New Survey
23 March 2012
FREE weekly issue 175
Sudoku Page 3 Local Golf How Uncouth!
how safe do you feel? help us find out by taking part in the awol safety survey
hua hin, THAILAND Recent events in Hua Hin and Thailand have once again brought furrowed brows and thoughts of relocation to many expats here, as well as threatening to scare off more tourists. The savage murder last week of the couple in Thap Sakae follows the attack on Paul Ayling that left him in a coma, and the perception is that these types of violent crimes are on the increase. AWOL is running a survey from now until the end of April, printed in this week’s issue on pages 12 and 13, and can be filled in the old fashioned way and submitted either to our offices in Borfai or to the All Nations Guesthouse, or completed online at www.awolonline.net/surveys. The aim of the survey is to see whether the perception of crime and safety here is matched by the reality, taking a snapshot of how you all feel now as well as what your experiences are, and the aim is to do a follow up survey later to see if, when and how those perceptions and realities, and the picture may have changed. Sometimes headline grabbing stories can distort the true picture, and the fear of crime or other safety issues can create a problem where none truly exists. This process is not helped by the natural nervousness of authorities reliant on tourist cash who can be tempted to be a little reticent in releasing crime statistics at the same time as telling the world how wonderful things are, a tactic that does eventually backfire, because once half truths are discovered it is very hard to convince people you are telling the whole truth. Another side to this is also how slow the wheels of justice here turn, which also gives the impression that the courts are overwhelmed, which in turn appears to back up the idea that crime is on the increase; this may not be the case at all, and we want to hear your stories. Have you been a victim of crime? Has justice been served? Or have you never had any issues? Do you feel safe here? We want to know!
soi selakam
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