ericjt

Thailand's Songkran water festival death toll continues to rise

BANGKOK: -- Road accidents during the Thai traditional New Year "Songkran" holidays claimed 68 lives on Friday and Saturday, while the number of injured stood at 810, fewer than earlier projections, thanks to a 10-day annual media campaign aiming at reducing road fatalities.

Songkran, Thailand's traditional 'water festival', is a time of traditional festivity and celebration which is now characterised by long journeys back to hometowns and too much consumption of alcohol, in tandem with driving.

The long Songkran holiday is notorious for its high casualties from road accidents as a large number of Thais, particularly those who work in the capital, Bangkok, usually travel to reunite with their families upcountry to celebrate the water festival.

Caretaker Interior Minister Kongsak Wanthana, in his capacity as deputy director of Thailand's National Road Safety Centre, said Sunday that the number of deaths from road accidents on Saturday stood at 38, bringing the death toll in two days since Friday to 68, while the number of injuries reached 496 or 16 lower than projected. There were a total of 731 road accidents, including 445 accidents on Saturday.

Air Chief Marshal Kongsak said the leading causes of road accidents were driving while under the influence of alcohol, speeding and cutting in front of other vehicles.

Motorcycles were involved in most road accidents, followed by pick-up trucks and passenger cars. Most accidents occurred during 4pm-8pm, a time frame of often heavier traffic combined with difficult or deceptive lighting at sundown.

The northern province of Chiang Mai topped the death toll chart with the highest number of fatalities, with five during the first two days of the 10-day Songkran "crisis" period, followed by Chachoengsao with four fatalities; while Kanchanaburi, Phichit, Phetchaburi, Lop Buri and Si Sa Ket recorded three deaths each.

Thirty-four provinces, including Bangkok, have been casualty-free so far.

The Centre aims to reduce this year's death toll by at least 15 per cent.

--TNA 2006-04-09

Certainly terror is not something new. Has anyone researched how other countries and governments have dealt with terrorists in the past, historically? Anything useful there? et

"What more than 95 per cent of all suicide terrorist attacks around the world have in common is not religion, but a specific political goal to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from the territory that the terrorists view as their homeland or prize greatly."  Robert Pape

What do the three Southern Provinces have that the rest of Thailand wants?

Is there oil or other natural resources down there?

Why not just give them autonomy? Let them form their own country?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Of the 25 posts so far, this is the only sensible one that trys to identify the source of the problem, and brings us closer to a solution.

The rest of us seem to accept and label the terror incidents in Thailand, London, Egypt and so on as "Muslim". Why is this label being applied? What assumptions come along with the use of the term "Muslim"? How does this allow politicians to avoid responsibility for solving the problem?

First, I cant remember any CREDIBLE reports where the perpetrators claim that their aim is to convert the attacked nation to islam. These acts are political violence, with a political aim or to get revenge for percived injustice, or to resist occupation.

Second, Unless the general public wake up to the implication of the use of the label "Muslim", there will no end to this problem. The motivation for these acts is not the spread of Islam. This is not an apology for that religion, which I also find distasteful, but a statement of fact.

Thirdly, The ruling politiclans and compliant media have created this label, precisely to stop the public thinking about the reasons for these terror actions. They dont want us to see what is driving these attacks, and they hijack our feeling of outrage, by presenting us with "eye for a eye" solutions that lead nowhere. They appeal to the desire for revenge so that they can continue to carry on with the policies that cause the problem in the first place. The american public is a prime example of an unthinking and gullible electorate, and we must not become like them, otherwise we will end up losing our values of justice and civilisation, just as they have in the fight against political violence.

From palestine, iraq, alqueida, pattani, the reasons are different and varied, and if we simplify all these to "Muslim" then we have no chance of a peaceful future.

Finally, Stop using the term Muslim and start thinking about the problem in the context of poltical terror, or political violence, and start asking what can be done to choke this problem at the source

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

THERE IS ANOTHER OPTION,,FOR 7900BT YOU CAN BUY A GPRS MODEM FROM TELEWIS CALLED SOLOMON WHICH REQUIRES NO LAND LINE AND WORKS VERY WELL THE GREAT PART IS YOU CAN TAKE IT WITH YOU ANYWHERE. I HAVE USED THE SOLOMON FOR APPROX. 6 MONTHS NOW MAINLY DUE TO THE LOCATION WHERE I LIVE GETTING A PHONE IS OUT OF THE QUESTION AND HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH INTERNET. THE AIS INTERNET CARD RUNS APPROX. 900BT A MONTH FOR 450 HOURS OF TIME

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sounds great! What speeds do you get uploading and downloading? ericjt

At the risk of asking a dumb question, the first part of these income rules seem to apply to foreigners seeking to do business in Thailand? I am applying for a retirement visa. What are the rules pertaining to people who do that?

I thought it was 800,000 baht OR 60,000 baht per month income, but then I saw another description of the rules which seemed to indicate that I needed to show an additional 800,000 baht in the bank (or 800,000 baht of income) each year. Can anyone clarify the retirement income rules for me?

Also, at the risk of one more dumb question, why would I, a foreigner, sponsor a Thai for a visa? From what I understand, a Thai would not need a visa to enter or stay in Thailand. So why would I be sponsoring them?

As you can probably tell, these rules don't make much sense to me right now, but I'm trying to learn.

Thanks for your help.