Here's an excerp from the US travel consulate and the tactics tourists encounter.
Also do watch the show Natgeo <Banged Up abroad>. It features free and easy travellers encountering horrific experiences travelling to certain countries and being jailed there
http://natgeotv.com/uk/banged-up-abroad
THREATS TO SAFETY AND SECURITY: The State Department is concerned that there is a continued risk of terrorism in Southeast Asia, including in Thailand. While traveling in Thailand you should exercise caution, especially in locations where Westerners congregate, such as clubs, discos, bars, restaurants, hotels, places of worship, schools, outdoor recreation venues, tourist areas, beach resorts, and other places frequented by foreigners. You should remain vigilant with regard to your personal security and avoid crowds and demonstrations. For more information on terrorist threats against U.S. citizens worldwide and steps to take as a result of these threats, please see the Worldwide Caution.
The political environment in Thailand remains beset by deep political divisions. Protesters hold political rallies frequently to voice their opinions. Between March and May 2010, political protests throughout Thailand resulted in the deaths of at least 91 people and injuries to over 260 people, including two U.S. citizens. Responding to the violent protests in Bangkok, the Royal Thai Government imposed a curfew and temporarily closed several hotels and stores. For a period of several months after the protests ended in May, there were numerous explosive attacks, including several isolated grenade and arson attacks in and around Bangkok and, on occasion, Chiang Mai. Some of the explosive devices were discovered in public places in Bangkok, including near a major shopping center, a school, a bus stop, and government buildings. These incidents appear to have been motivated by domestic politics and have no apparent link to international terrorism.
The Department of State advises all U.S. citizens residing in or traveling to Thailand to monitor events closely, to avoid any large public gatherings, and to exercise discretion when traveling within the country. Political demonstrations are frequent in Thailand. Many are scheduled on the anniversary of political events, and others happen with little warning. Demonstrations can attract tens of thousands of participants and often cause severe traffic disruptions, especially if they include processions from one site to another. If a demonstration is expected to pass near the U.S. Embassy or Consulate facilities, Embassy and Consulate entrances and functions may be restricted. Demonstrations are unpredictable and can turn violent without warning. For this reason, we encourage you to monitor local media for information about possible demonstrations and to avoid the vicinity of demonstrations. The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok and the Consulate General in Chiang Mai post information about particular demonstrations on their websites as well as through Facebook and Twitter. We usually will not send out emergency messages to U.S. citizens about particular demonstrations.
The far south of Thailand has been experiencing almost daily incidents of criminally and politically motivated violence for several years, including incidents attributed to armed local separatist groups. Although the separatist groups have focused primarily on Thai government interests in the southern provinces, some of the recent violence has targeted public and commercial areas, including areas where foreigners may congregate. On September 16, 2011, three coordinated bombs exploded in Narathiwat’s business and entertainment district, killing five people, including four Malaysian tourists, and injuring over 110 others. On April 18, 2011, a car bomb exploded in Yala’s business district, killing one person and injuring 23 others. On February 19, 2011, gunmen fired on a karaoke restaurant in Narathiwat municipality, injuring two; half an hour later, a car bomb went off nearby, injuring more than a dozen people. On February 13, 2011, a car bomb exploded in Yala municipality’s business district injuring at least a dozen people. The U.S. Embassy prohibits its personnel from traveling to the far south of Thailand-- Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala provinces--without prior mission approval, and Embassy personnel may go there only on mission-essential travel. The Department of State urges you to defer non-emergency travel to these areas. If you must travel to these areas, you should exercise special caution and remain vigilant with regard to your personal security. You should be aware that Thai authorities have on occasion instituted special security measures in affected areas, such as curfews, military patrols, or random searches of train passengers.
We recommend that you defer travel near the Thai-Cambodian border in the area of the Preah Vihear temple and farther west in the Phanom Dong Rak district of Surin province because of border disputes between Thailand and Cambodia. Since July 2008, soldiers from the two countries have exchanged gunfire on several occasions. Some artillery fire has struck several kilometers away from the border. Fighting has also extended some distance along the border in both locations. Until these situations have been resolved, you should exercise extreme caution if you must travel to areas along the Thai-Cambodian border where troop activities are reported. Pay special attention to local conditions elsewhere along this border, since military activity might expand with little warning.
The Thai/Burma border is the site of on-going conflicts between the Burmese Army and armed opposition groups as well as clashes between Thai security forces and armed drug traffickers. Pirates, bandits, and drug traffickers operate in these border areas. It is possible that significant flare-ups of military activity on the Burmese side of the border could spill over into adjacent areas of northern Thailand. You should travel off-road in undeveloped areas only with local guides who are familiar with the area. Border closings and re-openings occur frequently, and if you are considering traveling into Burma from Thailand, you should be aware that in the event of a border closure you may not be able to re-enter Thailand. In light of the continuing unsettled situation along the Thai border with Burma and the possibility of frequent closings to all traffic, the Department of State recommends that you exercise caution when traveling in remote or rural areas of Thailand adjacent to the Burma border.
Stay up to date by:
Bookmarking our Bureau of Consular Affairs website, which contains the current Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts as well as the Worldwide Caution.
Following us on Twitter and the Bureau of Consular Affairs page on Face book as well.
Downloading our free Smart Traveler IPhone App to have travel information at your fingertips.
Calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free within the U.S. and Canada, or by calling a regular toll line, 1-202-501-4444, from other countries.
Taking time before you travel to improve your personal security. Here are some useful tips for traveling safely abroad.
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CRIME: Although the crime threat in Bangkok and other Thai cities remains lower than that in many U.S. cities, crimes of opportunity such as pick-pocketing, purse-snatching, and burglary are not unusual. You should be especially wary when walking in crowded markets, tourist sites, and bus or train stations. Many U.S. citizens have reported having passports, wallets, and other valuables stolen in Bangkok's Chatuchak Weekend Market, usually by pickpockets and thieves who cut into purses or bags with a razor and remove items surreptitiously. Police at the Market usually refuse to issue police reports for foreign victims of theft, requiring them instead to travel several miles to the central Tourist Police office.
Violent crimes against foreigners are relatively rare. However, there has been a recent upsurge in violent crime against tourists, including the murder of several independent travelers on the southern islands of Phuket and Koh Samui. If you are traveling alone, you should exercise caution and stay in the vicinity of other travelers, especially in the beach areas of these islands.
Serious crimes involving taxis or "tuk-tuks" (three-wheeled taxis) are relatively rare. However, every year foreign passengers are involved in taxi-related incidents in Thailand. You should not hesitate to ask to be let out of a taxi immediately if the driver is acting suspiciously or driving erratically. Drivers often attempt to charge excessive fares. If possible, require the driver to use the meter. Police will seldom intervene in incidents involving taxi drivers. In Phuket, threats of violence may accompany excessive charges. Tuk-tuk and taxi drivers there have been described in media reports as being a “mafia.” They have organized against attempts to provide alternative services. For instance, they have blockaded van and bus services during U.S. Navy ship visits. (See also the Special Circumstances and Safety and Road Conditions sections.)
When arriving at a Thai airport, you should use only taxis from the airport's official taxi stand, cars from the airport limousine counters, or airport buses. Major hotels also arrange to have a car and driver meet incoming flights. It is uncommon for Thai taxis to pick up additional passengers. You should be wary of drivers seeking to do so, and you should never enter a cab that has someone besides the driver in it.
Scams involving gems, city tours, entertainment venues, and credit cards are common, especially in areas heavily visited by tourists. Taxi drivers and others commonly tout gem stores or entertainment venues. These touts receive kickbacks or commissions that drive up the prices of the goods or services, and you should not accept tours or other offers from them. You should use credit cards only in reputable, established businesses, and you should check the amount you have been charged for accuracy.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) receives over a thousand complaints each year from visitors who have been cheated on gem purchases. Scams usually follow a predictable pattern. Someone approaches you outside of a well-known tourist attraction such as the Grand Palace and says that the attraction is closed. The friendly stranger gains your confidence and suggests a visit to a temple that is supposedly open only one day per year; the stranger then mentions in passing that a special once-a-year government-sponsored gem sale is going on and directs you to a waiting tuk-tuk. At the temple, another stranger -- sometimes a foreigner-- engages you in conversation and also mentions the "special" gem sale. You agree to go look at the gem shop and are soon convinced to buy thousands of dollars worth of jewels that you can supposedly sell in the United States for a 100 percent profit. In fact, the gems turn out to be of much less value than you paid for them, and the shop does not honor its money-back guarantee. No matter what a tout may say, no jewelry stores are owned, operated, or sponsored by the Thai government or by the Thai royal family. You can find the list of gem dealers who have promised to abide by TAT guidelines online at the Buying Gems and Jewellery in Thailand section of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's website.You can find detailed information on gem scams on numerous websites. If you fall victim to a gem scam, you should contact the local branch of the Tourist Police or call their toll-free number: 1155.
Although most bars and entertainment venues operate honestly, some, especially in tourist areas such as Bangkok’s Patpong area, try to charge exorbitant prices for drinks or unadvertised cover charges and then threaten violence if the charges are not paid. If you are victimized in this fashion, you should not attempt to resolve the problem yourself but should instead pay the price demanded and then seek out a nearby Tourist Police officer for help in getting restitution. If no officer is nearby, you can phone the Tourist Police at 1155.
There have been occasional reports of prostitutes or bar workers drugging people with the powerful sedative scopolamine in order to rob them. Tourists have also been victimized by drugged food and drink, usually offered by a friendly stranger who is sometimes posing as a fellow traveler on an overnight bus or train. In addition, casual acquaintances you meet in a bar or on the street may pose a threat. You should not leave drinks or food unattended and should avoid going alone to unfamiliar venues.
Criminals have victimized some foreigners by presenting themselves as police, sometimes wearing police uniforms. After a conspirator lures the foreigner into doing something illegal, the “police officer” appears and threatens to arrest the foreigner unless he or she pays a “bribe” -- which the conspirator helps to negotiate. To protect yourself from such scams, do not engage in activities that would put you in a vulnerable position, such as soliciting sex or purchasing or using illegal drugs. If someone claiming to be a police officer demands money from you, request to pay at the police station.
Don’t buy counterfeit and pirated goods, even if they are widely available (as they are in Thailand). The manufacture and sale of pirated goods, including music, movies, software, and counterfeit luxury goods and apparel, is a crime in Thailand and is frequently controlled by organized crime networks. In addition, if you bring these goods back to the United States, you may be fined or have to forfeit the goods. More information on this serious problem is available in the intellectual property section of the U.S. Department of Justice website.
