised gambling, prostitution or trading hours for clubs and bars is obstructed as it would hinder the gang’s ability to extort money from these businesses. This gang has long had political protection with many former members now firmly entrenched in politics.
The gang leaders are extremely wealthy. They drive the latest European cars and live in large houses. They collect expensive religious artefacts in a phoney attempt at piety. They are ruthless, greedy and selfish. They prey on their fellow citizens at every opportunity. People live in fear of them, resent and despise them but are powerless to stop them. This gang has robbed and extorted the Thai citizen for decades. This gang is called the Royal Thai police.
In 2011, with a fraction ( less than a fifth – 17.5% ) of the guns per capita** of the United States, Thailand ranked on par with the U.S. in intentional homicides per 100,000 people, with five.
"The Globalization of Crime." 2010. Retrieved from http://www.unodc.org
** In 2007, The U.S. had 89 guns per 100 citizens ( ranked number one in the world ), and Thailand had 15.6 guns per 100 citizens ( ranked number 39 ). "List of countries by number of guns." 2008. Retrieved from http://www.en.wikipedia.org
Yet most murders in Thailand are (allegedly) perpetrated with knives, machetes, and other blunt objects..
A recent study (2014) by the University of Michigan’s ( U.S.A.) Transportation Research Institute confirmed what many already know about Thailand: that being on the road there can be a treacherous business. Thailand ranked number two in the university’s study of road fatalities in the world, with 44 road deaths per 100,000 people. It was second only to Namibia, which had 45 road deaths per 100,000. Fatalities from road accidents made up 5.1 percent of Thailand’s overall deaths.
Yet I have expat friends in Thailand who refuse to believe the Kingdom is that dangerous on roadways..and they are partially correct (and in denial, lol)..according to THEIR perception and so-called defensive driving habits..
signed,
Perception is reality
And one more for good measure.. "In May 2012, the British newspaper "The Guardian" published a story that ranked Thailand the number one most dangerous country in the world for motorcycle casualties and fatalities.."