Thread: SA family's holiday nightmare in Phuket

Originally Posted by chitown

Yet according to another thread Thailand is number one for expats in the world.

I saw that in the paper this morning. I sure would love to know how they defined "expat" in their survey (which was only 3,000 or so). My guess it would be fairly rigerous definition, along the lines of some one working on assignment in another country with a full benefits package. I am sure Thailand would be bloody nice on a full benefits package (say half a mil a month, accomadation, schooling, driver, maid, full health).

Originally Posted by Jesus Jones

Personally i wouldn't feel comfortable handing my card over as a tourist. He had cash and paid in the safest way. He was scammed.

Ive been using credit cards forever in Thailand and never had a problem. Just pay the hotel with your credit card and pay the bill when you get back home, its so much easier innit.

Sounds sussed to me and I'll go for guilty as charged.

Originally Posted by terry57

Originally Posted by Jesus Jones

Personally i wouldn't feel comfortable handing my card over as a tourist. He had cash and paid in the safest way. He was scammed.

Ive been using credit cards forever in Thailand and never had a problem. Just pay the hotel with your credit card and pay the bill when you get back home, its so much easier innit.

Sounds sussed to me and I'll go for guilty as charged.

Never use cards in Thailand except in ATMs you know have no skimmers (there is a thread here on what they look like).

Otherwise you are simply opening yourself up to a high risk of fraud.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Never use cards in Thailand except in ATMs you know have no skimmers (there is a thread here on what they look like).
.

Thing that just came to mind on reading that was that when I use overseas cards in Thailand (like before I moved here) I regularly had problems with them*, while in more than 10 years of using a Thai bank issued one, never had a problem, which suggests quite specific targetting.

* by having a problem, I mean that the bank would call me and say they had reason to think the card was compromised, and that they were cancelling it and issueing another one....

Originally Posted by taxexile

in any civilized country a story like this would have caught the attention of the press and central government, who would have intervened.
.

Its not the job of the Press to police the Police.

The Press has blown the whistle and shamed the cops many times, to a shrug of indifference from the Authorities.

Its gotten far far beyond the capacity of the Press to solve a Gangster-Police force.

Its not the job of the Press to police the Police

not in thailand, no. the press are rightfully fearful.


but in most open societies, when the police, or any other instrument of the state fail in their duties, it is the press that expose those failings to the public, and the government can then answer the criticisms.

it is the duty of the press to hold the authorities to account.

if the police were accused of extortion by a tourist in europe, you can bet the press would be chomping at the bit to get to the truth of the matter. as would the government of the country.

Originally Posted by taxexile

Its not the job of the Press to police the Police

not in thailand, no. the press are rightfully fearful.


but in most open societies, when the police, or any other instrument of the state fail in their duties, it is the press that expose those failings to the public, and the government can then answer the criticisms.

it is the duty of the press to hold the authorities to account.

if the police were accused of extortion by a tourist in europe, you can bet the press would be chomping at the bit to get to the truth of the matter. as would the government of the country.

Funny that, when the Met police in London were recently going to court - using the Official Secrets Act! - to force the Guardian to reveal who grassed up its bent coppers.

What made them withdraw was the torrent of public outrage.

The Thais are too apathetic or scared to ever do something like this.

Trust me, the filth are filth all over the world.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if someone skims your Thai card and you don't know about it, the bank will basically tell you that you have to lump it?

Or as anyone here been ripped off and hand the funds refunded by their Thai bank?

^ I'd be interested to know if that's correct... surely you pay a credit card insurance. If it's a standard bank card then you still should be covered by bank policy, wouldn't you?

Originally Posted by taxexile

Its not the job of the Press to police the Police

not in thailand, no. the press are rightfully fearful.


but in most open societies, when the police, or any other instrument of the state fail in their duties, it is the press that expose those failings to the public, and the government can then answer the criticisms.

it is the duty of the press to hold the authorities to account.

if the police were accused of extortion by a tourist in europe, you can bet the press would be chomping at the bit to get to the truth of the matter. as would the government of the country.

We concur then. In the UK a senior policeman recently was obliged to resign after the Press revealed he had a freebie at a posh spa.

In other countries, the gangster Police are far too powerful. Eg in Russia, an inestigative journalist will literally get shot for such a story, and the Authorities will quite simply not care.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Trust me, the filth are filth all over the world.

'Care to make a donation Sir, for the Policemen's Christmas party?'