Is it just to hurt, blind or deafen people?  Are they clueless or conscious of the possible consequences?

It is because they are morons.

If they can also nock someone off their motorbike they enjoy it even more.

Edited April 13, 20188 yr by Phuket Man

5 minutes ago, Phuket Man said:

It is because they are morons.

Agree...........had one guy step into the road and poke his gun in the smallest of gaps I had between the helmet and visor in order to squirt water in my eye. I was furious and called him some unprintable words, whereby he just replied............"it's Songkran". A-hole.

Tourists on the whole are oblivious to the countries appalling road traffic record. Something that is wholly obvious to those of us who live here, simply doesn't connect with the poor unfortunate tourists, who sadly misplaced their brains when they came through Suvarnabhumi. I can understand why more than a few of them get punched in the head. Locals also seem to be afflicted by the missing or non functioning brain at the same time.

Edited April 13, 20188 yr by ThreeEyedRaven

that is not tourist specific, thais aim for the eyes just as much.

the purpose is to cause as much discomfort as possible,

and that is why motorcyclists are No.1 target, they are easy prey

and likely to have a violent accident as a result of the attack, causing secondary wounds that have a good chance to be even more painful,

all the while the offender can hide in the crowd and claim innocent

Edited April 13, 20188 yr by poanoi

I just hate it more when the tourists do it. seems more like a get whitey thing than an honest hahaha jovial well spirited thing.

 

Although my son and I were laughing hysterically today watching on tv as a tv reporter updated Kosan rd. Everyone kept nailing him in the mouth and he couldn't talk. So funny as the water kept running out his mouth. 

I'm thinking back to early 80s the 1st time I encountered the water'n'flour recalcitrants...

Just getting out of the diesel Chevy taxi after the long chug up from Penang.

Me aged parents in the Taxi see me, what with all my arm, chest and leg bandages from earlier accident... splayed down on the pavement, as I lost my footing on my crutches.

Taxi driver quickly shuts the door, more to protect his seats than the oldies...

... and only then mentions what was happening, to them.

 

So, if some poor 'innocent' lets say tourist is flayed with injuries to one's, lets say eyes

- I wonder if your Travel Insurance would even cover you?

Even if it was only simply alighting the taxi, into an unexpected unsolicited hydro barrage!

They'd only need to drag out the fine print; stating you were partaking in some hazardous past time akin to hang gliding, or unlicenced riding

Because they are brainless people. No brain . Maybe the small brain they had was left on the plane. 

What do you expect from a crowd, where the combined IQ is below 50 ?

Brainless tourists mixed with construction workers (fueled by alcohol and/or meth)...and for good measure throw in some school kids on illegal m-bikes..

That is your average crowd in the "war zones"

What can possibly go wrong?   Well about everything.......Only way to avoid it.....stay away from the hot spots...

Festival Of Fools.....!!

It should be Law that you can give them a sharp smack in the mouth.that usualy makes bully’s think.

19 minutes ago, Thongkorn said:

It should be Law that you can give them a sharp smack in the mouth.that usualy makes bully’s think.

 

and you can run fast?

 

It just occurred to me.     Do revelers throw water at the motor taxi drivers?

 

I've never noticed or paid attention.

13 minutes ago, watcharacters said:

 

It just occurred to me.     Do revelers throw water at the motor taxi drivers?

 

I've never noticed or paid attention.

??????

Of course they do. Why would anyone think they get a pass? Back when I participated, the only immune people were the cops, and on the last day even they had to bag the guns.

There was some scumbag Brit in front of the Corner Bar today who started taking peoples hats from them and wearing them. That didn't go over well.  Then he started stopping scooters turning off the engines and calling on the crowd to throw water at them.  This went on for a good while.  Then he started stopping scooters, turning the engine off and taking the keys out.  There were some very pissed off people then.  I decided to leave at that point.  Low life scumbag...

6 hours ago, poanoi said:

that is not tourist specific, thais aim for the eyes just as much.

the purpose is to cause as much discomfort as possible,

and that is why motorcyclists are No.1 target, they are easy prey

and likely to have a violent accident as a result of the attack, causing secondary wounds that have a good chance to be even more painful,

all the while the offender can hide in the crowd and claim innocent

I must say I have not seen Thais aiming for the eyes and ears in my experience.  I'm sure there's exceptions.

1 minute ago, joeyg said:

I must say I have not seen Thais aiming for the eyes and ears in my experience.  I'm sure there's exceptions.

my 1st attack this year was made by a thai boy age 5 or so,

he aimed for the eyes like any songkran professional,

i'm beginning to think its instinct.

everyone can understand that water in and off itself is ineffective to put the hurt on someone,

you gotta spice it up by going for the eyes, by attacking motorcyclists that can be expected to get additional injuries from crashes,

by using the water as a delivery system for biological & chemical attacks, and so on

 

apply the same laws that down anyone who tries to down an aircraft, by aiming lasers at the pilot's eyes

2 hours ago, tifino said:

 

apply the same laws that down anyone who tries to down an aircraft, by aiming lasers at the pilot's eyes

How many of those have you heard of during songkran.  Flippant comments won't help the situation.  It's just trolling...

Baiting and flaming posts have been removed.

19 hours ago, xylophone said:

Agree...........had one guy step into the road and poke his gun in the smallest of gaps I had between the helmet and visor in order to squirt water in my eye. I was furious and called him some unprintable words, whereby he just replied............"it's Songkran". A-hole.

 

In the event that your motorbike had accelerated and run him down, or had fallen on him causing his injury , you would not be liable as you were injured when the assailant  attacked you.

 

14 hours ago, Thongkorn said:

It should be Law that you can give them a sharp smack in the mouth.that usualy makes bully’s think.

It is allowed if it comes as a result of your "slipping" or "falling" or "reflex" after the assault.

 

11 hours ago, tifino said:

apply the same laws that down anyone who tries to down an aircraft, by aiming lasers at the pilot's eyes

I have previously carried some potent material to retaliate with. I call it pay back.

100% agree with the OP, and ask the same question every year. Westerners who seem to think its all about blasting the old thai lady pushing a noodle cart.

 

90% of the time,  if someone is ruining songkran or taking things to far, its a westerner. Eyes, ears, moving vehicles, old lady pushing a noodle cart home.

 

Its not hard to work out who is actively out for a water fight, and who is just passing by. Everyone expects to get wet but there is an appropriate level of involvement and areas where its appropriate

 

If you are set up at your local bar and its game on with the bar across the road, go crazy, everyone is there for the same reason, but even then, eyes and ears with a high power gun is just stupid.

You dont set up out the front of the bank and blast people who are obviously not that engaged. Yes, people expect to get wet, but not blasted in the eye with the super soaker 5,000. 

 

Thai people certainly do stupid things but if you watch them, you get an idea of whats appropriate. 

 

 

 

 

14 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

It just occurred to me.     Do revelers throw water at the motor taxi drivers?

 

I've never noticed or paid attention.

That an indication of were the ahole westerners get it wrong, Thais will usually wet the motorcyc driver within reason, body only, gently, not as they are going past at speed etc. Some westerners seem to think its appropriate to bast their eyes,  etc.

19 hours ago, xylophone said:

Agree...........had one guy step into the road and poke his gun in the smallest of gaps I had between the helmet and visor in order to squirt water in my eye. I was furious and called him some unprintable words, whereby he just replied............"it's Songkran". A-hole.

Almost incredible...I do not want to condone violence ...but some people sometimes deserved to get a beating.  

13 hours ago, joeyg said:

I must say I have not seen Thais aiming for the eyes and ears in my experience.  I'm sure there's exceptions.

 

when i used to venture out at this time of year the locals were certainly as malicious as the foreigners, i never understood why they can't have fun and enjoy themselves without behaving like that.

 

on the other hand it is almost entirely the locals who seem to think it amusing to throw water, unexpectedly if possible, at motorcyclists. why would anyone do that?

2 minutes ago, samsensam said:

on the other hand it is almost entirely the locals who seem to think it amusing to throw water, unexpectedly if possible, at motorcyclists. why would anyone do that?

 

 'Cause they've been wanting to do it all year, and now is their chance?

 

14 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

??????

Of course they do. Why would anyone think they get a pass? Back when I participated, the only immune people were the cops, and on the last day even they had to bag the guns.

 

 

Come on now.     I merely  asked the question as I never paid any attention or watched  to observe if they (motor taxi drivers) were "immune" to the water throwing.    If you say even the cops were targets on the last day I have to wonder why that'd be.   Getting arrested or fined on the last day would not really be  any different than the same on the first day according to my logic.

 

 

To add:    I know this will rock the boat of some   (nanny state concerns   555),  but in California I believe it is a felony to throw anything at a moving vehicle which I'd imagine includes motorbikes.   

Edited April 14, 20188 yr by watcharacters

20 minutes ago, samsensam said:

why would anyone do that?

Well it doesn't make sense to anyone with half a brain does it? 

 

They are throwing something (dirty water, ice, etc) at a moving vehicle on a road system which claims one of the highest number of road deaths in the world. Only an idiot thinks that is ok, Songkran or not.

Because they are bloody stupid.

 

Probably because in the past 20 years or so it has morphed into a rather spiteful celebration for certain elements. Mid 90's in BKK I don't remember any of this nonsense with powder, more often than not flour, being daubed thrown and at times rubbed in the eyes.

 

One more reason I'm happy to have enjoyed the good years in Thailand.

True. I stay on the sidelines but kept an eye on the wife and her friend splashing about. Suddenly four grown men started violently whipping buckets of water at the girls with intense power sometimes deliberately trying to hit the girls in the face and eyes. You could hear the water slapping the girls who weigh a combined total of about 90 kilos. Luckily the girls tired of that quickly and wanted to leave. Why anyone would act like this or consider it fun is beyond me. Seemed like a lot of pent up aggression.