Six dead, 44 injured in yet more Burmese worker bus carnage

[webfact]

Six dead, 44 injured in yet more Burmese worker bus carnage

 

Pictures: Thai Rath

 

Six Burmese workers are dead and 44 injured - 28 seriously - after a double-decker bus crashed down a ravine in Tak province in Thailand's north west late last night.

 

Speeding or brake failure has been blamed.

 

The accident happened on a hill known as Doi Ruak in Muang district just before 11pm.

 

 

Driver Phisit Thanathakphasit, 40, was taking about 50 workers from the border town of Mae Sot to Chacherngsao.

 

He said that he tried to slow the bus by brushing against the roadside barrier but he could not manage it and the bus crossed the barrier and hurtled 5 meters down a roadside ravine. The accident happened just 500 meters from a safe stopping area.

 

Pictures showed dead bodies under cloths laid out at the scene.

 

The bus was owned by Jong Charoen Capital Co Ltd (Ratchaburi) and was registered in Bangkok.

 

Police initially said that the bus was either going too fast or suffered brake failure.

 

The accident is the third in the last week affecting workers from Myanmar. Twenty died in an inferno last week and 14 were lucky to escape death after a minivan burst into flames earlier this week.

 

Source: Thai Rath

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-04-10

[coulson]

Speeding or (also known as) brake failure has been blamed.

 

 

 

 

[cornishcarlos]

Blame it on Songkran... Easy

We need a bus full of Army Generals to have "brake failure", only then might something be done about the utter carnage on the roads here...

[darksidedog]

I am eternally stunned that people who drive for a living, dont actually seem to have the first clue as to how to actually do it. If he had had the bus in a low gear, and travelling at an appropriate speed, this would not have happened. I swear half of them must get their driving license off the back of a corn flakes packet.

[Woodsie888]

1 minute ago, cornishcarlos said:

Blame it on Songkran... Easy

We need a bus full of Army Generals to have "brake failure", only then might something be done about the utter carnage on the roads here...

Unfortunately the only failure they will experience is permanent brain failure.

[Dmaxdan]

These Burmese workers may want to consider staying in their own country to work. For the little bit extra money they earn here in Thailand it can't be worth the continued risk to their lives.  

Edited April 10, 2018 by Dmaxdan

[Odysseus123]

4 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

I am eternally stunned that people who drive for a living, dont actually seem to have the first clue as to how to actually do it. If he had had the bus in a low gear, and travelling at an appropriate speed, this would not have happened. I swear half of them must get their driving license off the back of a corn flakes packet.

Not only do I agree with you but I am equally stunned by the fact that these drivers cannot comprehend that if they keep driving the way they do, they are going to DIE.

Edited April 10, 2018 by Odysseus123

[leeneeds]

12-15 tons in weight plus the passengers and diver 51people at a minimum of 60kg each = 3060 kg 

 combined weight speed = 15 -  18tons plus  and gathering speed all the time,  

 

TOO late diver!  you <deleted> numb nut.

 

 

[nausea]

4 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

I swear half of them must get their driving license off the back of a corn flakes packet.

Driving licence is a misnomer anyway, here's a better name:

 

              

[Thian]

51 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

Blame it on Songkran... Easy

We need a bus full of Army Generals to have "brake failure", only then might something be done about the utter carnage on the roads here...

We need the Western countries to not allow Thai driverslicenses on their roads abroad.

 

Right now my thai friends are driving around in Europe in a rental car....they also have a 500 baht driverslicense.

[tukkytuktuk]

 

[the guest]

One of the reasons why Thai driving licenses in whatever form are not accepted in the EU. They already know the driving standards are appalling.

 

Very sad for the ones that lost their lives on a completely avoidable situation.

[JOC]

An observation.

Tribalism is alive and well.

If the victims here had been tourists from Europe.....we would 3 pages of posts...."RIP and speedy recovery to the survivors"

But since the victims were "only" migrant workers from Myanmar....the thread has just turned into another Thai bashing and no one cares about the victims...

[tukkytuktuk]

4 minutes ago, JOC said:

An observation.

Tribalism is alive and well.

If the victims here had been tourists from Europe.....we would 3 pages of posts...."RIP and speedy recovery to the survivors"

But since the victims were "only" migrant workers from Myanmar....the thread has just turned into another Thai bashing and no one cares about the victims...

Yes, but this is an expat forum, of course we would be more interested if the bus was carrying tourists. Why state the obvious, as for human lives lost, of course people care, come on why do you think we don't?

 

R.I.P

[webfact]

Six Myanmar female workers killed, 30 injured in bus crash in Tak 

By Thai PBS

 

 

Six Myanmar migrant workers were killed and 30 were injured, 17 seriously after a double-decker bus they travelled in ran off the road into the ditch and flipped over.

 

The latest fatal incident happened to Myanmar workers occurred on the Mae Sot-Tak road in Muang district of Tak province shortly before midnight.

 

The bus was taking 50 Myanmar workers from Mae Sot district of Tak to work in Chachoengsao’s Plaeng Yao district.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/six-myanmar-female-workers-killed-30-injured-bus-crash-tak/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-04-10

[Thian]

1 hour ago, the guest said:

One of the reasons why Thai driving licenses in whatever form are not accepted in the EU. They already know the driving standards are appalling.

 

Very sad for the ones that lost their lives on a completely avoidable situation.

You've got that wrong mate, they ARE accepted in the EU...i know several Thai who drove all over the EU in rental cars, they also drove in the US and Japan and AU....

[jenny2017]

 

He said that he tried to slow the bus by brushing against the roadside barrier but he could not manage it and the bus crossed the barrier and hurtled 5 meters down a roadside ravine. The accident happened just 500 meters from a safe stopping area.

 

 

   Brushing against the roadside barrier says a lot about the driver. RIP, poor souls and a speedy recovery for the injured ones. It seems to be a daily occurrence now. I usually brake down my speed by shifting gears, but that's too difficult for some people. 

Edited April 10, 2018 by jenny2017

[owl sees all]

These double-decker buses have certainly got it in for the Burmese.

 

 

[SirBuwanaDogbossKing]

7 minutes ago, Thian said:

You've got that wrong mate, they ARE accepted in the EU...i know several Thai who drove all over the EU in rental cars, they also drove in the US and Japan and AU....

No actually he got it right mate, rental companies will only accept a Thai international driving permit, easily available for 1000B

[Thian]

Just now, SirBuwanaDogbossKing said:

No actually he got it right mate, rental companies will only accept a Thai international driving permit, easily available for 1000B

 

So they still drive ONLY on a Thai driverslicense...they should be forced to do the European exams before being allowed to drive there. Why did they force me to spend 5000 euro on a driverslicense while a Thai can just buy one for 500 baht?

[MartinL]

2 hours ago, Thian said:

We need the Western countries to not allow Thai driverslicenses on their roads abroad.

 

Agree with you. However ...

 

Don't know about the rest of Europe, but UK requires those going to live abroad to give-up their UK licence. Of course, most don't - there are ways around it but, nonetheless, that's the official ruling.

 

As good as it sounds, your suggestion would mean that UK folks having only a Thai licence, as a result of following the rules and living in Thailand, would be unable to drive during a holiday 'home'.

 

 

 

Edited April 10, 2018 by MartinL

[maximillian]

2 hours ago, Odysseus123 said:

Not only do I agree with you but I am equally stunned by the fact that these drivers cannot comprehend that if they keep driving the way they do, they are going to DIE.

 

Whatever, they could not care less as they are just careless.

I noticed this carelessness in many ways of daily Thai life, not only in driving.

[SirBuwanaDogbossKing]

12 minutes ago, Thian said:

 

So they still drive ONLY on a Thai driverslicense...they should be forced to do the European exams before being allowed to drive there. Why did they force me to spend 5000 euro on a driverslicense while a Thai can just buy one for 500 baht?

No they drive on an international driving permit as does everyone who legally drives in a country other than where their license is valid. Nobody forced you to do anything, it was your choice to go through the procedure to obtain your driving license. You need to get things in perspective here, we are not talking about your average som chai hiring a car in Europe these are money Thais and one would expect a bit more intelligent than most of their kin folk, how many times have you seen a car accident involving a Thai driver being reported in the western media?

[SirBuwanaDogbossKing]

4 minutes ago, MartinL said:

Agree with you. However ...

 

Don't know about the rest of Europe, but UK requires those going to live abroad to give-up their UK licence. Of course, most don't - there are ways around it but, nonetheless, that's the official ruling.

 

As good as it sounds, your suggestion would mean that UK folks having only a Thai licence as a result of living in Thailand would be unable to drive during a holiday 'home'.

 

 

 

absolute twaddle!!!!!!!!

[jenny2017]

20 minutes ago, Thian said:

 

So they still drive ONLY on a Thai driverslicense...they should be forced to do the European exams before being allowed to drive there. Why did they force me to spend 5000 euro on a driverslicense while a Thai can just buy one for 500 baht?

Sorry, how can it be that Americans may drive on European roads? Isn't that a little bit similar? 

[overherebc]

41 minutes ago, SirBuwanaDogbossKing said:

No actually he got it right mate, rental companies will only accept a Thai international driving permit, easily available for 1000B

Rubbish.

Hired cars in UK New Zealand using my Thai licence and no need for an IDP..  

Both my self and my wife.

 

If a Thai moves to UK full time they have 6 months using the Thai licence then take the UK test.

Expat moving to Thailand gets 3 months with an IDP then gets a Thai licence.

Edited April 10, 2018 by overherebc

[SirBuwanaDogbossKing]

8 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Rubbish.

Hired cars in UK New Zealand using my Thai licence and no need for an IDP..  

Both my self and my wife.

Good for you, obviously using mickey mouse rental companies and breaking the law. You can only legally drive in the UK with a valid UK license or IDP........ask the UK police if you doubt me.

[Just Weird]

2 hours ago, the guest said:

One of the reasons why Thai driving licenses in whatever form are not accepted in the EU. They already know the driving standards are appalling.

Garbage.

 

Your understanding of EU countries' regulations on foreign licences is even more appalling and Thai licences are no exceptions to those regs, i.e. their use is 100% accepted.

Edited April 10, 2018 by Just Weird

[Just Weird]

1 minute ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

They certainly shouldn't be accepted. 

 

Time to change the rules and stop Thais driving overseas so easily.

 

Why is that?  Are Thai drivers causing any reported problems on EU or any other countries' roads?

[SirBuwanaDogbossKing]

12 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Rubbish.

Hired cars in UK New Zealand using my Thai licence and no need for an IDP..  

Both my self and my wife.

 

If a Thai moves to UK full time they have 6 months using the Thai licence then take the UK test.

Expat moving to Thailand gets 3 months with an IDP then gets a Thai licence.

If a Thai moves to UK full time they have 6 months using the Thai licence then take the UK test. ....Not correct and off-topic

Expat moving to Thailand gets 3 months with an IDP then gets a Thai licence......Do you just make it up as you go along?

IDP is valid for 1 year in any country that signed up to the Vienna Convention.