Personal safety in Lithuania.

-- June 2004. Countryside near Birzai, Lithuania (north-east). --
A couple of German bicycle-tourists were spending the night in their tent. They were attacked by 3 local hooligans. The man was beaten unconscious; the woman - raped. To the honour of Lithuanian Police the offenders were caught within 2 hours.
-- May 2005. A Hungarian cyclist is completely robbed in Kaunas (district of the town called Silainiai). He swore never to come back to Lithuania. But a year later he broke the oath, and brought even more "goodies" for the thieves. He started the journey anew. "Unfortunately" this time he had a Police guard. So thieves did not turn up to claim his goods...
They are waiting for you!

Dear traveler, please don't be mislead by my "poignant" notes on traveling through the Baltics (link for the tour of 2001). If and when you come, at least in Lithuania, please keep alert whenever and wherever... Choose your overnight site carefully, and keep it concealed from the ever-hawkish eye of a Lithuanian... Also, mind your way during the day.

Lithuania is the most selfish, depressed, hypocritical, jealous, unfriendly, angry, degraded, stupid, suicidal, low-esteemed, yet vain, and narrow-minded nation of all I've seen. You will receive some scant smiles, especially from servants at ports and hotels, and from people on the streets, when they believe you are a foreigner. But don't be fooled... Don't mistake that for genuine friendliness.

It is true, that hundreds of foreigners have travelled through Lithuania without ugly accidents. But in the same way a hundred kids may pass past a sleeping dog.

Every year we hold a mass bicycle tour around Lithuania. And every year there are incidents with local folks, thefts of stuff, and even bicycles. In every-day life unprovoked hostility, and attacks are quite common... both in countryside and in towns.
I found a north-eastern town of Kupishkis (Kupiskis) to be notorious for folks of all sizes and sexes offering a straightforward punch in a face as I merely passed by.
By the way, the route Utena-Kupishkis-Birzai-Riga is plain boring.

The question still is: whether you should avoid just that region, or the whole of Lithuania?

In Vilnius Police encourages beggars to kneel, and to stalk people, to demand money:
http://andrius.saugokmedi.lt/oficioz/teise#iğmalda
Begging is illegal. Never give money away. Do not litter with money, and beggars. You essentially pay them to attack others. One day they will attack you for your own cent.
Beggars do not actually beg. They demand. If you in any way deny them an opportunity to demand money, you are their enemy. - As if you took away their property, business, rather than charity.
They do have where to eat, and sleep. A church provides. They do not have to spend all day on the street. They attack people out of boredom, and evil mind. They do not need your money. If they would, they would collect bottles, and recylce rubbish. But they are too lazy for that.
They demand money only because they think you are a fool to yield it... Like a cow...
Police pretends not to see beggars, even when they stare at them. In return, Police summons beggars to attack enemies of the state. Even a report itself about beggars makes you an enemy of Police, and the state.
The last time Police patrolled on foot was in year 2009. They used your money to buy cars. Now they sit in cars only. A car is very easy for criminals to spot, and hide from.
Even if a beggar seems to you no threat, one indicates absence of Police. So, one indicates a dangerous street, even if it is crowded... With accomplices...
A beggar may attack you in full view of the crowd. The crowd would gladly stare, and nobody would stir a finger. Even somebody calls Police, it dooes not react, and deliberately drives away from the incident. Police knows when the culprit is a beggar, so as to avoid detention. Sometimes they warn beggars to hide. - By telephone.
Actually, all beggars are a threat, even the puny ones. They are a gang. Police cooperates with them.
Success of your dealing with Police is pure luck.
Almost entire Police, and state are criminals. Including the former president Dalia Grybauskaite. All journalists of the world, presidents of all countries, and Encyclopedia Britannica conceal this news.

If you want to get rid of money, donate it to me. Or to other enemies of the state:
http://andrius.saugokmedi.lt/kadaryti#pinigais
There is also a link to a list of international donors.
All of them ignore pleas for help. It is fashionable to donate only to negroes, and pretend as if whites, especially in European Union never abuse human rights on mass.

In Vilnius there are pick-pockets. One of them specializes in drunks around bars. Police tries not to catch them too. At most, they catch their "prey", because it is easier to extract a fine from a drunk, rather than to work.
Being drunk in public is an administrative offence in Lithuania.

I think it is still possible to travel safely here, and enjoy the sights. But please exercise extreme caution. If you have to sleep within a view of settlements, you'd better ask owners of private farms for a free stay in a barn. Never negotiate with unreasonable people - keep away from them... Keep away from beggars, drunks, and red-neck car owners...

If you want friendliness, go to Finland, or Latvia (not in Liepaja).

Theft of bicycles in Lithuania

Lithuanians also go there, and other places too... where the folks do not lock bicycles... Finland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and even Poland... They go there in cars and mini-vans, and steal those bikes to sell to the unquestioning Lithuanian public. Lithuanians are indifferent even when I clearly tell them they have bought a stolen bike.

On this page I will later put some general advice on safeguarding your bicycle, and personal safety strategies for travelers.
My page in Lithuanian language about keeping the bicycle safe from theft:
http://andrius.saugokmedi.lt/dviratis/saugumas

If you do not come to Lithuania, then Lithuanians come to you. They drive to western countries in droves, steal your bikes, and bring them here. Already 1⁄3 of bicycles in Lithuania are stolen from you.

Once in 2005 I warned German Polizei of the onslaught of stolen bikes. They passed my warning back to Lithuanian Police, and never followed.
Germany alone loses several hundred thousand bicycles to theft. Other countries are victims too. Such vast quantities are more than enough to supply the entire Eastern Europe.

Theft of money from European Union

... Not only bicycles...
Lithuanian bureacrats also steal your entire financial aid from European Union by billions of Euro.
See the appeal on the upper page.
Please ask your government to stop giving us free money.
Your money destroys us. - The non existent society, the environment, towns, villages, human rights.
SOS!

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