The Cultural Responses to Crime in Thailand
Up to date statistics on crime rates in Thailand can be obtained from a number of sources on the internet. Although, since the military government came to power, the responsibility for reporting crime figures lies with the Royal Thai Police. It is prudent to check independent international sources as much as possible.
Poor law enforcement, weak gun control, corruption, and inadequate police detection all contribute to what is seen by outsiders as a tolerant attitude to crime.
Particularly in rural areas there are few if any police patrols at night and responses to a call for assistance may be slow or delayed till daylight hours. As in some western countries the emphasis can be more on collecting fines for minor traffic offences in order to improve revenue targets than in strong policing and implementation of regulations. Police sleaze may never go away but the military appear to be attempting to change the accepted culture of accepting cash bribes instead of prosecuting. Singapore’s experience was that corruption and bribery were minimised when salary levels were improved and a zero tolerance policy for many offences adopted.
Easy pickings from foreign tourists who are perceived to be much wealthier than the locals, and the blind eyes turned towards prostitution and financial scams also encourage criminal activity. There are cases of tourists being drugged in the girly bars and robbed and murdered.
It is well known that at the Full Moon parties, where the only Thais present are the staff of the bars and restaurants, drugs are openly sold. Foreign embassies advise that there have been cases of rape at these events and that police surveillance is inadequate. The authorities are aware of the dangers but are not strong enough to control the vested interests that run the businesses in these tourist resorts.
The mai pen rai attitude of the Thai does not contribute to putting laws and regulations into practice. There is a cultural dislike of causing conflict. Best to let things be if at all possible; problems will go away.
