Tsunamis, Crime, Thailand's Deep
South:
What to know about safety in Khao
Lak
The area is pretty much back to normal after 2004's
Boxing Day tsunami.
Rest assured that tsunamis are relatively
rare events and that the Andaman Sea area
now has an alarm system that is regularly
tested.
Thailand's Deep South
It is easy to see news reports of problems
in the deep south of Thailand in the three
provinces that have significant Muslim
populations. There, yes, significant
problems exist and you should not travel to
that area unless you have good reason and
someone who knows the area with you. But,
the truth is that those three provinces are
a hard day's drive south of Khao Lak - and sit
right on the border with Malaysia. What is
happening there is not likely to affect
you in Khao Lak.
Crime in General in Khao Lak
There is some crime everywhere in Thailand -
like with most countries, but
most of it seems to be criminal or "mafia"
related crime where the bad buys are
fighting it out with each other. Even
this is much more common in Phuket than in
Khao Lak. There is
also some theft and robbery, but probably
quite a bit less than in most Western
countries. Be careful, as
you would back home - but don't be overly
concerned.
Most people
who have spent significant time in Khao Lak
and Thailand in general, find them to be safer places than the crime-infested cities in the
West.
