HHAD
15 May 09
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HUA HIN AFTER DARK.COM FREE
WEEKLY
ABSENT WITHOUT LEAVE FOR THE EXPAT IN ALL OF US What’s happening, and might be happening, in Hua Hin
Be Careful Out There Con artists, scammers, thieves and ne’er-do-wells on the increase
HUA HIN, THAILAND Whether it is an inevitable consequence of recession, or just opportunism, there has been increasing reports of a variety of crimes on the increase in recent months in the Hua Hin area. Houses being broken into, violent crimes including murder, bag snatching, con tricks, motorbikes being pinched or just simple things like bill padding in bars, AWOL has been hearing of more and more of all of them. While this doesn’t make Hua Hin unsafe as compared to other places, it should put everyone on their guard to take normal precautions when out and about or dealing with unfamiliar people. Simple things like not openly displaying expensive jewellery or other valuables, keeping purses, wallets and handbags well protected, parking in well lit public areas or behind locked gates, trying to avoid unfamiliar or lonely areas particularly at night, particularly so for women, locking car doors when inside the car as well as when you park it, making sure your personal details such as PIN for ATM cards are kept secret and changed regularly, and all the other things you are routinely advised to do in your home country. While many expats believe that reporting to the police is a waste of time, as we have said before, even if the crime against you does
given to us, nor the exact nature of the scam, it is of sufficient concern that we want to warn our readers to be on the lookout, and to be very careful in handing over money and valuable documents like a passport to anyone not well known to you other than government or police officials. Just to reiterate - be careful out there. We all hope the bad guys get caught before they get to us not get solved, it may eventually help to catch the perpetrator and avoid it happening to someone else. As far as burglaries and break ins go, while it is unpleasant to have to think about these things some inexpensive security measures may help avoid the actual event, with deterrence being the by word. There are plenty of companies now offering a variety of security options, from bars on windows to better locks to full blown alarm systems - the increase of these is indication that a demand has been created by recent events. A recent scam that has been brought to our attention is one involving renewing work permits and visas for foreigners in Hua Hin; while we have not been able to completely verify the information
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