Perpetuating myth serves no purpose

Editor;
Re: Rude and disrespectful Thais (Mailbag, Friday, 12 October 2012) - “There isn’t a single Thai who works or lives here who hasn’t had a bad experience with a farang.” Complete nonsense and perpetuating this myth serves no purpose. But what if it was true? Would the Thais be able to learn from the experience? Would they be able to gather the data and reach useful conclusions? I propose that your 32 years have taught you nothing. Oh, and by the way; I am a farang and I am special. Another concept beyond anyone’s ability to comprehend. There are many other countries where the natives are more ignorant and more violent and more rude than the Thais, but once you reach a certain baseline it does not matter.
Dana

Useless coins

Editor;
I wouldn’t presume to try and tell a country how to run their finances, but don’t you think it’s time to do away with the 25 & 50 satang coins? The only places that use them are some grocery stores, and most other places of commerce do not accept them as payment. They seem to collect because, at least for me, I never seem to have any in my pockets when I go to the grocery store. Even banks sometimes won’t change them into more used currency, like 5 or 10 baht coins, or, when you have a large amount, into 100 baht notes. So, our coin dishes fill up with seemingly useless coins.
I can see keeping the satang based currency system for large trade, but only on paper. After all, a million widgets at 9 baht 75 satang each is quite a savings compared to 10 baht each.
I don’t have the answer, but maybe someone else does.
Mitt Obama

It happened to my husband

Editor;
Re: Streetwalker drugs, robs German tourist (PM Friday, 09 November 2012) - This happened to my husband as well 2 weeks ago. We were out at a club. He didn’t want to return home that night and arrived at 12 noon the next day ashamed this had happened to him. We talked about the night and he doesn’t remember leaving the club so we figure he was drugged there. He awoke in a hotel room in a bed with the covers folded back, in his underwear, his dress shirt had been cut at the buttons to be removed. He was punched in the mouth, we figure, because his lips were sore and a tad bruised.
This hotel was just about half way down Walking Street then down a side road off of Walking Street. He has no idea where he was and no recollection of the whole night. His 100,000 baht gold chain was taken, 10,000 baht cash, cigarettes and iPhone 4. We are in our late 30s from Canada and residing here in Thailand, just glad he was ok but scary stuff man.
I suggested he report it just so it’s acknowledged. We don’t expect the items to be recovered but to prevent this from happening to others. I believe he’s embarrassed about the situation and it scared him. I know this would put the scare into anybody, so he chose not to report it.
So watch your drinks and who you’re drinking with. The whole time in the club he stood at the bar and never left but had turned his head to keep watch for myself while dancing. He was drinking with a bald white man maybe in his late 30’s or early 40’s with an accent of Australia I think. A Thai woman sat on the other side of this man with her back to them. She was with this man when we left the bar. It was weird that this guy he had just met and had a few drinks with had come out frantic like and concerned that everything was alright and why we were leaving. Just odd for a stranger to do this when we only met and had couple drinks, so just be careful.
He also asked the front desk of the hotel who was with him when he come there and they had replied he was alone, but obviously he wasn’t so I am assuming this hotel got a cut, too. My husband also said when he woke it was like the room was staged, nothing had been touched, the covers were folded back, no garbage in the cans, just an untouched room and him.
Nicole

Perpetuating myth serves no purpose

Useless coins

It happened to my husband