When visiting another country, it's important to consider the things that could go wrong. People's rights aren't the same in some countries as they are in others. Take this horror story from Thailand, which sounds very much like a vacation from hell.
A British tourist found his trip to Thailand going to the dark side after accidentally damaging an entrance sign. Andrew Hopkins was staying at an Airbnb in Pattaya. Unfortunately, the tourist accidentally knocked over his neighbor's entrance sign after a late night stroll. It ended with him being thrown in a jail cell.
Despite offering to pay for the sign, his neighbors called the police.
"They threw me onto the back of a pick-up truck and locked me in a cell for around 36 hours," Hopkins told Daily Mail. "An English guy in there told me to just do what they say, and they'd let me go. Eventually, an Italian man arrived and told me I had to pay 15,000 baht [£360] in cash to be released."
They took him to an ATM where he withdrew the cash to get free. Upon returning to his Airbnb, he found that his host had packed up his stuff and stolen several of his valuables.
Trip To Thailand
"There was a funny chemical smell - I'm sure they tried to drug me. Someone had been inside, stripped the beds, and tossed my belongings into my suitcase. But worse, my money and valuables had vanished," he said. He was missing his credit card, cash, debit card, and phone charger. "She started screaming at me about smoking on the balcony. There was an ashtray out there - and I even had a video proving it."
He ended back up in jail after she immediately called the cops on him.
"They attacked me, handcuffed me to the back of a pickup, and hauled me off to jail again. This time, they stripped me of all my belongings and handcuffed me to the bars of my cell," he said of his time in Thailand. Things got so bad that he ended up using the bathroom on himself. "Eventually I had to urinate adding to the pool of liquid I was lying in. It was disgusting and there was no way to treat a human being."
Going Home
Eventually, the police released him with a small amount of cash. But he was missing most of his belongings including his shoes. He had also been fraudulently charged money from his bank account.
"The police gave me a pair of the most uncomfortable Adda flip flops - the one with the bit between the toes that I hate - but beggars can't be choosers," he said. He ended up booking a business-class flight home, barely able to sit down due to pain. "I've had infections, muscle pain, and PTSD from what happened."
He regrets his trip to the country.
"Tourists to Thailand have zero rights in Thailand, Thais honor other Thais, Tourist's are seen as marks to be fleeced and robbed at every opportunity," he warned. "They call it the Land of Smiles, but my experience is that they're only friendly while you're paying. Tourists are seen as easy targets to be fleeced and robbed."
