Thailand forum

violence in nong khai?

amezella

newbie
Posts: 2

I read on wikipedia that there was violence against Westerners in Nong Khai in December of 2008. Can anyone provide context on what is going on here?
Also, I am thinking of going there in June/July....could anyone advise on "just how rainy" the rainy season is there?
Thank so much for your help!

#1 Posted: 3/4/2009 - 05:44
Tilapia

under-employed
Posts: 1204
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I was there for 4 days in December, 2008, and there was nothing of that sort either before, during, or after my time there that I know of, and I paid attention to the Thai news every day.

Also, I just read about Nong Khai on Wik., and didn't see anything about any violence. Can you post the link where you read this?

#2 Posted: 3/4/2009 - 18:55
amezella

newbie
Posts: 2

Thanks tilapia-- that's good to hear

I actually meant wikitravel http://wikitravel.org/en/Nong_Khai-- sorry about that!

also, do you have a sense of how Nong Khai might feel the impact of the current political unrest? I'm thinking about taking a trip there by myself in June/July.

#3 Posted: 3/4/2009 - 19:45
Tilapia

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Like most places in Thailand, you'd never know that there were problems in Bangkok.

Last year when the airport was closed I was wondering if I would have seen some kind of spillover into other areas of the country. But the only thing that was obvious was low numbers of tourists and some very un-busy businesses.

Two years before when the bombs went off in Bangkok on New Year's Eve, all I noticed was a new police checkpoint on the road from Sangkhlaburi to Kanchanaburi the next day.

"Break-ins and assaults ..." Okay, now I see what you're talking about. I didn't hear anything about this. However, it does not mention if these happened to tourists or ex-pats. When I was there, ex-pats outnumbered tourists, so I would not be surprised if these happened to people living there. And as for walking around at night? Well, you'll just have to see when you get there. I would ignore that "advice." It's a great town for evening strolls, especially along the river.

Nong Khai is a really nice, quiet, easy-going town. You'll like it. And things get nicer if you follow the river west towards Chiang Khan.

#4 Posted: 3/4/2009 - 22:31
ellennn

backpacker
Posts: 11

Will give it a try

#5 Posted: 22/4/2009 - 21:47
kentbird47

newbie
Posts: 1

June & July will be wet plus the heat will be stifling! It could rain a few hours a day or all day and night with flooding streets.

#6 Posted: 30/4/2009 - 01:50
MADMAC

mahout
Posts: 3999

"June & July will be wet plus the heat will be stifling! It could rain a few hours a day or all day and night with flooding streets."

The heat never gets stifling in Thailand. It's never like the East African deserts where I used to live. I've been living in Thailand two years and the heat has never been an issue.

Now wet - well, we once had the remnants of a cyclone come through and it rained for five straight days. That was pretty miserable. And we've had some biblical rain storms as well where the water just came down. But it's June right now, and while we are getting some rain, for the most part it's sunny and pleasant.

In my opinion weather should not be much of a factor in your planning for a vacation here.

As for safety, Thailand is very safe as long as you are polite to everyone. I've lived here for two years (in Mukdahan, southwest of Nong Khai) and don't know a single expat who's had any problem with crime or violence here.

#7 Posted: 7/6/2009 - 14:47

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