Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [630]
Although Hat Yai is considered a target for bombings, it is still a functioning city and for now is safe enough to travel in and out of, though this situation should be monitored. The provincial capital of Songkhla should also be fairly safe for visitors, although caution should be exercised. It is not advisable to travel between Hat Yai and Songkhla after dark.
Druggings & Drug Possession
More common amongst sex tourists than backpackers, male travellers have reported accepting cigarettes, drinks or food from flirtatious Thai women only to wake up sometime later with a headache and without their valuables. Inviting a prostitute to your hotel room can have the same results.
It is illegal to buy, sell or possess opium, heroin, amphetamines, hallucinogenic mushrooms and marijuana in Thailand. A new era of vigilance against drug use and possession was ushered in by former Prime Minister Thaksin’s 2003 war on drugs; during the height of the campaign police searched partygoers in Bangkok nightclubs and effectively scared many of the recreational drug users into abstinence for a time. Things have relaxed somewhat since the 2006 coup but the country is no longer a chemical free-for-all.
Belying Thailand’s anything-goes atmosphere are severely strict punishments for possession and trafficking that are not relaxed for foreigners. Possession of drugs can result in at least one year or more of prison time. Drug smuggling – defined as attempting to cross a border with drugs in your possession – carries considerably higher penalties, including execution.
During citywide festivals, such as Bangkok’s New Year’s Eve and Ko Pha-Ngan’s Full Moon parties, police set up road blocks and inspection stations in an attempt to apprehend drug suppliers and their contraband. In some cases, enforcement of the drug laws is merely leverage for exacting massive bribes. Ko Pha-Ngan’s police are notorious for bribable ‘sting’ operations in which a drug dealer makes an exchange with a customer, followed shortly by a police bust and an on-site demand of 70,000B to avoid arrest.
Another party town, Pai has seen a recent revival of the Thaksin-era urine drug tests on bar patrons by police. As of writing, the strong-arm gift of freedom in such cases is 10,000B. The Pai police have been following a policy of intimidation towards foreign revellers, often fining bars for creative applications of the entertainment prohibitions and entering establishments visibly carrying weapons.
Scams
Thais can be so friendly and laid-back that some visitors are lulled into a false sense of security making them vulnerable to scams of all kinds. Bangkok is especially good at long-involved frauds that dupe travellers into thinking that they’ve made a friend and are getting a bargain.
Most scams begin in the same way: a friendly and well-dressed Thai, or sometimes even a foreigner, approaches you and strikes up a conversation. Invariably your destination is closed or being cleaned, but your new friend offers several alternative activities, such as sightseeing at smaller temples or shopping at authentic markets. After you’ve come to trust the person, you are next invited to a gem and jewellery shop because your new-found friend is picking up some merchandise for himself. Somewhere along the way he usually claims to have a connection, often a relative, in your home country (what a coincidence!) with whom he has a regular gem export-import business. One way or another, you are convinced that you can turn a profit by arranging a gem purchase and reselling the merchandise at home. After all, the jewellery shop just happens to be offering a generous discount today – it’s a government or religious holiday, or perhaps it’s the shop’s 10th anniversary, or maybe they’ve just taken a liking to you!
There are seemingly infinite numbers of variations on the scam described above, almost all of which end up with you making a purchase