Moti24

Indeed that sentence would imply to a native speaker that this landing strip is between Pattaya and Utapao but closer to Pattaya.

Laem Chabang is approximately 18 kms north of Pattaya and features an international port, a large industrial estate and a series of oil facilities all on the coast with no landing strip that I know of.

Utapao is south of Pattaya.

I do feel some much clearer pinpointing of location is required.

"Indeed that sentence would imply to a native speaker that this landing strip is between Pattaya and Utapao but closer to Pattaya."

That sentence would imply to a native speaker, that the landing strip was closer to Pattaya than Uttapao; the direction from Pattaya is irrelevant.

Obviously, you're not a native speaker.

Well, I've read enough crap on this topic to last me a lifetime. Some of you have made good points, which have been worthwhile reading. However, some of you seem to be sadly out of touch with reality in Thailand. Moreover, none of you are going to make any difference to the daily carnage on the roads, which can be mostly put down to, "Thainess".

Let's get to the facts:

1. The motorcyclist shouldn't have been in the tunnel; you can put that down to personal infringement of the law, or a number of other reasons already mentioned.

2. The pick-up driver shouldn't have been in the tunnel; he was pissed and shouldn't have been behind the wheel. You can put that down to personal infringement of the law, only.

So, facts 1 and 2 cancel each other out; neither of them should have been there.

3. The only fact to be considered here is the fact that the pick-up driver has caused a death by his reckless driving. When tested, he was shown to have 147mg/l of alcohol in his bloodstream, that is 97mg/l over the limit. He was probably still pissed from the day before, although more likely is the probablility that he was still pissed from when he took his first drink of Laokhoa some years ago, topping up on a daily basis. Added to that, he tried to make a quick getaway, so as not to face up to the responsibility of causing the death of the motorcyclist, even stating to the police that the motorcyclist lost control, a blatant lie.

Cut and dried, I think! Lock him up for 10 years, with no chance of parole; that should give him plenty of time to refelct on his failure to grow up into a human being, and also time for his body to adjust to life without alcohol.

Case closed!

He may get locked up for 2 years for causing a death?

But some one that said something against the king, (I read) got 7 years in jail.

You're probably right. Life is cheap in Thailand. Let's hope he doesn't have enough money to pay-off the family; that's the only way he might get a stiffer sentence.

Well, I've read enough crap on this topic to last me a lifetime. Some of you have made good points, which have been worthwhile reading. However, some of you seem to be sadly out of touch with reality in Thailand. Moreover, none of you are going to make any difference to the daily carnage on the roads, which can be mostly put down to, "Thainess".

Let's get to the facts:

1. The motorcyclist shouldn't have been in the tunnel; you can put that down to personal infringement of the law, or a number of other reasons already mentioned.

2. The pick-up driver shouldn't have been in the tunnel; he was pissed and shouldn't have been behind the wheel. You can put that down to personal infringement of the law, only.

So, facts 1 and 2 cancel each other out; neither of them should have been there.

3. The only fact to be considered here is the fact that the pick-up driver has caused a death by his reckless driving. When tested, he was shown to have 147mg/l of alcohol in his bloodstream, that is 97mg/l over the limit. He was probably still pissed from the day before, although more likely is the probablility that he was still pissed from when he took his first drink of Laokhoa some years ago, topping up on a daily basis. Added to that, he tried to make a quick getaway, so as not to face up to the responsibility of causing the death of the motorcyclist, even stating to the police that the motorcyclist lost control, a blatant lie.

Cut and dried, I think! Lock him up for 10 years, with no chance of parole; that should give him plenty of time to refelct on his failure to grow up into a human being, and also time for his body to adjust to life without alcohol.

Case closed!

But consume more alcohol than their neighbors.

Got to ween them onto Laokhao at an early age; otherwise, how would they cope later in life without their daily shot!

If one of these scumbags happens to run into you, and has no insurance, which is quite likely, how can you claim? It seems the general Thai attitude would be that as he had no insurance, he shouldn't have been on the road, apart from the fact that the driver will probably plead poverty.

Not a day goes by that I don't see an old pick-up with the wings hanging off, belching out black smoke and being driven irratically; these vehicles are obviously unfit for the road, and certainly have no insurance. I'm not usually a police basher, but it's about time they started doing their job and get this crap off the road. And while they're at it, perhaps they could stop four lanes of cars turning right at a junction, when there is quite clearly only one lane allocated. And, they could try setting up breathaliser road blocks in different places, instead of the same place, every day at the same time; the scumbag drivers avoid this one location like the plague. I could write a book, but I'm sure you all get the idea.

When motorcycles were banned from that tunnel, if proper signs had been put up and the police were monitoring it correctly, the motorcycle wouldn't have been there, but that scumbag would still have had the accident. So, throw the book at him, including a murder charge, and get one more drunken scumbag off the road.

Maybe the PM will consider making the police responsible for paying out compensation to the families to reflect their dereliction of duty; that might be the wake-up call they need.

Hard to believe that this guy was so drunk at that hour in the morning. Even harder to believe was that he was working and his job was delivering foodstuff to schools. One has to be thankful this guy only killed one lone driver whereas he could have killed many children on his route.

Maybe he was an alcoholic.

Many alcoholics would actually be more dangerous if they didn't have that drink in the morning.

Medical fact, or your own indepth research?

One of my local builders drinks Laokao every day, and does a pretty good job, but if he hasn't had his morning, hourly shot, his work is disasterous.

I usually ask for a quote for the complete job. If it takes them 4 hours, 1 or 2 days, that is up to them. However, learning by experience, I don't generally employ Thai workers anymore; the reason - Most of them are jack-of-all-trades, but master of none. I've yet to see a 100% satisfactory job, but I pay them because it's the best that I can expect. Never employ a Thai to do any painting; there will be more paint on the ground than on the wall and the roofs of most of the house near me are splashed with paint.

Yes, I would employ a Thai to do the more skilled jobs like building a wall. However, I've narrowed it down to only one worker, who does an excellent job. Others haven't been invited back.

You know the saying - "If you want a job doing well, do it yourself" I'm fortunate enough that I'm still able to do most jobs, but that won't last forever.

I'm a firm believer in, "You get what you pay for". That is so true in Thailand, but there are some good tradesmen out there, the problem is finding them.

At that price, it would be cheaper to fly over a contractor from your home country, with materials. At least it would get done properly. Whoever finally gets the job, assuming it will be Thais, I advise you to hire a qualified engineer to oversee the work; a few extra thousand baht will pay dividends in the end.

Well, 397 deaths from 11th - 16th, plus the toll from the 17th, plus today, plus tomorrow, the 19th when Pattaya finishes contributing to the carnage, plus those who die in hospital as a result of this year's fun loving event; the final toll could be well over 1,000. Whatever is discussed on this forum, the sure thing is that next year it will all happen again.

"Public transport vehicles and their drivers will be screened in frequent intervals. Anyone found to be driving under the influence will face a fine of up to 10,000 baht or a maximum jail term of three months. A maximum fine of 50,000 baht will also apply to the bus operator."

Well, the "may" has been replaced with "will", but a fine of up to 10,000 Baht! That'll be the usual 500 Baht for the driver, and a brown envelope from the bus operator.

Songkran or not, things seem to be pretty much the same to me.

Usual final toll for Songkran is about 350 deaths and between 2000 and 3000 injuries; looks like it may be another record on the horizon.

This afternoon, at about 3:45, I turned left at a set of traffic lights and was confronted with a Toyota Vios, being driven by, what I can only describe as a madman, hairing towards me; obviously he wasn't amused with waiting for the traffic in front of him to move. I jammed on my brakes and moved to the left as far as I could. He didn't appear to brake, but moved to the left, pushing a motorcycle and sidecar onto the sidewalk, and went past me like a bat out of hell. How he missed me, I' don't know. He just continued through the red light and disappeared into the distance. This is an all too common occurence during Songkran, which is why I stay at home as much as possible.

RIP the 52 who died; I know how they would feel if they were still alive.

Another! I will never again travel in one of those death traps, as previously reported by me. When is something going to be done about these cowboy drivers! Oops, cancel that last remark; yes I know, TiT.

"it turns out they work long hours doing a difficult job in dangerous circumstances for scant reward. All they want is a little appreciation from the public"

I sympathise with the BiB. Yes, "they work long hours doing a difficult job in dangerous circumstances for scant reward", but accepting a bribe in lieu of a 400 Baht ticket is not the way to get, "a little appreciation from the public". If they really want some appreciation, they should be upholding the law, as no doubt they swore to do when they joined; that in turn would make Thailand a safer place for everybody.

"And often it is the motorists who are most eager to make a cash deal on the spot to avoid the inconvenience of having their driving license confiscated and going to the police station to pay a fine"

Of course it's the motorists who don't want to be inconvenienced! So long as they can avoid the consequences of their blatant infringements of the law, they will never learn.

Sorry BiB, on the occasions that you are ridiculed for not doing your job, well, you bring it on yourselves. Make us all proud of you and start afresh. Treat all Thai citizens and foreigners fairly and as equals, but within the law that you have sworn to uphold. Eventually, you will see plenty appreciation from the public.

For sure take away the drunk-drivers license. However, impounding the vehicle can be a severe hardship for the entire family, not just the drunk driver ... e.g., someone needs to get to work; doing food shopping; kids need to be taken to school; etc.

Totally agree....a persons care for there Family and livelihood should always be taken into account...Slainte

It's a shame that other family members will be inconvenienced because of the selfish actions of a drunk-driver, but he/she should of thought of all the consequencies before endangering other people with an out-of-control pick-up/car/motorcycle. The shopping will always get done, and the kids will always get to school; I see a motorcycle and sidecar every morning with about 10-12 kids on a school run. The culprits need to learn - The Hard Way. Then, maybe the roads will be a lot safer.

How about "Reckless drivers warned they may have their cars impounded" full stop!

How about, "Reckless drivers will spend one month in the Bangkok Hilton, and have their cars confiscated", full stop!

Assuming the alleged victim is the guy in the blue T-shirt, amazing how the perp managed to snatch the 50,000 Baht chain and leave the smaller, probably worthless chain, on the guy's neck. Surely it can't be another insurance scam!

If I had 100 Baht for every time I'd seen a baby being carried under one arm by the passenger, I'd be a rich man. However, yesterday, a motorcycle came out of a side road right in-front of me, the rider not looking, as usual, and on the back was a woman carrying a baby under each arm, with a toddler of about 4/5 years old sandwiched between her and the guy in front. Not a crash helmet in sight, and by the way it was snaking around the road, I suspect the Leo was still swilling around in the guy's stomach. I thought I'd seen it all!

Motorists driving cars which are deemed as unsafe may also have their vehicles impounded too.

That should clear the roads of a couple of million vehicles, then!

Check with Chaeng Wattana; as far as I know, you can change a TV to a Non-b if you have 15 days left on the TV. Of course, your employer will have to supply the usual paperwork. Check, it might save you a trip out of the country.

You got to respect them for that. At least they are doing something worthwhile. However, the biggest problem is that Thais just discard their rubbish where they want. Just stand outside any 7/11 and watch as they unwrap a pack of cigarettes or a sandwich and throw the paper on the ground, even though there is a waste bin within arms reach. Sometimes, I feel like giving them a slap, but what's the point; the whole nation's at it!

Well done the BiB.

What they do will be irrelevant; there will still be over 300 deaths and a couple of thousand injured during the Songkran period. Same BS every year! Why don't they just implement the road laws that are already published, instead of making these pathetic jestures just before hoilday periods! It's about time the government started controlling who they give driving licences to, and the highway police started earning their salary.

If gambling was legal in Thailand, we could open a book on the eventual sentence; winner take all! I'd go for community service, loss of driving licence and a 500 Baht fine. Of course, he would have to re-enter Thailand in order to do the community service.

Break Failure? At least nobody died this time!

Usually, parents are responsible for bringing up their children, although in this case, I suspect the family nanny did that. Instead of the father standing there for a photo shoot, with his hands in his pocket and a look of pure arrogance on his face, he should be setting an example and insisting that the punishment for his son should fit the crime. But we all know that won't happen here. He'll get a few hours of community service and his father will give him a new merc.

I almost make myself sick when I think about these low-life scum!

Songkran: Temple visits, giving food to the Bhuddhist monks, pouring water on the Bhudda statues, young people pouring water over the hands of their elders to show respect, family get-togethers - Where has all that gone? Temple visits are few during Songkran as most Thais are too busy loading their pickup trucks at dawn with iced water (no time to visit temples). Food given to the Bhuddhist monks, no doubt in short supply during the same period (water fights are far more important). Most young people are on the back of pickups, so that's the pouring of water over the elders' hands to show respect out the window. Family get-togethers in the back of pickup trucks; OK, I'll allow that one, but not the pouring of water over elders' hands in the back of a pickup; (1 out of 5 not bad).

Then we get to the foreigners, probably mostly tourists, who come to Thailand to party and play with the water. Well, to those people, I say, "Hope you have a great time and enjoy your holiday." Unfortunately, some of these foreigners seem to up the game and cause more mayhem than the Thais. At least the Thais don't throw buckets of water from the balconies/roofs of condos, and I've yet to see a Thai aim a water jet straight into a person's face. Most Thais will even ask if they can put powder on your face; you got to respect them for that.

Then we add the alcohol to all that, and we get the normal deaths and injuries that can be expected during the Songkran period. The water throwers empty buckets of water over the motorcyclists and fire jets of water at them when they ride past, causing many to part company with their bike, although I don't think that just alcohol is the cause of that, more just basic lack of common sense, which needs to addressed by the powers to be. Hundreds are killed and thousands injured on the Thai roads during Songkran, and yet the festivities go on without regard for any of these consequencies. Life is cheap in Thailand! I wonder if things would change if Thailand suddenly shoots to No 1 in road death statistics; No chance!

Yes, I have played a couple of times in the Songkran mayhem, but the novelty soon wore off as it has become more of a dangerous activity every year. I usually stay at home now during that period, but that is my choice. I have no problem with others taking part in the activites, if that is their desire. But I do wish people would have a bit more common sense when playing with peoples lives.

Happy Songkran