[Sampeng]

Helped by many after fall at BTS station

Climbing the stairs to BTS Siam on Saturday. I took a nasty tumble. Dazed ,bleeding profusely from the forehead,hand and leg, I needed help. Several young ladies and a couple of young men were very quickly around me,staunching the blood flow with tissue from many handbags. I herd them order an ambulance and rush a friend to the nearby 711 to buy gauze.

My wallet,some cash and other belongings were strewn around. One young man collected all these and put them in my pocket and then helped the young ladies with the first aid.

It was not too many minutes,I think before BTS security staff had me in a wheelchair heading for the first aid room. Shortly thereafter,emergency staff from Ruam Katanyu Foudation arrived and gave professional first aid. Electing to go to Sukhumvit Hospital, I was with some of the original helpers still beside me wheel-chaired on to the train,taken to BTS Ekamai and assisted by BTS staff to the hospital.

My profound thanks and admiration go to those total strangers who helped me on the stairs.There parents raised them well. BTS staff were efficient,kind and sympathetic, Iam most obliged to them. I must also applaud Ruam Katanyu.

TOM MORAN

This letter I read in the Bangkok Post is similar to many experiences I have had in Thailand and I believe it is a true reflection of what to expect.
So why do some people portray Thai people as untrustworthy lying thieves who hate foreigners.
Is it because they have been exploited themselves by a Thai in the past and now want to tar all of the them with the same brush.
Did they expect they could buy there way into a relationship with a young girl and got burnt in the process. Happens every day and yet these guys keep coming back with there chip on there shoulder.

So went out that night for a few beers in Bangkok and the place is heaving with Farang. Every bar was packed out. When I arrived the first 5 hotels I went to where full.
So there I was sat at a table facing the street and there was a bit of a commotion to my right.
Then this 6ft 2 big set Farang appears right in front of me.
Then I see 3 Thai lads coming at him. They look about 16 and are about 5ft tall. The one in the middle takes a swing at him with a baseball bat. He misses him by an inch and his two mates are trying to stop him dragging him away. This gives the Farang a chance to run away. What does the stupid cunt do. Goes walking up to the Thai lads fists out shouting come on then. No prizes for what happens next. He gets absolutely battered with the baseball bat and is left on his knees with a nice fountain of blood coming out of his head.

Thai lads fuck off and he stumbles off down the road going the other way.
I don’t know what caused it but I imagine it didn’t merit getting your head split open. He came back forty minutes later sat in the back of a police pick up with is head wrapped in bandages. He was pointing to the spot where he got done in. He sounded French to me.
Not bad for my first night in Bangkok. Never a dull moment. Pity I didn’t have my camera with me as I could of got some great shots of his splattered head.
So I have seen both sides today and a nice reminder that my favourite place in the world can go from pure joy to a fucking nightmare in a split second. Its great to be back.
The Tom Yam I had the this afternoon was delicious. Cost me 60 baht. Same meal in the U.K. would of easy set me back a tenner.