It might not even be his ID card, or a real one. And the jackpot he lifts from your room might be worth more than the card. ID cards can be replaced in about five minutes at any district office.

-- For a casual and OFF-the-street pick-up handing-in the young man's ID. to Recept'n. would be valueless.
- I u'stand., from other sources, that it is not too difficult to obtain a false & Thai ID.; I've heard of Khao San rd. being mentioned in that respect.
- Possibly taking-out with one no more money than one is prepared to lose, leaving in one's own appt./room one's Credit Card, other valuables etc. and availing of an Hawng chua krao, (short-time room.), is about as safe as one can go?

-- :)

They do not sell fake Thai ID's in Khaosan Road.

They sell fake student cards, press cards, diplomas, and other "souvenir" items (quite low-quality ones, as well).

Fake ID cards are much more serious business, and not THAT easily obtained.

-- Thank you for your corr'n.. :)

You don't even need to have him put his ID in a box at reception. In Pinnacle, you just have him leave his i.d. with the reception (or otherwise register with them). I never did that, but if it was someone my instinct told me to be careful about, I would.

I don't want to sound naive, but has anyone ever heard of any Thai guy ever robbing a farang in his hotel room with a knife? I tend to doubt--at least with the kinds of guys we take to our rooms--that this happens. Even if a guy produced a knife, I think I would call his bluff and he would leave quickly, with nothing. I know--easy for me to talk--but if this is just a 1 in 100,000 chance, then I'm not worrying about losing some cash.

No, but the world is changing and unfortunately getting more violent. Many of us remember a young thai guy from BKK (Cent) who took a boy from Pattaya back to his room near Malaysia hotel and had his throat cut for a few pieces of gold jewelery. I learned my lesson when a Pattaya boy had I taken many times over about 6 months suddenly turned ferel and stole my Blackberry while I was in the shower. It's the only bad experience I've had in 20 years. I think caution is the word.

Or that young handsome German guy a couple of years back near Ramkhamhaeng who took someone back to his room and got clobbered with his own weightlifting gear. As far as I know they never found the killer.

There have been a handful of murders (perhaps a half dozen?) of customers by gay sex workers that I can recall over the past 20 years. Predominantly Thai victims.

There is a very low likelihood of coming to physical harm -- but one which increases if you like rough trade from the street.

Caution is always the best policy.

As for theft, the best policy is not to present your new friend with any temptation.

“It might not even be his ID”

That is true. You should ask the lad his birthday before you ask for his ID. If they don’t match, it isn’t his.

“ID cards can be replaced in about five minutes at any district office."

They can if they are one of the newer sort with the electronic chip. If not the lad must return to his home for a replacement.

Obtaining a replacement isn’t the point. The point is that the boy knows when they find your body in the room his identity will be known.

“I don't want to sound naive, but has anyone ever heard of any Thai guy ever robbing a farang in his hotel room with a knife?”

Yes. It happened to me in my condo.

When a boy grabs you from behind and holds a sharp knife at your throat you can become very cooperative.

I know of no foolproof method of guaranteeing one’s safety. If anyone does I would surely like to learn it.

No...any ID card can now be replaced at any district office nationwide.

Thanks for the helpful update Mod.

If someone gets robbed in his room, I don't understand how the Thai guy would keep the guy from running out after him. I don't think it would be easy to tie the farang up (and do it so well that there would be no quick escape). So unless he kills the farang, I just can't see someone getting away with it. I totally agree with the post about someone coming up from behind with a knife--I had that happen to me in the U.S. (and some other weird robberies other ways--like with guns (I keep wondering if they were real or very good copies)).

Also hotels have video cameras (including in elevators)--so the robber would be taped coming and going.

Why all this sudden very negative talk about thai boys / thai male sex workers?

There is also the other side of the coin, many Thai boys have been robbed, led into false hope, false promises, put through emotional hell by farang and other customers, including Thai customers.

I know of one farang who right now has two Thai boys who are basically captive in his condo in Pattaya condo right now. From what I know he pays them well enough (but not ridiculouslt, doesn\'t physically mistreat them, but enjoys the feeling of controlling their lives. I also recall:

- Years ago, the masively overweight very wealthy farang journalist who had a string of continuously changing naive young Thai men in tow for several years, took then all over Thailand, made them sleep rough in hotel corridors whilst he took the new off boy to his room for the night, made them suck his new off boy, insisted they allow the new off boy to fuck them for his entertainment, etc.

- The farang, years back, who had a long-term reputation for taking off boys to short time hotels in Bkk and Pattaya, and after the \'fun\' would say \'you shower first\' then when the boy went into the bathroom, he quickly dressed and fled, on some occasions leaving the boy to pay the hotel bill.

Let\'s have some balance please.

Unfortunatey life has risks, how many people, str8 or gay, have come to harm from long-term boyfriends, wives, whatever, in every country in the world. Shit happens, unfortunately.

I say again, why all this sudden negative about Thai boys??????????????

As usual, sextile expert on everything.