Friday, December 5, 2008

I am not afraid to walk on the streets of Bangkok



I'm always walking home late at nights on the streets of Bangkok. Tonight I am happier because this scrap collector keeps me company on the street that leads to my apartment.

Poor man. It's almost 12 midnight, and he is just about to return home. He looked weary and hungry. I am beginning to feel how the economic crisis is beginning to affect everyone.

Today, King Bhumipol is once again drapped in gold, and worshipped like God. But the scrap man remains as he is. Pushing his cart, looking for scraps, and hoping that tomorrow would be a better day.

Not much difference from me actually.

I know, I know, I ought to feel afraid. I should not be walking around Bangkok, alone, so late at night. I should leave the office earlier. But I don't.

When one is at work, time flies and before you know it, damn! It's not all about work. Sometimes I have dinner with friends or see a movie, and then take a slow walk home. I can take the sky train, but the weather in winter is sublime.

A winter without snow, but it's great just to feel the cool air on your face and in your hair.I pray the hot weather will never come this way.

Besides, I feel so safe here on the streets, or when I ride in Taxis (they don't even charge a midnigt fee like they do back home).

I felt safe even when there were chaos at the Government House and Suvanabhumi airport. Because I do notice on my way back, that there were many tourist police at every juncture.

Sigh. I don't feel that safe back home, not even in Penang, and worst still Kuala Lumpur.

I did feel safer years back, but now, it scares the hell out of me if I return home late in Penang. And mom would be worried too, staying up till I come home, which is a bad thing for her, because she sents my niece (her grand daughter) to school at 6.30am.

So when I read this Malaysiakini article entitled "I am afraid to walk on the street" - a response to the IGP saying that "the worsening crime index is purely a problem of misperception by Malaysians, tourists and investors" - I can fully understand how the writer feels.

And I am not just talking about petty crimes and robberies or theft.

Missing kids are never found, murders are growing more and more gruesome by the day and body guards of a certain minister can blow up foreigners to bits. You know what I mean, don't ya?

Gosh! With an earth like this, who needs hell? And we are not even migrant workers!

2 comments:

Herman Chew said...

For myself, I have the same feeling too, walking alone in BKK is a lot safer than walking alone in KL. IGP, DPM, PM-to-be...etc what do they know? Totally NOTHING... They just know how to suck us dry :)

Khun Pana aka johanssm said...

Same here .
I lives right in the center of Bukit Bintang and i can tell you that not a single night without crime here.
This is just for BB alone and BB is a small area!
And not forgetting that BB have more roaches , rats , drug addicts , jaga kereta stalkers ,beggars and "hungry" DBKL officers than Sukhumvit and yaowarat combined!

And i do have to agree with you that BKK is generally safer.I am not just talking about the tourist spots of Bkk .
having stay for 3 weeks around the Ramkhangheng and Mistin suburban area i know what i am writing here.
Their taxi services i can say as 10 times better than our KL "teksi".

As a Malaysian , i have great respect for the Khun Thai.