Comments on: Robbed Redux: Sticky Fingers at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Part 2

By: Henry Byrne

Henry Byrne — Fri, 24 May 2013 07:51:02 +0000

Thanks for the reply Dan. No i didnt report it, mainly for the reason that i was out of Thailand on vacation for the guts of 1 month and also i was a relative newcomer to the scene in general in Thailand. I wouldn’t have known how to go about reporting it so long after the event. In actual fact,i thought it was a very isolated incident, maybe it was just a one-off, and who would have believed me anyway! Expensive lesson Dan, but i have learned..

By: Henry Byrne

Henry Byrne — Fri, 24 May 2013 07:00:45 +0000

Sorry should have said, the above incident happened in Dec 2010.

By: Henry Byrne

Henry Byrne — Fri, 24 May 2013 06:45:43 +0000

Similar happened to me on my way through security at Bkk airport, on my way home to my country of birth for vacation. The money belt was around my waist, but to avoid any potential problem if i was physically searched, i stupidly put the belt containing 1,800euro, (approx 80,000Bt equivalent at the time) cash into my computer bag, thinking (wrongly) i could trust a security team scanning the items passing through the xray machine. I was asked to stand on the pad while i was scanned by wand, and then asked to repeat the process as if they were uncertain about something on my person. Later on of course i realized this was just a delaying tactic while my bag was being rifled. The amazing part was how they could surgically remove the cash from an envelope in the zipped money belt which was in the zipped front section of the computer bag. I couldn’t understand how they could know there was money in the bag, but inquiries soon told me that the metallic strip in the notes show up in the xray machine, which gives them reason to investigate further! The envelope wasn’t taken, just the contents, real professionals operate at these security points. Im 110% certain the money was in the bag as described before arrival at security, however unfortunately in my case i didnt check or discover the loss until i was on the plane and in the air! My holiday in my home country was somewhat ruined by the loss of such a large amount of spending funds.

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Fri, 24 May 2013 03:07:38 +0000

@Henry: Wow, your story makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it. Did you ever try to report it to the authorities (or the media), once you found out?

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:07:52 +0000

@Elizabeth: I’m so sorry to hear this.

No, you are clearly not the only victim. And every time I see a comment come in, it’s clear that the corruption ring has not been broken.

That it took one minute is surprising. I think it took them 20 seconds to clean me out.

Again, very sorry to hear about your experience, but thank you for sharing it in the comments to let others know it’s still happening.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 08:53:04 +0000

Wow i am not the only victim!! i had all my jewellery stolen from xray machine at suvarnabhumi airport, in 1 minute by security staff. They had containers and bags stacked against the wall and were moving back and forth from there. All of them were females. I didnt know until i reached home 9 hours later of course!!

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 07:04:57 +0000

@Sascha: I’m responding to a comment just now. How was your experience in Thailand and Southeast Asia during your trip? And particularly at BKK security? We are headed back to Thailand in the middle of this month and I’ll be sure to keep my bags locked as they go through the X-ray machine.

A very belated thanks for the information and the links.

@Jack: I am back on this post to respond to a recent comment…didn’t realize I never responded to yours. Thailand is a conflicted place — friendly, but with its fair share of shady dealing and corruption. I didn’t know the banks did anything like that. We are headed back in two weeks — I’ll keep my eye out.

@Tawa: They certainly didn’t care to get to the bottom of my situation. However, like I said, I think everyone worked together. There’s no other way.

By: æš—ç”Ÿç•ª

æš—ç”Ÿç•ª — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 01:55:00 +0000

Sounds like a very Thai situation. They just don’t care to get to the bottom of a situation. There are no concepts of right and wrong, true and false. A lot of them are nice people, though. They just don’t see the point of finding out the truth or punishing the bad guy/girl.

By: Jack from eyeflare travel tips

Jack from eyeflare travel tips — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:28:20 +0000

Thailand is apparently still a hot-bed for fraud. My bank recently instituted a low daily limit for Thai spend unless you contact them beforehand and are screening all charges originating there thoroughly.

Seems Thailand is off the menu for a while!

By: Sascha Schmunk

Sascha Schmunk — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:27:03 +0000

All,

that sounds very well “pro” organized, which makes me a bit afraid of the airport security system @BKK. Because I’m planning a trip to Southeast Asia, I now have to think about a clever Airport strategy as well.

Because the x-ray machine are big, I also could imagine to have a child thief or midget thief placed in there, to check all boxes for nice objects of interest…
That also gives PLENTY of time to choose, open & close objects…

Here’s another interesting blog about Suvarnabhumi Airport…

Best part:
My carryon is a small bag but has a combination lock. I put any of my valuables inside it before the x-ray machine and be sure it’s locked going through, then unlock it and check to be sure my valuables are all there once it comes out. I never use those plastic trays. Way too easy for someone, perhaps not even an airport worker, to nick something while you’re preoccupied with the metal detector / wand screening.

Good luck to all of us with travelling!
Sascha