Terror at Railay Beach in Krabi - foreign tourists taken hostage as shots fired

[Kieran00001]

4 hours ago, 1duckyboy said:

These figures include long gun ownership. I suspect figures for per capita pistol ownership would place Thailand higher and European countries lower. 

 

That is correct.

[Kieran00001]

5 hours ago, dufusdonald said:

Are  you sure "being of sound mind" is a qualification?

 

The assumption of sanity based on not having been declared mentally ill.

[SupermarineS6B]

Legally owned...... Well that's ok then...... Carry on McDuff.....

[baansgr]

5 hours ago, Happy enough said:

why is it not? it is easy. plenty of gun shops 

 

Firstly a permit to purchase is required from the Tessabhan To obtain this you need to provide sufficient evidence and a valid reason for needing a firearm, valuables, gold etc. Then the question of price, basic sidearms are 7 or 8 times the price of the U.S.

[billybog]

7 hours ago, Falcon said:

Are you serious? A .357 magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and your saying it’s not a big gun??? Try facing someone head on when this ‘small gun’ is being brandished about, especially by someone high on drugs and see just how small it is!!

.357 is far from the most powerful handgun in the world...lol  yes...it will ruin your day, most likely kill you very easily...but there are MANY more powerful handguns out there. .40 calibre...41 calibre..44 calibers...45 calibers...50 calibers....460 calibers. 

[Essaybloke]

9 hours ago, flyingtlger said:

 

That's not a small weapon.  Thank God nobody was hurt and the hostage negotiators had the wit to call the gunmans' father....

 

 

Yep, thanks Zeus for all the great assistance you provided after the fact.

[The Deerhunter]

2 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Hmmm. We have a poster who usually carries out pretty thorough research before posting then bases comments on that research as opposed to someone's gf's thoughts and your non quantified observation / gut feel. It may be that the area where you live isn't on the route for the Chinese and Indians - lucky you! It may be that some areas / businesses that have been exposed ripping off tourists are being avoided. 

Many possibilities but facts from several sources are powerful unless you have actual facts from credible sources to dispute them.

 

The rise of all pre-paid package tours like the Chinese use may well give the impression that there are less tourists as every baht and every minute is controlled and their spend is not discretionary like normal tourists.  So they are not visible in the normal sense to be seen wandering around malls restaurants or beaches.  But they do show up in the arrival numbers.  By the millions now, especially the Chinese and some other Asian nationalities!!

 

[Essaybloke]

4 hours ago, KiChakayan said:

Sorry if some one else asked this question; but why didn't they just shoot him when he refused to surrender? 

'cause it's not America?

[HerbalEd]

9 hours ago, Dmaxdan said:

Yet another crazy incident to dent the already fragile reputation of the Thai tourism industry. At least it was all resolved with no injuries or worse... 

Meanwhile there are many millions of tourists coming to Thailand -- many more than before. So, tourism is increasing in Thailand, not decreasing. 

[Mace648]

10 hours ago, hansnl said:

It's not a big weapon, also.

It's just a revolver, suitable to fire .357 and .38, which is around 9 mm.

.38 about the same power as a 9mm, .357 more powerful.

But only 6 cartridges in the weapon.

 

 

This is probably the dumbest post I have ever seen on TV..

[flyingtlger]

1 hour ago, Essaybloke said:

Yep, thanks Zeus for all the great assistance you provided after the fact.

Thanks, essaybloke...you sound like a real Tosser.....

[whaleboneman]

9 hours ago, HAKAPALITA said:

I carry a Magnum around quite often. i prefer the Strawberry one though.

Those things will kill you for sure. I like the almond one.

[AloisAmrein]

Again good advertising for Thailand. TAT will be happy.

[German farang]

13 hours ago, transam said:

No, just chat and info...

Yep, & even better than this nowadays usual lefty-lib gunhater's BS  ???

[German farang]

11 hours ago, Wake Up said:

Not the most powerful handgun in the world. There are 40 caliber hand guns and custom built 50 caliber. 

 

Reality is you should be more afraid of  a person with a shotgun. Shotguns are easy to fire and more accurate and deadly. The 357 has a upward lift that is hard to control if you are drunk or high and that is why they miss. Unless you practice they will miss more likely with a 357 than with a 38 or any shotgun.  As for the 22 bullet guns they are mostly harmless unless you get hit in the eye or are a squirrel. 

Hi "Wake Up", where do you got your special kind of balistic professionalism from?  You maybe should wake up... ??????

[German farang]

10 hours ago, 55Jay said:

Have you ever been robbed at gunpoint or otherwise threatened directly with a firearm in the US?  Edit: Or here in Thailand?

Probably he's one of those with a "gun free zone" sign out their property ??

[ToddinChonburi]

I see plenty of those zero dollar tour buses running around with 10 to 15 passengers aboard. Did you miss the story of the Chinese owned boat sinking.

[German farang]

9 hours ago, balo said:

I never touched a gun in my life and I'm more than 50 years old, I'm happy to say .  But I'm not American . 

 

What's your point? 

[swanny321]

 I wonder if he was triggered by the skimpy bikinis atoll?

[ttrd]

9 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Wouldn't a .44 Magnum be more powerful?

Nope, the biggest isnt always the strongest at least not when it comes to penetration...

 

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=357+magnum+vs+44&&view=detail&mid=791636A5CDB43575BA30791636A5CDB43575BA30&rvsmid=FDA9B5C9B7AF4D5512EBFDA9B5C9B7AF4D5512EB&FORM=VDRVRV

[Winniej]

16 hours ago, transam said:

Any country has folk with weapons under the bed......

Absolute Rubbish  unless you a gun crazed yank . 

[Jim Brantley]

17 hours ago, Falcon said:

Are you serious? A .357 magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and your saying it’s not a big gun??? Try facing someone head on when this ‘small gun’ is being brandished about, especially by someone high on drugs and see just how small it is!!

I hate picking nits, but this one is huge.  The .357 Magnum is far from being "the most powerful handgun in the world...". At one time, around the 1960's, the .357 was considered to be one of the most powerful pistols in the world; then came Dirty Harry and the .44 Magnum.  But times have moved on and without listing the load of weapons that are more powerful than the .357 I'll just mention the current king ( and even this is arguable ) and that king is the Smith & Wesson .500 which is a total beast and so powerful that even I will not fire it....it's painful to shoot.  Yes, it is more powerful than the Desert Eagle .50 cal. which is also a beast.  I'm afraid the .357 is now pretty far down the list when it comes to power; but on the bright side, the .357 still holds the distinction of having the most one shot kills than any other caliber.

[BobBKK]

Someone said he couldn't use the toilet

[ttrd]

18 minutes ago, Jim Brantley said:

I hate picking nits, but this one is huge.  The .357 Magnum is far from being "the most powerful handgun in the world...". At one time, around the 1960's, the .357 was considered to be one of the most powerful pistols in the world; then came Dirty Harry and the .44 Magnum.  But times have moved on and without listing the load of weapons that are more powerful than the .357 I'll just mention the current king ( and even this is arguable ) and that king is the Smith & Wesson .500 which is a total beast and so powerful that even I will not fire it....it's painful to shoot.  Yes, it is more powerful than the Desert Eagle .50 cal. which is also a beast.  I'm afraid the .357 is now pretty far down the list when it comes to power; but on the bright side, the .357 still holds the distinction of having the most one shot kills than any other caliber.

 

I'm not picking nits either....

The 10 Most Powerful Handguns on the Planet

https://www.maxim.com/gear/10-most-powerful-handguns-planet

[soalbundy]

14 hours ago, balo said:

And what do you mean by that comment ? That anyone who is not a gun lover is a pussy ?  

 

guns are a substitute for an erection, high levels of obesity in the states mean you have to have at least two guns.

[transam]

2 hours ago, Winniej said:

Absolute Rubbish  unless you a gun crazed yank . 

Really, oh well....?

[Kerryd]

10 hours ago, The Deerhunter said:

The rise of all pre-paid package tours like the Chinese use may well give the impression that there are less tourists as every baht and every minute is controlled and their spend is not discretionary like normal tourists.  So they are not visible in the normal sense to be seen wandering around malls restaurants or beaches.  But they do show up in the arrival numbers.  By the millions now, especially the Chinese and some other Asian nationalities!!

 

I was going to mention the same thing (more or less). Arrival numbers can be a bit deceiving as they are not an indicator of "spending". A minibus with a few tourists that spend like drunken sailors may be more beneficial to local businesses than a double-decker tour busload of tourists that don't spend a baht.

While I saw a T.A.T. article awhile ago that claimed that Chinese tourists were spending more than other nationalities, it doesn't seem to pan out in most places. Maybe some high end tourists are blowing big money at HiSo shops in Bangkok (and buying gold) and skewing the "spending graph", but it seems in the more touristy places (like Pattaya/Phuket) they are spending next to nothing.

I know a number of business owners in Pattaya that own hotels, restaurants and bars. Over the last 10 years they all say their business is down, despite the streets being full of people. Lots of "arrivals" but not a lot of "spending".

The demographic has changed, significantly, as T.A.T. has targeted different countries for tourism, like Russia, India and China. At one time it was almost unusual to see an Indian on Walking Street (unless he was trying to lure you into a clothing shop) now there are times when it looks like downtown Delhi (and yes, I've been to Delhi a couple of times).

Same for the Asian tour groups. 10 years ago, seeing an Asian tour group following the guide with a flag or balloon on a stick was something of an oddity. Nowadays it's so common it doesn't bear a second glance.

The Russians flooded into Thailand for awhile after they changed the visa rules, but then the ruble took a dump and it seems their numbers also went down. Not sure how much they were spending but there were enough of them that their presence was noticeable.

10 years ago, Walking Street was crammed with tourists who appeared to be mostly from "Western" countries (i.e. Caucasians). My friends were making money hand over fist, and spending the same way. Their staff were also making a lot more and spending a lot more (the "trickle down effect"). One motorcycle club had about 30 members who were all business owners and all had Harleys. Now I think they have 3 guys left that still own a Harley. (Luxury items are the first to go when times get hard.)
One guy had 2 go-go bars and 4 "beer bars" on Walking Street. He's down to one beer bar now, having sold the others (or gave up the leases). Another had a couple of restaurants, he's down to one. Another had a bar and a motorcycle shop. He's down to skimping by doing repair work in the bottom of his shop house.

Why ? Because all those "new" tourists aren't spending anywhere near what the "Westerners" were. So while places like Walking Street still seem crowded, the business on there apparently are not making the money they used to. I imagine it's the same in Phuket and other areas that are heavily reliant on tourism.

But the original point was - minor events like the one in the original post are not going to have any impact on tourism. Even a major event like the Tsunami in '04 and the (last) coup in 2014 had only a minor effect on the tourism numbers and that drop disappeared within a year of the event as people flocked back to Thailand.
Frik - it seems that 2 out of every 3 stories involving tourists in Thailand, happens in Phuket. (The 3rd story may be about something in Pattaya one week, or Samui another week.)
Doesn't seem to have affected the number of people still going there though. 

Every graph I've looked at over the past hour shows the same thing. A dip in tourism in 2004 and 2009 with the numbers rebounding even higher the following year. If a Tsunami and a Coup (or 2) isn't enough to scare people away for long, it would take a lot more than a druggie with a gun to wreck the industry.

 

 

[BritManToo]

13 hours ago, JAZZDOG said:

Wrong, ask any bear that has had the experience of being shot by a  .37 and a .44.

Likely take one shot out of a .44 to take down a charging bear, six shots out of a .38 it the bear still maybe coming. Unless highly skilled in self defense situations a .38 might be better due to less recoil. The knockdown power of a .44 might be better when dealing with a maniac on baba.

A .38 (special) and a .357 (magnum) are different guns that fire different bullets (weight and charge).

You can fire a .38 special bullet from a .357 magnum gun (it fits), but firing a .357 magnum bullet from a .38 special gun would result in no hand or face.

 

Which would hit a bear harder, .44mag or .357mag?

I would need to know the weight, design and charge of the bullets, along with the barrel length of the guns first.

[transam]

8 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

A .38 (special) and a .357 (magnum) are different guns that fire different bullets (weight and charge).

You can fire a .38 special bullet from a .357 magnum gun (it fits), but firing a .357 magnum bullet from a .38 special gun would result in no hand or face.

 

Which would hit a bear harder, .44mag or .357mag?

I would need to know the weight, design and charge of the bullets, along with the barrel length of the guns first.

I had a .357 mag Colt King Cobra and a .44 mag Smith & Wesson Classic Hunter, both 6" barrels, no l didn't go hunting, just range stuff.

Must confess I could hit sod all with full mag loads, so l did my own bullet assembly to find a happy medium for target shooting and power loads for a bit of fun..

 

For sure with mag loads there was none of that one handed Dirty Harry stuff, the kick from the .44 was more intense than the .357...

 

PS. I am English and was licensed to own them..

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, transam said:

PS. I am English and was licensed to own them..

1

As was I.