Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Internet Access
You'll find plenty of internet cafes just about everywhere. The going rate is anywhere from 20B to 120B an hour. Con-
nections tend to be pretty fast and the machines are usually well maintained. Wireless access (wi-fi) is available in most
hotels and guesthouses, though staff aren't adept at fixing problems, including when service is down.
Legal Matters
In general, Thai police don't hassle foreigners, especially tourists. They generally go out of their way to avoid having
to speak English with a foreigner, especially regarding minor traffic issues.
One major exception is drugs, which most Thai police view as either a social scourge against which it's their duty to
enforce the letter of the law, or an opportunity to make untaxed income via bribes.
If you are arrested for any offence, the police will allow you the opportunity to make a phone call to your embassy or
consulate in Thailand, if you have one, or to a friend or relative, if you don't. There's a whole set of legal codes gov-
erning the length of time and manner in which you can be detained before being charged or put on trial, but a lot of dis-
cretion is left to the police. In the case of foreigners the police are more likely to bend these codes in your favour.
However, as with police worldwide, if you don't show respect, you will make matters worse.
Thai law does not presume an indicted detainee to be either 'guilty' or 'innocent' but rather a 'suspect', whose guilt
or innocence will be decided in court. Trials are usually speedy.
The
tourist police
( 1155) can be very helpful in cases of arrest. Although they typically have no jurisdiction
over the kinds of cases handled by regular cops, they may be able to help with translations or with contacting your em-
bassy. You can call the hotline number 24 hours a day to lodge complaints or request assistance with regard to personal
safety.
Maps
ThinkNet
(
www.thinknet.co.th
)
produces high-quality, bilingual city and country maps, including interactive-map
CDs. For GPS users in Thailand, most prefer the Garmin units and associated map products, which are accurate and
fully routed.
Money
The basic unit of Thai currency is the baht. There are 100 satang in one baht; coins include 25-satang and 50- satang
pieces and baht in 1B, 2B, 5B and 10B coins. Older coins have Thai numerals only, while newer coins have Thai and
Arabic numerals. The 2B coin is similar in size to the 1B coin but it is gold in colour. The two satang coins are typic-
ally only issued at supermarkets where prices aren't rounded up to the nearest baht.
Paper currency is issued in the following denominations: 20B (green), 50B (blue), 100B (red), 500B (purple) and
1000B (beige).
