HOW RISING CRIME IS TARNISHING
THAILAND'S TOURISM SCENE
Thailand's seemingly idyllic island resorts can spell danger to tourists, as the brutal murder of two British travellers illustrates only too clearly.
Glowing travel brochure descriptions of tranquil, turquoise waters, sandy beaches and jungle walks hide the fact that crime is a constant factor in this part of south east Asia.
According to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (
FCO), as many as 11 Britons have been murdered in
Thailand since 2009.
In a 2012/13 New Year's Eve party Londoner Stephen Ashton, 22, was killed in a bar on Haad Rin beach on the Thai island of
Koh Pha Ngan - a resort where the
FCO warns British travellers to beware 'vicious, unprovoked attacks by gangs'.
The
FCO says such attacks are particularly common around the time of Full Moon parties and generally occur late at night near bars in Haad Rin, the home of
Kho Pha Ngan's infamous Full Moon party, an all-night, extravaganza of alcohol and dance music that has become hugely popular among tourists travelling through the country.
British visitors are also warned that violent assaults and robberies have been reported in the resort town of Chaweng in
Koh Samui. Attacks have also occurred in other tourist districts in
Thailand including
Chiang Mai,
Pattaya and
Krabi.
In July last year an American was stabbed to death, and his son seriously injured in an attack in a bar in
Krabi.
On crime generally, the
FCO warns Britons to beware scams, pickpockets, bag-snatchers and credit card fraud.
Just a few weeks ago, the
FCO published comprehensive, country-by-country lists of places where Britons needed consular assistance in the 12 months ending March 2014.
The list also showed where Britons have been victims of crime.
Taking into account the number of visits made by Britons to a country as well as the number of Britons living in that country,
Thailand was second only to the
Philippines in being the destination where Britons needed the most consular assistance.
In 2013/14, Britons made more than 906,000 visits to
Thailand - a country where around 50,000 Britons live. There were 1,164 incidents of consular assistance, including 11 cases of rape, six of assault and 267 instances of Britons being taken to hospital.
There were also 362 deaths of Britons in
Thailand in 2013/14. Although this figure included those who died of natural causes, the total was more than in any other country except
Spain, which received around 12 times the number of Britons than
Thailand.
The latest murder is a further setback for
Thailand's tourism industry which is still recovering from the military coup which took place in May this year.
