Brits Abroad-Thailand.

Brits Abroad in Thailand feature quite prominently in a report just issued by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The annual report entitled "FCO British Behaviour Abroad Report," features the top 20 tourist and expat destinations in the world where UK nationals sought help from consular staff.

Thailand had 812,000 visitors and 41,000 expats from the UK during the period April 2008 to March 2009. Consular staff in Thailand had to assist the second highest number of people arrested abroad, and the highest number of people being hospitalised or dying abroad.

So why is it that so many Brits have problems in Thailand? Well lets take a look at the three areas where Thailand is top or second in the FCO league table.

1. Brits most likely to be arrested: The amount of actual arrests is quite low(202) however 25% of this figure were drug related. Unfortunately the figures do not allow drill down to see how many of those arrested were expats or tourists.

2. Brits most likely to be hospitalised: While the figures for hospitalisation is again quite low (198) it is a fair bet that most of these cases involved road traffic accidents(RTA) especially where motorcycles were being used. Again there is no drill down in the figures given.

3. Brits most likely to die abroad: Sadly 288 British people died in Thailand in the year covered by the report. Without further information it is difficult to speculate on the reasons although it would be fair to assume that many died in RTA's on Thai roads and other accidents such as drowning.

Since the FCO report is based on cases that come to the British Embassy/Consulates attention i.e. assistance is sought, again it would be fair to assume that this may well just be the tip of the iceberg particularly in 2 above.

Well that's the statistics, so is Thailand a good choice for a holiday or place to become an expat?

Personally I think it is. I am not too surprised with the reports findings since most expats soon learn (or know already) that drugs and Thailand do not mix. In a country that only this week executed two drug dealers you should not come here if you have a habit that needs feeding.

Equally driving on Thai roads is a lottery with thousands killed annually. Hiring a motorcycle for your holiday might sound great fun in a country blessed with great weather. But before you do consider a few things apart from the appalling standard of driving. Ask yourself would you ride an uninsured vehicle in your own country that probably hasn't had a service since it left the factory? Well chances are it could happen here, so my advice is use a taxi or tuk tuk, no guarantee of safety but at least the odds are better than taking to the Thai roads on a hired motorcycle.

A final thought, while life is finite for us all, please apply a bit of common sense here in Thailand. There is no health and safety law. Boats are often not seaworthy, just like the cars and motorcycles I mentioned above. Theme parks and other adventurous outlets may well not provide the level of care that you expect at home.

So if you are one of the thousands of Brits abroad in Thailand this year, please enjoy yourself, treat the Thais with respect and remember this is Thailand not the UK, its very different.

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