Northern Thailand - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 962

Thailand is not a dangerous country, but there are a few common scams and things to
watch out for. For Bangkok-specific scams Click here .
Try not to get into an argument with a Thai, especially if alcohol is involved. While for-
eigners might see a verbal argument as sport, Thais view it as a loss of face and have been
known to respond with excessive and unpredictable violence. Especially untrustworthy
are the off-duty police officers who are still armed even in civilian settings; there have
been several incidents of altercations between foreigners and off-duty police, typically at
bars, that have resulted in gun homicides.
Women also need to take care of themselves when travelling or visiting bars alone. Flir-
tation for the fun of it can often be misunderstood by Thais and can result in unwanted ad-
vances or unpredictable retribution if interest isn't mutual.
TELEPHONE
The telephone country code for Thailand is 66 and is used when calling the country
from abroad. All Thai telephone numbers are preceded by a '0' if you're dialling domest-
ically (the '0' is omitted when calling from overseas). After the initial '0', the next three
numbers represent the provincial area code, which is now integral to the telephone num-
ber. If the initial '0' is followed by an '8' or a '9', then you're dialling a mobile phone.
The standard International Direct Dial prefix is 001. Economy rates are available
with 007, 008 and 009, all of which use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP),
with varying but adequate sound quality.
Dial 100 for operator-assisted international calls or reverse-charges (or collect) calls.
Alternatively contact your long-distance carrier for their overseas operator number, a toll-
free call, or try 001 9991 2001 from a CAT phone and 1 800 000 120 from a TOT
phone.
The easiest phone option in Thailand is to acquire a mobile (cell) phone equipped with
a local SIM card. Thailand is on the GSM network and mobile phone providers include
AIS (1 2 Call), DTAC and True Move. You have two hand-phone options: you can buy a
mobile phone in Thailand at one of the urban shopping malls or phone stores near the
markets in provincial towns. Or you can use an imported phone that isn't SIM-locked (and
one that supports the GSM network). To get started, buy a SIM card of a particular carrier,
which includes an assigned telephone number. Once your phone is SIM-enabled you can
buy minutes with prepaid phonecards. SIM cards and refill cards (usually sold in 300B to
500B denominations) can be bought from 7-Elevens throughout the country. Thailand fi-
nally has a 3G network and True Move is offering 4G LTE coverage in Bangkok.