Farang got Stabbed

[Larry001]

Absolutely dreadful.

Don't argue with Thais, because their lack of appreciation for the gift of life is so scant, this is an all too common reaction.

If life is so sacred to Buddhists, then tell me why Thailand is head and shoulders above any other nation in the murder of tourists and expats.

Is Thailand really head and shoulders above any other nation in the murder of tourists and expats? I find that very hard to believe, are you taking the population of countries and expats into this statistic? Although I believe Thais are amongst the biggest cowards (not them all), if you mind your own business, and stay sober, Thailand is one of the safest countries in the world.

Disagree Thai is now one of the most dangerous. Ask the respective embassies of Western Countries. Becoming a country of scumbags

[BB1955]

dam_n !!!!! That was a sword attack, not a knife stabbing.....

I know what I would do if attacked with a knife, but will have to

think what to do about a sword.

Someone comes at you with a knife you better run fast , they come at you with a sword my advice run faster ............ Proven fact person can kill you faster with a knife than with a gun ......

[johnlandy]

Absolutely dreadful.

Don't argue with Thais, because their lack of appreciation for the gift of life is so scant, this is an all too common reaction.

If life is so sacred to Buddhists, then tell me why Thailand is head and shoulders above any other nation in the murder of tourists and expats.

Don't analyse why, just accept that it is a fact and you might continue to awaken every morning.

Remember that 95% of Buddhists break or violate every one of the 5, 8 or 10 Buddhist precepts on a daily basis.

It is not the religion that it is portrayed to be

[Globeman]

At the time of this post there is 2400 thumbs up on Youlike for this stabbing, what a deranged world we live in.

And what percentage of those are Thai?? which might tell you a lot about Thailand.

Asking a question and then jumping a conclusion in the next sentence...

[Psych01]

I would like to know why a taxi driver, does not matter where in the world, is driving around with a Samurai sword in his cab for one.

Also, why would the taxi driver then grab it and attack an individual with it, after he has left the vehicle, let alone kill him. The taxi driver has caused a death, it does not matter what culture you look at it from, it is premeditated. As he had already had the sword in the car, with the intend to use it in defence or not, then followed the individual and hacked him to death.

I did a stint as a cabbie [2 years] back in my home country. I always had a Maglite torch (3 AA battery) down the side of the seat for protection. If someone went to grab you in the taxi from behind, all you had to do was grab and swing it and it would have contacted with their head and then they would have let go. But to then get out and beat the individual to death is a whole different matter.

[QualityTouristNumberOne]

Please be aware that this man's Sister is watching this story unfold and reading what we say,

so don't attack the character of the innocent party in this dreadful story,

apparently the driver tried to rip this poor man off and when he refused the exorbitant fare he chased him and murdered him in cold blood.

he should be decapitated with his own sword(live by it,die by it)

Tracy,you have all my sympathy,

and fellow Thai Visa Members(particularly the Thai Visa CSI-ers and Apologists),

please keep it respectful.

[klubex99]

some comments here makes me wonder how many farangs throwing water bottles on taxi drivers on a regular basis just because they don't like the fare.

taxi drivers are subjected to all kinds of abuse by their passengers and they never know what kind of crazy maniac enters their car. so they are constantly in a self defense mode and i cannot blame them if they have something like a machete in their car. its usually not to rob their customers but for self defense.

Nobody has established anything concrete about the water throwing. Then to say that taxi drivers are justified to carry a machete and use it in self defense..... against a bottle of water?? In a civilized society being a taxi driver is no excuse to carry a weapon. You can't say that a taxi is any different to any other form of business. A shopkeeper has no control over what nutter walks into their shop, and train conductor has no control over what nutter gets on the train, a noodle stall attendant has no control over what nutter comes to buy noodles.

So using your rational, all these people need to be able to carry a machete just in case they get a bad one?

[Minhoang]

R.I.P ?

[Emdog]

At first I thought this was a faked video, or hoped so anyway. What person in their right mind would pursue someone with a samurai blade? Not this American, I guarantee! I agree there needs to be some sort of anger management taught here, and for the expats visiting or working here wouldn't be a bad idea either. Is your life worth a taxi fare? RIP and lets hope the BIB and courts actually do there job.....

[scorecard]

At the time of this post there is 2400 thumbs up on Youlike for this stabbing, what a deranged world we live in.

I wonder whether 'like' is a poor word to use for this 'button / indicator'.

I suspect many folks (anywhere) see 'like' to mean 'interesting' rather than (in this case) to mean I like to see a man being slashed to death.

[stiggy]

A good friend of mine had a cabbie try to stab him in the throat with a broken lipto bottle, thankfully the bottle just caught his chin (8 stitches still).His crime that so outraged the driver, to cross the road to get another cab on soi 11.The police when arriving sided with the cabbie, stating my friend was angry and aggressive ( he had just been attacked with a bottle) he then watched as the cabbie paid police on the spot and drove off.

I have also had knives pulled on me in BKK taxis for simple things, questioning why meter isn't on being one.Asking for change from a 500 bht note being another.

Although it's rare as hundreds of other rides have been with out incident, it still concerns me that a form of transport that should be safe isn't.

As for near death by reckless driving that's another story.

My thoughts are with the family, what a waste of life over nothing.

[stickylies]

so, one cab driver loses control, kills a foreigner and suddenly thailand becomes a country full of killing maniacs who deeply hate farang people and can kill them and walk free. sigh... can the people who think like that please get their bags, take a cab (pun intended), drive to bkk airport and leave.

One???? You need to read the papers or internet a little more. Phuket and Pattaya are out of control. Or better stated, in control by Thai and Russian mafia. Try renting a scodoo and get a scratch on it or not and see what happens.

I rely on my own radar.

Thailand is a country with approx 65.000.000 people. Majority of tourists come-enjoy-leave without ANY problem. Majority of expats living and working here do not get into trouble either. Then there is TV and a bunch of frustrated males who hate Thailand/Thai but stick here because "home" sucks too (they ran into the very same problems there as they do here). Thailand is not perfect, it's a country in fast-evolution but if thailand were as dangerous as some clowns here wanna make people believe, western embassies would WARN people not to go.

[Globeman]

Absolutely dreadful.

Don't argue with Thais, because their lack of appreciation for the gift of life is so scant, this is an all too common reaction.

If life is so sacred to Buddhists, then tell me why Thailand is head and shoulders above any other nation in the murder of tourists and expats.

Is Thailand really head and shoulders above any other nation in the murder of tourists and expats? I find that very hard to believe, are you taking the population of countries and expats into this statistic? Although I believe Thais are amongst the biggest cowards (not them all), if you mind your own business, and stay sober, Thailand is one of the safest countries in the world.

Not if they are carrying a samurai sword.

There is no excuse for anyone using a weapon except in self defence. I would find it very hard to believe that the Farang who was stabbed was walking down the road, perfectly sober, and minding his own business, although I accept it was possible.

Yeah, it is always possible that the guy asked the 15th taxi driver in a row to take him somewhere, and the taxi driver laughed in his face, because the destination didn't suit him, or said "400 baht", and the Farang, annoyed at the impossibility of getting a taxi driver to actually do his job, said "F*** you, Somchai!" and that would have been considered sufficient provocation for the driver to kill him. Defendant: "He made me lose face, your honour." Judge: "Well, why didn't you say so before? That sheds a completely different light on the situation - off you go!"

[Skorz]

All these taxi/tuktuk problems are simply a consequence and a bubbling over the surface of a deep seated resentment and hatred towards the farang. The working men of Thailand have the least to lose as they live hand to mouth, day to day. They are the people whose veneer is thin and clearly transparent if you will pardon the pun. These are the ones who carry a bloody samurai sword under their drivers seat and will quite happily chop of the head of some foreigner who doesn't play by the rules. I have written this whilst drunk. Apologies.

[Heng]

I would like to know why a taxi driver, does not matter where in the world, is driving around with a Samurai sword in his cab for one.

The same reason why cab drivers in Austin, Texas drive around in plexiglass cages. There are dangerous people out there.... not to mention plenty of people who seem to feel entitled and are more than ready to be rude at the drop of a hat.

[Psych01]

There was a snippet on Channel 3 TV, within the last 30 mins, with the attacker in custody. I asked my missus what he said, her reply was that the cabbie stated "the passenger did not pay the fare. Nothing about how, or why he had not paid the fare, or that there was a dispute or anything about what actually happened inside the taxi. So, how are the Thai media actually reporting this?

I feel sorry for the family, and the way Mr. Pilkington has lost his life, I just wonder though how this is going to be dealt with by the authorities.

[ssvatik]

_{For more information, facts, and some more extreme examples of tourist violence around the world, please check <http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/04/the-most-dangerous-countries-for-tourists-in-maps/274593/>}

[Arkady]

Absolutely dreadful.

Don't argue with Thais, because their lack of appreciation for the gift of life is so scant, this is an all too common reaction.

If life is so sacred to Buddhists, then tell me why Thailand is head and shoulders above any other nation in the murder of tourists and expats.

Most Thais have enormous respect for all life in accordance with Buddhist precepts. But the problem with Thai style Buddhism is that it is entirely flexible and mercenary, i.e. redemption can be purchased for a small amount of money. That means that the minority of murderers and other evil doers can easily be accommodated within the system, if they pay. For an example just read the ghosted autobiography of Thailand's last Heckler & Koch executioner before lethal injections put him out of a job. He complained about having to use most of his modest fees from executing prisoners to make merit so that his victim's ghosts would not be able to go after him.

[MobileContent]

Absolutely dreadful.

Don't argue with Thais, because their lack of appreciation for the gift of life is so scant, this is an all too common reaction.

If life is so sacred to Buddhists, then tell me why Thailand is head and shoulders above any other nation in the murder of tourists and expats.

probably because more American and Russian tourist coming here now!! Not saying its ok to run around stabbing people with a sword. but used as an example Americans don't carry a lot of popularity around the world thanks to there foreign policies.... In general there are a lot more arrogant wealthy visitors to Thailand than before. and the money isn't filtering down to the Thais so much, but to international corporations that cream the profits.

Just a wild stab in the dark as to why there seems to be more frustration and venting thereof at tourists... I haven't 'seen the story yet so know idea and will probably never know what this guy did or said, if anything, to wind up someone so much.. I can only imagine its easily down and hard to hold your tongue at times with frustration When you 1st arrive here, you bring western expectations and can find yourself wanting to scream at these guys who do fall way below any rational standard....Law of averages someone having a bad day will explode and stab you.

Come on what is this for a talk about American popularity. This guy got killed and no one really knew until they saw his passport that he was an American.

[klubex99]

so, one cab driver loses control, kills a foreigner and suddenly thailand becomes a country full of killing maniacs who deeply hate farang people and can kill them and walk free. sigh... can the people who think like that please get their bags, take a cab (pun intended), drive to bkk airport and leave.

One???? You need to read the papers or internet a little more. Phuket and Pattaya are out of control. Or better stated, in control by Thai and Russian mafia. Try renting a scodoo and get a scratch on it or not and see what happens.

I rely on my own radar.

Thailand is a country with approx 65.000.000 people. Majority of tourists come-enjoy-leave without ANY problem. Majority of expats living and working here do not get into trouble either. Then there is TV and a bunch of frustrated males who hate Thailand/Thai but stick here because "home" sucks too (they ran into the very same problems there as they do here). Thailand is not perfect, it's a country in fast-evolution but if thailand were as dangerous as some clowns here wanna make people believe, western embassies would WARN people not to go.

Not sure if you read one of my earlier posts. But i will reiterate it here.

If my wife had her way, we would never get into a taxi or tuk tuk. This also goes for leaving our car unlocked at traffic lights, also walking alone at night. That is in relatively peaceful Korat town, let alone the more famous trouble hotspots of Thailand.

Thailand very dangerous, and that's not just her, that is her brother and parents too. This is not Thailand bashing, I am more laid back about than she is. But i am slowly changing my view.

Thais are just as wary of Thailand's problems as foreigners are.

[Heng]

All these taxi/tuktuk problems are simply a consequence and a bubbling over the surface of a deep seated resentment and hatred towards the farang. The working men of Thailand have the least to lose as they live hand to mouth, day to day. They are the people whose veneer is thin and clearly transparent if you will pardon the pun. These are the ones who carry a bloody samurai sword under their drivers seat and will quite happily chop of the head of some foreigner who doesn't play by the rules. I have written this whilst drunk. Apologies.

I'd agree but amend the following to include anyone better off than them, well off Thais and non farang foreigners included. You can work slaves to death, and many will feel that it's their place to live as such... as long as you give them those droplets of respect that they deserve. I've seen a lot of these situations get ignited by nothing more than a middle finger or some minor swearing.

They don't use the ol' 'sticks and stones' saying here... well, at least not the whole saying anyway. Also, while there are SOME of those playful 'shoving matches' that some westerners would call 'fights,' I'd say that the defacto local definition is 'to the death.' It's the more natural definition.

I think It's hardly an alien concept... how many of you guys would mouth off in the bad part of town back home?

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

I witnessed a few car detailers playing with and pointing their 9mm Semi's the other day here in CM.

They were sighting them on pedestrians and laughing. Hopefully they were not loaded and they seemed to be cleaning them also.

I thought okay I am not going to be macho in the future.

If anyone is curious this was at the interior complex across from Hillside 4 on Huay Kaew. It's the shop at the back and east.

I guess my Koolaid is wearing off a bit.

[Skorz]

All these taxi/tuktuk problems are simply a consequence and a bubbling over the surface of a deep seated resentment and hatred towards the farang. The working men of Thailand have the least to lose as they live hand to mouth, day to day. They are the people whose veneer is thin and clearly transparent if you will pardon the pun. These are the ones who carry a bloody samurai sword under their drivers seat and will quite happily chop of the head of some foreigner who doesn't play by the rules. I have written this whilst drunk. Apologies.

I'd agree but amend the following to include anyone better off than them, well off Thais and non farang foreigners included. You can work slaves to death, and many will feel that it's their place to live as such... as long as you give them those droplets of respect that they deserve. I've seen a lot of these situations get ignited by nothing more than a middle finger or some minor swearing.

They don't use the ol' 'sticks and stones' saying here... well, at least not the whole saying anyway. Also, while there are SOME of those playful 'shoving matches' that some westerners would call 'fights,' I'd say that the defacto local definition is 'to the death.' It's the more natural definition.

I think It's hardly an alien concept... how many of you guys would mouth off in the bad part of town back home?

I really like your response. I don't say this very often but I think you've nailed it mate.

[antfish]

so, one cab driver loses control, kills a foreigner and suddenly thailand becomes a country full of killing maniacs who deeply hate farang people and can kill them and walk free. sigh... can the people who think like that please get their bags, take a cab (pun intended), drive to bkk airport and leave.

One???? You need to read the papers or internet a little more. Phuket and Pattaya are out of control. Or better stated, in control by Thai and Russian mafia. Try renting a scodoo and get a scratch on it or not and see what happens.

I rely on my own radar.

Thailand is a country with approx 65.000.000 people. Majority of tourists come-enjoy-leave without ANY problem. Majority of expats living and working here do not get into trouble either. Then there is TV and a bunch of frustrated males who hate Thailand/Thai but stick here because "home" sucks too (they ran into the very same problems there as they do here). Thailand is not perfect, it's a country in fast-evolution but if thailand were as dangerous as some clowns here wanna make people believe, western embassies would WARN people not to go.

Not sure if you read one of my earlier posts. But i will reiterate it here.

If my wife had her way, we would never get into a taxi or tuk tuk. This also goes for leaving our car unlocked at traffic lights, also walking alone at night. That is in relatively peaceful Korat town, let alone the more famous trouble hotspots of Thailand.

Thailand very dangerous, and that's not just her, that is her brother and parents too. This is not Thailand bashing, I am more laid back about than she is. But i am slowly changing my view.

Thais are just as wary of Thailand's problems as foreigners are.

But according to you a thai taxi driver has no reason to be afraid of his customers and to keep a weapon in his car.

[stickylies]

Not sure if you read one of my earlier posts. But i will reiterate it here.

If my wife had her way, we would never get into a taxi or tuk tuk. This also goes for leaving our car unlocked at traffic lights, also walking alone at night. That is in relatively peaceful Korat town, let alone the more famous trouble hotspots of Thailand.

Thailand very dangerous, and that's not just her, that is her brother and parents too. This is not Thailand bashing, I am more laid back about than she is. But i am slowly changing my view.

Thais are just as wary of Thailand's problems as foreigners are.

what u post above is totally different than what some TV guys claim and what I was refering to.

my thai friends have warned me about the dangers in thailand (traffic, drugs, criminals, etc) but this is NOT the same as all-thai-hate-farang-and-kill-them. petkasem road is as dangerous for thai as it is for foreigners.

[planetdweller]

There are alot of farangs that behave poorly in Thailand. Some may get what they deserve when they don't think about the consequences of their actions.

In this guy's case, I doubt he deserved death for the altercation that had transpired. In fact , there's no way he would deserve meeting such a gruesome fate.

But, I will say alot of taxi drivers in BKK are pretty shady and I have been concerned for my safety around them a few times. 9 times out of 10 , they don't know a word of English.

Drunk holidayers should always be aware that they will be offed for a mere pittance , if they cause a serious problem or loss of face for certain Thais. I continue to see farangs behaving badly , every time I go.

You're better off leaving your ego and machismo tendencies back at immigration and attempt to get along as best you can. You will not win , if you create battles with local Thais. And, in particular, be very careful with bargirls.

They'll have you killed for a mere 2000 baht or so , if you trigger feelings of revenge , which are very easily triggered. Value of human life = zero for many.

[happysanook]

You have to remember, 99% of these people were more or less just wallowing around in the mud not much more than 20 years ago, and they've never had a propensity towards serious thought. "We" have slowly grown into where we're at over several hundred years. The Thai and SE Asia has been thrust into it over the last 20-30.

But then again, we're not here for serious thought, are we? You can't have it both ways... A mostly relaxed, care-free way of life with few nanny laws, goes hand-in-hand with police officers drinking whiskey outside the office and over-filled trucks speeding at 120km an hour through small towns.... And being hacked to death by samurai swords over taxi fair disagreements.

[EyesWideOpen]

All these taxi/tuktuk problems are simply a consequence and a bubbling over the surface of a deep seated resentment and hatred towards the farang. The working men of Thailand have the least to lose as they live hand to mouth, day to day. They are the people whose veneer is thin and clearly transparent if you will pardon the pun. These are the ones who carry a bloody samurai sword under their drivers seat and will quite happily chop of the head of some foreigner who doesn't play by the rules. I have written this whilst drunk. Apologies.

I'd agree but amend the following to include anyone better off than them, well off Thais and non farang foreigners included. You can work slaves to death, and many will feel that it's their place to live as such... as long as you give them those droplets of respect that they deserve. I've seen a lot of these situations get ignited by nothing more than a middle finger or some minor swearing.

They don't use the ol' 'sticks and stones' saying here... well, at least not the whole saying anyway. Also, while there are SOME of those playful 'shoving matches' that some westerners would call 'fights,' I'd say that the defacto local definition is 'to the death.' It's the more natural definition.

I think It's hardly an alien concept... how many of you guys would mouth off in the bad part of town back home?

I really like your response. I don't say this very often but I think you've nailed it mate.

So I guess the attitude of this samuri taxi guy is different from the famous taxi guy in Bangkok that has a sign saying something like " I love farang. Without farang I not have have money and cannot eat" . Regarding turning a street conflict into a fight to the death, that is an interesting concept for tourists to be aware of. So in any conflict with a Thai, be prepared to fight to the death, and come into the fight with that attitude. The Thais certainly seem to, so if you want to win you will have to be the same.....

[NoshowJones]

Globeman, anythings possible, we don't know what really happened, and no one ever deserves to get stabbed unless the person who did it is acting in self defence, which obviously was not the case here.

[gregk0543]

Is it worth losing your life for a few baht?

I use taxi drivers with meters and never have a problem. I give them over the meter fare a few baht.

If they complain no meter and the fare is too high I dont get in.

How much could they have been arguing about? 500 baht? 1000 baht?

Let this be a tragic lesson for us all.

Let them rip you off a little and keep your life?

My life is worth more than a 1000 baht.

If Plato were around today he would write some good plays about this Tragedy

RIP mate. To his family we are all sorry for your loss.