Thailand - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 704

CRIME AND SAFETY
As long as you keep your wits about you
and follow the usual precautions, you
shouldn't encounter much trouble in
hailand. Theft and pickpocketing are
two of the main problems, but the most
common cause for concern is the
con-artists who dupe gullible tourists into
parting with their cash: be suspicious of
anyone who makes an unnatural effort to
befriend you, never buy anything from a
tout, and heed specific warnings given
throughout this chapter. he most
notorious scam entails flogging
low-grade gems at vastly inflated prices:
don't be tempted to get involved in
gem-dealing unless you know a lot about
precious stones.
heft from some long-distance
overnight buses is also a problem, with
the majority of reported incidents taking
place on the temptingly cheap buses run
by private companies direct from
Bangkok's Khao San Road (as opposed to
those that depart from the government
bus stations) to destinations such as
Chiang Mai and the southern beach
resorts. he best solution is to travel
direct from the bus stations. On any bus
or train, be wary of accepting food or
drink from strangers, especially on long
overnight journeys: it may be drugged so
as to knock you out while your bags are
stolen. Violent crime against tourists is
not common but it does occur.
here have been several serious attacks
on women travellers in the past few years,
but bearing in mind the millions of
tourists visiting the country every year,
the statistical likelihood of becoming a
victim is extremely small. Unfortunately,
it's also necessary for female tourists to
think twice about spending time alone
with a monk, as there have been rapes
and murders committed by men wearing
the saffron robes of the monkhood.
Drug smuggling carries a maximum
penalty of death in hailand, dealing will
get you anything from four years to life in
a hai prison, and possession of Category
1 drugs (heroin, amphetamines, LSD and
ecstasy) for personal use can result in a life
sentence; travellers caught with even the
smallest amount of drugs at airports and

EMERGENCY NUMBERS
In any emergency, contact the English-
speaking tourist police who maintain a
24-hour toll-free nationwide line ( T 1155 )
and have o ces in most tourist centres.

international borders are prosecuted for
tra cking. Away from international
borders, most foreigners arrested in
possession of small amounts of cannabis
are fined and deported, but the law is
complex and prison sentences are possible.

10

MEDICAL CARE AND EMERGENCIES
hai pharmacies ( raan khai yaa ; typically
open daily 8.30am-8pm) are well stocked
with local and international branded
medicaments, and most pharmacists
speak English. All provincial capitals have
at least one hospital ( rong phayaabahn ).
Cleanliness and e ciency vary, but
generally hygiene and healthcare
standards are good; most doctors speak
English. In the event of a major health
crisis, get someone to contact your
embassy or insurance company - it may
be best to get yourself flown to Bangkok
or even home.

INFORMATION AND MAPS
For impartial but often limited
information on local attractions and
transport, call in at the Tourism Authority
of Thailand ( TAT ; W tourismthailand.org),
which has o ces in Bangkok and dozens
of regional towns, all open daily 8.30am
to 4.30pm, except where noted in the
text. You can also contact the TAT Call
Centre from anywhere in the country on
T

1672 (daily 8am-8pm). For a decent
map of the country, try the 1:1,500,000
maps produced by Nelles and
Bartholomew. In addition, Nancy
Chandler's maps of Bangkok and Chiang
Mai are interesting and quirky; they are
available from bookshops.

MONEY AND BANKS
hailand's unit of currency is the baht
(abbreviated to “B”), which is divided