Have a look here, if you manipulate the date in the URL you can see more editions of this English language paper.

http://www.phuketgazette.com/digital...e/oct20_07.pdf

So two weeks ago a Norwegien tourist was murdered at Phuket. We didn't hear about that one in the Bangkok Post. Tourist murders and crimes against foreigners in general are increasing at an alarming rate but are not being widely reported. They don't want to cause alarm and frighten away the "golden geese". The situation is fast approaching the stage where I would suggest advising people not to travel to Thailand.

noo dont say that! I leave in 2 weeks

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....Thailand here we come....

C'mon boys,dont scare everyone. It is still safer to travel in Thailand than most western cities. 10 years ago no-one was ever murdered or robbed, but there are 5 times as many people travelling there now so you have to accept a few incidents. Out of the Million plus tourists who spent time in Thailand last year, what % do you think had troubles of this sort? It would have a few zero's in front of the number I bet.

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I love Thailand this much

I thought the heading of the newspaper said October 2007? Anyway, if you worry about terrorists, planes crashing, muggings etc you would never leave home. There is crime everywhere in the world.

And besides you could look at it this way....worry and cancel your holiday and get run over by a bus at home!! If you weren't home it wouldn't happen!

Best idea is to not be "showy" with your cash. In your purse/wallet you should always have most of it out of sight so no one can see when you open it. Be aware of your surroundings and use common sense like you would at home....

would you go down a dark alley at home? Well you wouldn't overseas either...

To everyone going overseas, keep safe, have a great time and come back safe!!!

Karin ... I cdnt have put it better myself ... you have said exactly what I would have about travelling and worrying about what might just happen. When news came of the tourist that was murdered on a beach in Phuket that happened just before we left I think... well Im like I certainly wdnt be walking a deserted beach by myself at midnight ... not even in Wollongong ... and certainly not in a foreign country!!!

I wdnt walk down a dark alley by myself either or flash my cash around, or wear expensive diamond rings on my fingers, thats all just asking for trouble.

Life is too precious to sit at home scared and worrying about doing the things you yearn to do - specifically travel. I came home to very sad news that a girl from my daughters primary school, only 13 years of age had passed away from leukemia, the day we got home. Things like that really him home for me, as I said life is too precious, you never know when your last day will be, and I for one certainly dont want to end my life with any regrets or a list of things I should have done. If you havent watched the movie "The Bucket List" then you should. Its about doing all the things you want to before you die - a fantstic movie.

Anyway .... fly with the wind ... do what you want to do ... and certainly be careful doing it ... and most importantly - have fun in life!

Kitty

very well said kitty! life is to short

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....Thailand here we come....

I wasn't asking or suggesting anyone should cancel tickets and sit home, just posting a site, if you did as I suggested and manipulated would have the latest date is March 2008.

Someone travelling for the first time might even be more carefull if they take the time to read it instead of dismissing it out of hand as some have because they are experienced travellers, we have all done things that we have thought about later and thought maybe that wasn't a good idea.

Hi Billie,
I'm sorry if you thought we thought you were suggesting to cancel tickets. I didn't take it that way at all.
I think everyone travelling, experienced or newbies should be aware of what is happening where they are travelling. A "stick your head in the sand" attitude will lead to trouble.
What I meant to convey is that you can have accidents at home as well, but when travelling make sure that you use your commen sense, be aware of possible dangers and don't do anything to increase your chance of getting hurt etc.

Articles like the one you linked should make everyone realise that any where can be dangerous. Just because it is a holiday location doesn't mean it is any different from the rest of the world.

Cheers

Karin

Its best to be a bit mindful on every trip overseas,and agree with you but I think Grace is just so excited about the first O/S trip that the carefree atitude is better than worrying too much about it as the trip is quite soon.

We actually Went to Bali about 5 weeks after the first bombing because we got such a great deal as a lot cancelled their bookings,I just thought that with the added security measures it was as safe as anywhere else in the world,I was however very wary of where I went ,didnt even go into a shopping complex.Some of my friends thought I was mad going but I just kept mindful of the possible danger.

Den