Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Drug Possession
Belying Thailand's anything-goes atmosphere are severely strict punishments for possession and trafficking that are not
relaxed for foreigners. It is illegal to buy, sell or possess opium, heroin, amphetamines, hallucinogenic mushrooms and
marijuana in Thailand. Possession of drugs can result in at least one year or more of prison time. Drug smuggling -
defined as attempting to cross a border with drugs in your possession - carries considerably higher penalties, including
execution.
Scams
Thais can be so friendly and laid-back that some visitors are lulled into a false sense of security, making them vulnerable
to scams of all kinds. Bangkok is especially good at long-involved frauds that dupe travellers into thinking that they've
made a friend and are getting a bargain when in fact they are getting ripped off.
Follow Tourism Authority of Thailand's (TAT) number-one suggestion to tourists:
Disregard all offers of free shop-
ping or sightseeing help from strangers
. These invariably take a commission from your purchases.
Theft & Fraud
Exercise diligence when it comes to your personal belongings. Ensure that your room is securely locked and carry your
most important effects (passport, money, credit cards) on your person. Take care when leaving valuables in hotel safes.
Follow the same practice when you're travelling. A locked bag will not prevent theft on a long-haul bus.
When using a credit card, don't let vendors take your card out of your sight to run it through the machine. Unscrupu-
lous merchants have been known to rub off three or four or more receipts with one purchase. Sometimes they wait sev-
eral weeks - even months - between submitting each charge receipt to the bank, so that you can't remember whether
you'd been billed by the same vendor more than once.
To avoid losing all of your travel money in an instant, use a credit card that is not directly linked to your bank account
so that the operator doesn't have access to immediate funds.
Contact the
tourist police
(
1155) if you have any problems with consumer fraud.
Touts & Commissions
Touting is a longtime tradition in Asia, and while Thailand doesn't have as many touts as, say, India, it has its share. In
Bangkok, túk-túk drivers and other 'new' friends often take new arrivals on city tours; these almost always end up in
high-pressure sales situations at silk, jewellery or handicraft shops.
Touts also steer customers to certain guesthouses that pay a commission. Travel agencies are notorious for talking
newly arrived tourists into staying at badly located, overpriced hotels.
Some travel agencies often masquerade as TAT, the government-funded tourist information office. They might put up
agents wearing fake TAT badges or have signs that read TAT in big letters to entice travellers into their offices where
they can sell them bus and train tickets for a commission. Be aware that the official TAT offices do not make hotel or
transport bookings. If such a place offers to do this for you then they are a travel agent, not a tourist information office.
When making transport arrangements, talk to several travel agencies to look for the best price, as the commission per-
centage varies. Also resist any high-sales tactics from an agent trying to sign you up for everything: plane tickets, hotel,
tours etc. The most honest Thais are often sub-par salespeople.
