kurtgruen

Some of the anti Songkran comments here are exaggerated.

I have never seen a report of a motorcyclist dying due to having water thrown at him. If it has happened it is certainly not a frequent occurrence.

According to this "Nation" article http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Road-death-toll-in-Thailand-among-highest-in-the-w-30202066.html an average of 71 citizens die on Thai roads each day (year round).

According to this "Nation" article http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/39-killed-on-roads-on-day-one-of-Songkran-holidays-30231431.html a total of 39 citizens died on Thai roads on the first day of Songkran 2014.

And, according to this statistic for 2013 http://www.richardbarrow.com/2013/04/road-accident-statistics-for-songkran-in-thailand-2007-2013/ a total of 321 citizens died on Thai roads during the 7 days of Songkran = an average of 46 per day .

Conclusion: Compared with the average day, fewer people die on Thai roads during the 7 days of Songkran.

BTW, I am not arguing in favour of a 365-day Songkran festival.

Reason for edit: clarity

Good point Chickenslegs. Nice to see some statistics interpreted.

People who are scared of everything (including their own shadows sometime), want to keep passing laws to take away more and more freedoms from other people. Of course, a fearful personality will remain fearful, unless one works on himself (inside) instead of trying to change to world around us to fit our idea of right and wrong.

Someone always has a "true" horror story, of something terrible that happened, using it to justify the tightening of rules and laws. Let's face it, people die every day. If we don't want to see people senselessly hurt or dead, maybe we should stand up and cry out against wars, instead of something fun like Songkran.

Remember, things all started years ago, when Thaksin tried to get rid of Khun Prem's office. That was the beginning of the end for Thaksin.

..........is that with or without formaldehyde.....prefer mine without thanks........

I know they spray the oranges over and over. I rather not see and just eat

More domestic inflation..great.

Has anyone noticed that the price of pork is now around 150 Baht per Kilo, in Thailand? They have problems with a disease in pigs, in North America and pork prices shoot up here. The only bad thing is, they will stay up, after the disease is contained. Some of the joys of the global economy. The rich get richer and the poor have to work harder and still be poor.

Well, Thai people, young and old, seem to enjoy it. They sure did here, yesterday and the day before. There is also the option of moving back to one's home Country, if one doesn't like it and hates it that much.

Personally, I enjoy it, up to a point and then I just go inside and do work on my computer, in my nice, air conditioned place. I love to see Thai people and some of the foreigners have fun at Songkran time.

We always donate water to keep everybody loaded with "ammo"

I personally don't enjoy the ice water, but a lot of Thai people seem to get a kick out of it and the screams are fun to listen too.

I would not want to be anywhere else in the world, this time of year.

I think, this event, at this scale at least, is unique to Thailand and I think that is great.

Agree and it's only for 1 or just a few days, but I don't think your suggestion for people to return to their home country is called for. Better if they remain indoors for the duration and let others enjoy themselves.

Agreed! I guess I get a little defensive, when I keep seeing the few trying to trample on the rights of the masses. Rights sometimes include doing something not so smart or not so healthy, but I still believe in rights. Again, ,like Peter Pan says.."Never grow Up" No fun being a grownup

Enjoy Songkran, everyone. It's a blast, if you let yourself get into it. Time to PAAARRRTTYYY

Hey folks stop becoming whingers about Songkran. It is Thainess ok? The Thai folk don't do Easter and prefer not to stuff a turkey for thanksgiving.

If you don't like the water fun go to another country for the week and then return. Thailand is not a nanny state, that's why you choose to stay here right? Well, don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things. Sawasdee pei mai Thai krab and happy Songkran.

There is also another way of looking at it...how many Westerners die of heart attacks every year, when they stuff their faces, like pigs, at Christmas Dinner? Probably at least as many or more, I would think.

Why is everyone so worried about dying? That is the one thing sure in life. We will all die sooner or later. Might as well have fun along the way. I believe some people have more fun in one week, that others have in their whole life. (Unless they call being miserable fun)

Thai People love Songkran. I am not Thai and I love Songkran. I am a little bit more aware, while riding my motorbike, this time of year, but that is just being smart.

Personally, I don't think it is the Governments job, to "protect" us from ourselves.

They should build coffins to look like crashed cars, motorbikes, or beer bottles, just to remind the funeral attendees of the stupidness of that particular victim's death.

Why white-wash it with a beautiful pristine white coffin?

Or it could remind them, how much fun those people had, while they were alive, while the survivors get old, get to look forward to the joys of wearing "Depends", pain in old age, feeling alienated and alone, because of their judgmental attitudes and only having enough brain cells left, to play bridge as the "dummy" hand.

That's very reassuring for drunken and speed drivers.

If you die in an accident you are going in a beautiful coffin.

Now, carry on as usual.

Well, since most people over here believe in Reincarnation, who not party and have fun and if you die, you just come back and party and have fun some more :-) Beats the depressing Western outlook...if you have fun, you die and go to hell, or you can be good and your life will be boring controlled and against most of your internal instincts.

The way I look at it, if you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space

I don't believe in reincarnation, and I didn't when I was a frog

Well, one thing is for certain. We will all die sooner or later (some of us sooner than later). So why not have fun while it lasts. I see 10's of thousands, having fun in our little town today, laughing, singing, throwing water, getting wet, playing in the Ping River, getting drunk with family and friends. Beats worrying about death and when it comes for you

That's very reassuring for drunken and speed drivers.

If you die in an accident you are going in a beautiful coffin.

Now, carry on as usual.

Well, since most people over here believe in Reincarnation, who not party and have fun and if you die, you just come back and party and have fun some more :-) Beats the depressing Western outlook...if you have fun, you die and go to hell, or you can be good and your life will be boring controlled and against most of your internal instincts.

The way I look at it, if you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space

Excellent avatar you have....goes with your opinions precisely....

Yep, times a ticking, for us baby boomers, lol. Like Peter Pan said "Life is a great adventure" (who knows, maybe death will be too. If now, oh well, we won't know it anyways)

They should quit giving the thieving criminal air time

"Lastly, he said morality, ethics, virtue, moral, and justice are the key factors that would drive this nation forward."

Does any of the above apply to Thailand?

If it did, most people would probably have left for "greener pastures" a long time ago

thats a very positive outlook

I love Songkran.....

Yeah, I'll throw in 100 baht for a good cause...make that 500100

Well I think Suthep has been listening to Prem and one or two other people

You are assuming there is unanimity in those circles. There is not.

That is exactly why I said one OR two

180 years relations between Thailand and the US??? Are they on drugs or am I missing something here?

Siam.

I also believe, that the US was just a few loosely knit states, back then not the singular version of it, it is today. Did they actually have diplomats in Siam/Thailand since then? That would really surprise me. (not saying they didn't.. Just asking ;-) )

180 years relations between Thailand and the US??? Are they on drugs or am I missing something here?

Well I think Suthep has been listening to Prem and one or two other people

I love Songkran and so does my Thai family. One year, we took the pickup truck around the moat, in Chiang Mai, packed full of people and water buckets in the back. Everybody had a blast (and I'm talking everybody from 4-over 70 years old).

That may not be the traditional way of celebrating it, but the Thai people I know look forward to it and love it.

Out here in Chiang Dao, it is a little more mellow, but we always had big water buckets in front of our restaurant, next to the highway and foreigners as well as Thai people enjoy the water fights every year. They we take the staff down to the River, on one of the days, every year, eat, drink and watch 10s of thousands of people playing in the ping river, in Chiang Dao.

You are only as old as you act and at 55, I refuse to grow up

Well, looks like Mr T and his puppets are quickly running out of options. I just wish they would get it over with, because most people already know what the outcome will be and who is pulling the stings in this game of chess.