At Least 28 Passengers Killed When A Bus Was Caught On Fire

[Heng]

Ah yes Thaigene2, and you are....?

..someone always looking for a good debate my friend.

.....it's a comment on generally dangerous behavior on the part of a lot of living folks who ALL have the choice, no matter how unwashed they happen to be, to apply a little common sense and patience and NOT crowd onto buses, song taews, boats, the BTS, etc.

Agreed..but inter-provincial buses like this one don't usually have people standing in the aisles...right? Did you see references to people standing around?

No need for anyone to chase me down the street. I'm always more than happy to sign autographs.

Nice one..

It's clearly stated from more than a few sources in this thread that the bus was overloaded. Would you get on a plane where there was no seating left, but the flight attendants said, don't worry about it, pile on in! Do you want to wait a whole hour before the next flight? Yes, it would be easy to blame the airline (who is also at fault) for one's own stupidity.

What do you think the legal passengers can do about it apart from protest.

I have on several occasions and it was indicated i keep quiet, the only other choice being to leave the bus which is not practical in the middle of a long journey and invariably in the outbacks to nowhere with a family.

They can choose to not get on the bus, or they can leave the bus.

Dying in a fireball or having to fight through all the passengers who shouldn't even be in the aisles isn't very practical either.

[Heng]

It's clearly stated from more than a few sources in this thread that the bus was overloaded. Would you get on a plane where there was no seating left, but the flight attendants said, don't worry about it, pile on in! Do you want to wait a whole hour before the next flight? Yes, it would be easy to blame the airline (who is also at fault) for one's own stupidity.

airlines are bound by international regulations.

thai bus companies are bound by nothing.

and the chances are that if the 9.00am bus is overcrowded , and you choose to get off , then the 9.30am bus will also be overcrowded , and the 10.00am , and the 10.30 etc.etc.etc........

you cant blame the passengers for what happened to them. they buy their tickets and get on the bus.

if they change their mind , do they get a refund ? ............

as i have said , the public here are treated terribly by each and every service provider in the country , from the government down to the most local shop. people are taken advantage of , cheated , pressured , and there is just no accountability built in to the system , those with any power can wield it ruthlessly. there is nowhere for the oppressed to turn to to air their grievances and gain some redress.

what i cant understand , and heng , you as a thai might be able to provide an answer , is why have the people put up with such frustrations and being taken for fools for so long .

in most countries there would have been violent revolution by now.

Call it an unregulated charter airline then. Believe it or not, everyone can still control their own destinies without having to blame or depend on the next guy/gal higher up the ladder.

As a Thai, I'd venture to say that most folks are just a little more content (broad generalization as there are plenty who aren't) with what they have (whether it's a little or a lot), than folks in "most other countries."

With all due respect, it is a "contentment" which is largely rooted in ignorance, apathy. and perpetual disenfranchisement.

Agree wholeheartedly. Self inflicted apathy, ignorance, and perpetual disenfranchisement.

[sarpesius]

I have traveled through steep mountains a number of times with these buses and observed what the crew is doing. During steep mountain trips they have stopped the bus for a while to let the brakes cool down. They are checking the levels of brake fluid etc.

As I understand when there is a leak the brake fluid that is under pressure can become flamable at that leaking point. So here is the situation. Overheated because of the mountain road, a leak up front with the brake fluid and resulting fire. Then it spread rapidly in the front area of the bus where the DOOR is located.

That day I bet was very hot and at the start of the hot season when all potential heat problems will be tested.

If only they had been able to break the window early on and gotten out.

Must have been hel_l on earth.

the route from chiang mai to Pai and mae sot go over mountains, as i recall. i do not remember the busses and vans stopping, except at the rest stops for food and bathroom breaks.

On some busses they include a small hammer in a glass case. One is supposed to break the window in case of emergency then push the glass out.

It might be wise always to bring along a good-sized hammer on a bus trip.

sarpesius

[taxexile]

It might be wise always to bring along a good-sized hammer on a bus trip.

and a good sized fire extinguisher , and a spare set of brake pads.

[lannarebirth]

Believe it or not, everyone can still control their own destinies without having to blame or depend on the next guy/gal higher up the ladder.

if you have to get from buri ram or wherever to bangkok , to get a job , visit a relative , etc. and you dont have your own car , then you are dependant on public transport.

and you are entitled to travel knowing that basic safety measures are employed , and that includes responsible driving and maintenance. accidents happen everywhere , most of them down to human error somewhere along the line.

if the companies were bound by strict regulation , enforced fairly , and they were heavily punished financially for breaches , it would concentrate the minds of the owners and operatives so that procedures were followed.

its not rocket science.

the population deserve no less.

I'm not saying they don't. I'm saying that no one gets a free pass, from the Dept. of Transport right down to the consumer. We're in agreement, with the exception that you believe the bottom of the barrel somehow deserves a free pass just because they are at the bottom of the barrel. It's human error on their part from step one, getting on an overloaded bus (or exiting the bus in an inorderly fashion in an emergency situation, trampling over others trying to get out while trying to take all of your bags with you, etc.).

edit: the difference here is that I'm offering practical solutions, while you're trying to change the recipe for the pie in the sky (nothing wrong with wanting to do that). If the goal is to safeguard one's life, regular folks CAN make better decisions.

What if you wait for the next bus which isn't overcrowded, but at the next stop they fill it to overcapacity. Do you get out and walk to your destination? Will you get a refund? I don't think so, do you?

[sriracha john]

The death toll has risen to 30 now and as is common with burn cases, I suspect more will succumb over the following days...

Many Saraburi bus crash survivors still in critical condition

The Public Health Ministry is closely monitoring 23 badly injured victims following Tuesday's accident when 30 passengers were burnt to death and dozens injured after a bus caught fire in Saraburi.

Eight of them remained in a critical condition suffering kidney, skin and respiratory problems, said Public Health Permanent Secre-tary Dr Prat Boonyawongvirot yesterday.

Fourteen were being treated at Saraburi Hospital, six at Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital and three at Phra Buddhabaht Hospital, Prat said.

Doctors were regularly measuring body fluids, administering painkillers every four hours and antibiotics to prevent infection, he said.

The belongings of 10 of those who died were being sent to Siriraj Hospital morgue to help with the body identification, he added.

At Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital, the six patients from Maha Sarakham were not out of danger and doctors were concerned they might get infections resulting from too many visitors, said a source at the hospital.

Urai Sasombat, 52; Prajen Sabsirirat, 54; Lamai Theuksiboon, 53; Theerayuth Pimthaisong, 18; Sirin Rattanatham, 15; and Tippawan Khaenwang, 14, had regained consciousness but were still in a critical condition.

Tippawan's 42-year-old father, Siriyan Khaenwang, tearfully said he was grieved by what had happened and seeing his daughter in such a terrible condition was very painful. *It's widely agreed within medical circles that the pain from burns is the most excruciating of all possible sources of pain.* Three of his family members were on the bus - Tippawan, Sirin and Tippawan's mother Boonpeng Srichum, who had yet to be identified from the charred bodies.

In Bangkok, many of the next of kin camped outside Siriraj Hospital morgue pending body identification. The morgue had so far released 11 bodies to their relatives.

A team of dentists were also brought in yesterday to check dental histories and help identify the charred bodies.

Aram Meunsai, whose 16-year-old nephew Weerapol Janthasri had not yet been identified, said he and seven relatives had travelled from Maha Sarakham to the hospital on Wednesday, but the identification team could not yet determine which of the bodies was his nephew. *Difficult to imagine how heart-wrenching it is to know a relative is among the dead... and yet, because all of the dead have been so horribly disfigured, not even be able to identify which one he/she is.*

They would wait for confirmation about undergoing DNA tests before returning home to wait for the hospital to notify them to collect the body, he said.

Meanwhile, representatives of Transport Co yesterday contacted the hospital for a list of the dead so they could go ahead with distributing the initial assistance money of Bt10,000 per family, a source at the hospital said.

However, no representatives from the bus company Sri Sa-nguan Yanyont Co or the insurance company had stepped in to help the relatives or the injured yet.

In a related development, the horrendous accident has prompted other provinces such as Tak, Nakhon Sawan and Phattalung to have all inter-city buses thoroughly checked to prevent such a tragedy recurring.

The Nation

Edited March 22, 2007 by sriracha john

[Heng]

Believe it or not, everyone can still control their own destinies without having to blame or depend on the next guy/gal higher up the ladder.

if you have to get from buri ram or wherever to bangkok , to get a job , visit a relative , etc. and you dont have your own car , then you are dependant on public transport.

and you are entitled to travel knowing that basic safety measures are employed , and that includes responsible driving and maintenance. accidents happen everywhere , most of them down to human error somewhere along the line.

if the companies were bound by strict regulation , enforced fairly , and they were heavily punished financially for breaches , it would concentrate the minds of the owners and operatives so that procedures were followed.

its not rocket science.

the population deserve no less.

I'm not saying they don't. I'm saying that no one gets a free pass, from the Dept. of Transport right down to the consumer. We're in agreement, with the exception that you believe the bottom of the barrel somehow deserves a free pass just because they are at the bottom of the barrel. It's human error on their part from step one, getting on an overloaded bus (or exiting the bus in an inorderly fashion in an emergency situation, trampling over others trying to get out while trying to take all of your bags with you, etc.).

edit: the difference here is that I'm offering practical solutions, while you're trying to change the recipe for the pie in the sky (nothing wrong with wanting to do that). If the goal is to safeguard one's life, regular folks CAN make better decisions.

What if you wait for the next bus which isn't overcrowded, but at the next stop they fill it to overcapacity. Do you get out and walk to your destination? Will you get a refund? I don't think so, do you?

It's like any other dangerous situation that people with common sense and concern for their own lives and the lives of their loved ones run into. One would likely risk it that one time and then avoid the dangerous situation in the future. Like flying Valujet (before they were AirTran and still flying 30 year old DC-9's), Air Asia, One Two Go, or Aeroflot (more so in the past, less so now)... you do it if you absolutely have to that one time, and then you avoid them in the future. Or driving on a patched tire only as long as it takes to get to the next B-Quick or Tire Plus so you can bring your safety standard back to normal.

Edited March 23, 2007 by Heng

[marshbags]

Ah yes Thaigene2, and you are....?

..someone always looking for a good debate my friend.

.....it's a comment on generally dangerous behavior on the part of a lot of living folks who ALL have the choice, no matter how unwashed they happen to be, to apply a little common sense and patience and NOT crowd onto buses, song taews, boats, the BTS, etc.

Agreed..but inter-provincial buses like this one don't usually have people standing in the aisles...right? Did you see references to people standing around?

No need for anyone to chase me down the street. I'm always more than happy to sign autographs.

Nice one..

It's clearly stated from more than a few sources in this thread that the bus was overloaded. Would you get on a plane where there was no seating left, but the flight attendants said, don't worry about it, pile on in! Do you want to wait a whole hour before the next flight? Yes, it would be easy to blame the airline (who is also at fault) for one's own stupidity.

What do you think the legal passengers can do about it apart from protest.

I have on several occasions and it was indicated i keep quiet, the only other choice being to leave the bus which is not practical in the middle of a long journey and invariably in the outbacks to nowhere with a family.

They can choose to not get on the bus, or they can leave the bus.

Dying in a fireball or having to fight through all the passengers who shouldn't even be in the aisles isn't very practical either.

It,s not down to the authorities to put an end to it all then and to enforce the safety passengers are entitled to and pay for, usually before a jouney at that, all you cynics.

Yes, let,s all turn a blind eye to reality and what should have been done years ago, just like the owners employees and most important of all the authorities who are supposed to protect the passengers.

Go take a look at Korat bus terminal and observe the negligent authorities and staff taking and passing additional monies to satisfy their greed, all at the expense of the innocent passengers.

But then again as you observe ( What planet did some of you get educated on to come up with such solutions. )

The passengers have to take full responsibility for what has happened, it.s down to them is it ????

The poor victims of the latest accident along with their dependants will not, in no way agree with you or accept any responsibility on behalf of their deceased and injured loved ones as they should have left the bus!!!!!!!!!!

One more thing you fail to take into account is the fact that most passengers are either dozing or sleeping during the journeys and in most cases won,t even appreciate what,s hapening until it,s to late, especially the young ones.

Not withstanding not being able to move due to the overloading.

But then again seated passengers could have given their seats up and the overcrowding would not have existed if they had followed your advice and philosophy????

Let us not forget the panic and the survival of the strongest, Their were young people onboard and elderly

They would probably have been seriously injured or worse in the chaos that would have followed.

Shame on you for your continued lack of understanding and insensitivity along with your get out off responsibilty attitude because they never left the bus, et. ect.

I cannot relate to the philosophy, the tone of the postings on this tragic event or ones from others of a similar nature.

One thing is for sure, they would never address the real wrongs in the constant daily killings on the roads and the negligent approach to dealing with it if they continue with the attitude you apparently have towards LIFE on the roads.

Perhaps one day you will be personally effected by something of this nature ( i wouldn,t wish it on you. )

and only then would you see it differently, that i am confident about, i,m sad to have to say.

Two words keeps continually coming to mind, not only in this case, but in lots of other debates i post on.

" Accountabilty " and " Consideration " for others.

These are constantly missing, ignored and the meanings for some reason do not seem a part of everyday life in

" Amazing Thailand "

Perhaps greed and power are substitutes for them ??????

marshbags and distressed by it all, especially for our dear and loved, young ones

Edited March 23, 2007 by marshbags

[ataloss]

the writer of the story in The Nation said "a coach was caught on fire." hmmm, you could properly say a coach caught fire or caught on fire, but not was caught on fire. Minor point, but grammar is important.

English language usage within The Nation is abysmal, and growing more so it seems. If you think the correct use of English is poor in their newspaper, you ought to check out their Direct English site. They hope to franchise throughout Asia. They charge a very, very expensive fee for learners. In Chiangmai they use 'backpackers' to teach in order to keep more money in their pockets. Their computerized English Placement test is fine as far as it goes, but the software itself from the British parent franchiser is still incorrect in several instances even after several years of their knowing this. All you budding grammar experts should check it out, and offer your own corrections to the dentist that runs the show. DE Chiangmai is on Charoen Muang Rd, well East of the railway station, on the left, just before the superhighway and Makro.

[Jai Dee]

DLT affirms that all public transportation must pass vehicle examination program

The director-general of the Department of Land Transport (DLT), Mr. Silapa-chai Charukasemratana (ศิลปชัย จารุเกษมรัตนะ), says all public transportation must go through a vehicle examination program.

With the rising number of bus accidents, Mr. Silapa says the people have lost confidence in taking public transportation. As a result, he affirms that all public buses have to go through a compulsory vehicle examination process.

However, people can inform authorities if they noticed unusual signs at the hotline number 1584.

As for the safety measures for people traveling back to their hometown during Songkran Festival, DLT already set the measures by providing road maps and setting up check points.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 23 March 2007

[kwat nueng]

I often drive to Nongkhai and Vientiane and oblige myself to stay at a speed of maximum 100 Km/hour. I notice that almost no sedan cars, pick-ups or trucks overtake me, but almost all the buses do! They often drive speeds of over 120 Km/hour and chase you away from the fastest traffic lane! These drivers should be instantly removed from the vehicle, confiscated their driving license, forced to pay hefty fines and spend some time in jail. They don't need a bomb-belt, they just have their bus! They are potential mass-murderers and to make sure that they feel like this: treat them like this! The intention to kill is as bad as the killing itself!

Most of the drivers don't even have a real driving license to confiscate anyway.

[thaigene2]

As is usually the case, the owners of this bus company, Sri Sanguan Yanyont Transport, are probably wealthy Thais. One can only hope that the victims will sue the owners for everything they own-yes everything including homes and expensive cars. THE LOT!

Forget the lawsuits - the only way to get these rich thais who run their businesses (and the country) with complete impunity is to SEND THEM TO PRISON. No way to weasel out of it after a few days or weeks, no paying off the people in the justice system, no guang-xi style Chinese-Thai dirty little deals ...just off to the Bangkok Hilton.

Until that time nothing will ever change.

[PhilHarries]

This extracted from today's Bangkok Post.

"Limits may be placed on the working life of inter-provincial buses, along with compulsory annual road-worthiness checks, as part of a five-point plan to ensure passenger safety. The move follows Tuesday's tragedy when an old bus burst into flames and careered down a hillside in Saraburi while en route from Yasothon to Bangkok. The bus had been in use for 36 years.

Department chief Silapachai Charukasemrattana said yesterday there was no law on decommissioning inter-provincial buses, even though taxis cannot be re-registered after nine years on the road.

The other measures under consideration are: an annual bus road worthiness check, annual training of at least seven days for bus drivers, support for privately-run bus-safety checkpoints, and a school to train professional public transport drivers, said Mr Silapachai. The department will push for implementation of the five measures as soon as possible. "

I think this highlights the problem, that the solutions are standard practice in most developed countries, and have been for many years, just shows the lamentable state of Thailand's infrastructure.

The only one that I might disagree with is the privately run checkpoints. There are too many opportunities for corruption and any safety checks should be the responsibility of the licensing authorities, where there are too many opportunities for corruption.

[Heng]

Ah yes Thaigene2, and you are....?

..someone always looking for a good debate my friend.

.....it's a comment on generally dangerous behavior on the part of a lot of living folks who ALL have the choice, no matter how unwashed they happen to be, to apply a little common sense and patience and NOT crowd onto buses, song taews, boats, the BTS, etc.

Agreed..but inter-provincial buses like this one don't usually have people standing in the aisles...right? Did you see references to people standing around?

No need for anyone to chase me down the street. I'm always more than happy to sign autographs.

Nice one..

It's clearly stated from more than a few sources in this thread that the bus was overloaded. Would you get on a plane where there was no seating left, but the flight attendants said, don't worry about it, pile on in! Do you want to wait a whole hour before the next flight? Yes, it would be easy to blame the airline (who is also at fault) for one's own stupidity.

What do you think the legal passengers can do about it apart from protest.

I have on several occasions and it was indicated i keep quiet, the only other choice being to leave the bus which is not practical in the middle of a long journey and invariably in the outbacks to nowhere with a family.

They can choose to not get on the bus, or they can leave the bus.

Dying in a fireball or having to fight through all the passengers who shouldn't even be in the aisles isn't very practical either.

It,s not down to the authorities to put an end to it all then and to enforce the safety passengers are entitled to and pay for, usually before a jouney at that, all you cynics.

Yes, let,s all turn a blind eye to reality and what should have been done years ago, just like the owners employees and most important of all the authorities who are supposed to protect the passengers.

snip

The passengers have to take full responsibility for what has happened, it.s down to them is it ????

snip

marshbags and distressed by it all, especially for our dear and loved, young ones

I've said more than a few times that accountability for just about everything should be shared by all involved (including all authorities, bus owners, maintainence crews, driver, passengers, etc.). Many are arguing that the passengers were not involved.

[BigSnake]

Sound like a case of greed to beat the clock, get a good turn around time. OH!!

[Mid]

just watched a story about this on the Thai TV , appears that there were illegal modifications to the fuel tanks and possibly gearbox ??

anyone confirm or deny ?

[sriracha john]

The death toll has risen to 30 now and as is common with burn cases, I suspect more will succumb over the following days...

Many Saraburi bus crash survivors still in critical condition

The belongings of 10 of those who died were being sent to Siriraj Hospital morgue to help with the body identification, he added.

A team of dentists were also brought in yesterday to check dental histories and help identify the charred bodies.

Aram Meunsai, whose 16-year-old nephew Weerapol Janthasri had not yet been identified, said he and seven relatives had travelled from Maha Sarakham to the hospital on Wednesday, but the identification team could not yet determine which of the bodies was his nephew. *Difficult to imagine how heart-wrenching it is to know a relative is among the dead... and yet, because all of the dead have been so horribly disfigured, not even be able to identify which one he/she is.*

They would wait for confirmation about undergoing DNA tests before returning home to wait for the hospital to notify them to collect the body, he said.

Many unidentified bodies are STILL unidentified... and/or unclaimed???? :

Ten bodies of bus inferno have yet to be reclaimed

The bodies of 10 of the 29 passengers who burnt to death when their bus caught fire and crashed in Saraburi on Tuesday have still not been claimed from Bangkok's Siriraj Hospital morgue.

Dr Wisut Fongsiripaiboon, dean of the hospital's forensic science department, said the morgue had released 19 bodies to relatives by Friday. Two other bodies have been identified as Boonpeng Srichum and Jiradech Supinthanaporn and the hospital in the process of contacting their next of kin, he said.

With no other evidence available to identify the other eight charred bodies, officials may resort to DNA testing, Wisut said.

One passenger previously listed as among those who burnt to death, 19-year-old Chulaporn Senachom, was found to be alive and under treatment at Saraburi Hospital, he said.

The Nation

[taxexile]

just watched a story about this on the Thai TV , appears that there were illegal modifications to the fuel tanks and possibly gearbox ??

i watched a long news item on this crash last night , it seemed like the bus wreck and the crash site were being forensically investigated with metal detectors and men picking through the wreckage with their fingers.

my understanding was that smoke from the fire in the engine compartment was sucked into the air conditioning system intakes and then blown into the inside of the coach.

i did see something about a gearbox but could not understand exactly what was being said.

they also showed the inside of a "first class" tour bus with only 24 seats and small glass breaking hammers next to every window , then they compared it with a "third class" tour bus with many more seats , torn upholstery , no hammers etc.etc.

[markokang]

Are there no police checkpoints for these buses? I have taken VIP govt buses in the past (from Surat Thani) and have always had at least one stop in the middle of the night at a police checkpoint where the police got on the bus to check out the passengers.

That's about all the police will dare to do; check for illegals or other wanted persons on the coaches or visit the carnage after an accident. They will generally not interfere in any other way given the links between the bus company owners and certain influential persons.

True. Our bus company is owned by a convicted murderer who was granted bail AFTER his conviction and rather unsurprisingly has been running on the lam ever since. He was a mayor and his son was a former Thaksin Cabinet member.

This is true! Anyone living in the ChonBuri are will know of this character. And this guy still runs mafia like businesses in Chon Buri and more! This guy and his family regularly get away with illegal activities! Probably something that could be followed up on a new forum(not this one). Maybe if enough people got into this and pushed papers to investigate it more, there may be something done about it! As long as he feeds the corrupt officials down there he will stay out forever!

[sriracha john]

Are there no police checkpoints for these buses? I have taken VIP govt buses in the past (from Surat Thani) and have always had at least one stop in the middle of the night at a police checkpoint where the police got on the bus to check out the passengers.

That's about all the police will dare to do; check for illegals or other wanted persons on the coaches or visit the carnage after an accident. They will generally not interfere in any other way given the links between the bus company owners and certain influential persons.

True. Our bus company is owned by a convicted murderer who was granted bail AFTER his conviction and rather unsurprisingly has been running on the lam ever since. He was a mayor and his son was a former Thaksin Cabinet member.

This is true! Anyone living in the ChonBuri are will know of this character. And this guy still runs mafia like businesses in Chon Buri and more! This guy and his family regularly get away with illegal activities! Probably something that could be followed up on a new forum(not this one). Maybe if enough people got into this and pushed papers to investigate it more, there may be something done about it! As long as he feeds the corrupt officials down there he will stay out forever!

A long running thread on the esteemed individual and his wonderful family:

Sinking Lower Than The Lowest

[marshbags]

From The Nation

Thu, March 22, 2007 : Last updated 21:20 pm (Thai local time)

Quote:-

EDITORIAL

Bus accident a preventable horror

Saraburi tragedy shows more must be done to ensure that public transport in this country is safe

The horrific accident that occurred on Tuesday afternoon when an inter-provincial bus with a faulty braking system burst into flames on a busy highway in Saraburi's Muak Lek district - killing 29 people trapped inside it - is an ugly reminder that transport safety continues to be badly neglected in this country. About 30 injured passengers, including several who were seriously burned, managed to escape from the burning bus, which became a death trap after careering off the road down a hillside.

The terrible part of this is the tragedy could have been avoided if the transport company that owned the bus, Srisanguan Yarnyont Company Limited, had maintained the ageing vehicle and kept it in good working order.

Even if the bus had not been properly maintained and the braking system broke down along the way, as it appears this ill-fated bus did, the driver, who was supposed to be responsible for passengers' safety, could have refused to drive the vehicle with its malfunctioning brakes.

When a fire broke out suddenly on the bus, a better-trained driver or a quick-thinking bus conductor could have stopped the vehicle and helped evacuate passengers quickly and safely through the door and emergency exits, by making use of readily-available tools on board such as an axe or hammer. Most of those who died on the bus, which was travelling from the Northeastern province of Yasothon to Bangkok, could have been saved.

According to police investigators, the driver stopped the vehicle a few times along the way to try to fix the vehicle's braking problem before continuing his journey. However, the fire, which started from one of the tyres with faulty brakes, spread to the engine and then quickly engulfed the interior of the bus. Because the vehicle was so old - first registered in 1971 and in continuous service since then - questions also have arisen about the effectiveness of transport authorities' annual roadworthiness inspections meant to ensure transport safety.

Yearly inspections are supposed to enable authorities to screen out ageing vehicles that are no longer considered safe. Police investigators must look into the annual safety inspection records of the bus in question to see if inspections were carried out according to transport safety standards.

Apart from the meagre compensation package - Bt100,000 for each of those who died and Bt50,000 for each person injured in the accident - families and loved ones of the victims must be encouraged to sue the transport company for punitive damages for having neglected to make passenger safety its top priority.

In this case, punitive damages are not meant to compensate for the lives lost or the injuries incurred. Rather, they could be sought to make an example out of an unscrupulous operator of transport services and deter others in the business from pursuing the same course of action - if they seek to maximise profits at the expense of passenger safety.

Any operator found by courts to have failed to observe these rules should be made to pay substantial punitive damages to the victims or their families.

The tragic loss of life, the grievous injuries suffered by victims of this accident and the subsequent suffering of many families affected by the crash must not be in vain. This should serve as an occasion for society to reflect on ways to improve public safety.

Operators of all transport companies must be required not only to provide their employees with adequate training on passenger safety but also to provide bus drivers with good working conditions, as well as maintain their fleets in good working condition, in compliance with transport safety laws and regulations.

It may well be true that all types of accidents can occur anywhere in the world, and deaths and injuries caused by transport mishaps, due to human error, mechanical failures or some combination of the two, are fairly common. But state authorities and the general public must be reminded that most transport mishaps can be avoided if there is a system to ensure that all companies adhere to necessary standards.

Unquote.

Apologies if this article was published elsewhere but thought it would be of use on this thread as an additional reference in any case.

marshbags

Edited March 25, 2007 by marshbags

[taxexile]

NOTE TO HENG

dont see any blame being attached to the dead and injured passengers for being careless enough to be on a poorly maintained bus driven by an idiot driver and operated by a cowboy outfit.

[thaigene2]

the writer of the story in The Nation said "a coach was caught on fire." hmmm, you could properly say a coach caught fire or caught on fire, but not was caught on fire. Minor point, but grammar is important.

English language usage within The Nation is abysmal, and growing more so it seems. If you think the correct use of English is poor in their newspaper, you ought to check out their Direct English site. They hope to franchise throughout Asia. They charge a very, very expensive fee for learners. In Chiangmai they use 'backpackers' to teach in order to keep more money in their pockets. Their computerized English Placement test is fine as far as it goes, but the software itself from the British parent franchiser is still incorrect in several instances even after several years of their knowing this. All you budding grammar experts should check it out, and offer your own corrections to the dentist that runs the show. DE Chiangmai is on Charoen Muang Rd, well East of the railway station, on the left, just before the superhighway and Makro.

I've noticed a subtle change in the Post's adverts for Sub-Editors (which tend to pop up every month or two). Prerequisite used to be 'Native English speaker' - now it's (sic) 'or Thai with good language ability or something like that..

The fact foreigners are barred from working as domestic news 'reporters' or columnists here (editor apparently ok) is another form of state control over the media. Westerners would approach a news assignment differently from a Thai (IMHO) - asking tough questions, looking for an opposing view, etc.

Most Thais (esp Thai-language papers) would simply regurgitate what the poo-yai says - effectively becoming an accomplice to spin the state's official line.

[Heng]

NOTE TO HENG

dont see any blame being attached to the dead and injured passengers for being careless enough to be on a poorly maintained bus driven by an idiot driver and operated by a cowboy outfit.

NOTE to TAX:

A pronoun and perhaps some punctuation would allow me to answer your question or respond to your statement.

[taxexile]

A pronoun and perhaps some punctuation would allow me to answer your question or respond to your statement.

Dodging the main issues here again , Heng ?

I don't see any blame being attached to the dead and injured passengers for being careless enough to be on a poorly maintained bus driven by an idiot driver and operated by a cowboy outfit.

Edited March 25, 2007 by taxexile

[Heng]

A pronoun and perhaps some punctuation would allow me to answer your question or respond to your statement.

Dodging the main issues here again , Heng ?

I don't see any blame being attached to the dead and injured passengers for being careless enough to be on a poorly maintained bus driven by an idiot driver and operated by a cowboy outfit.

Nah, I just don't know what you're talking about.

Thanks for the clarification. And why are you telling me this?

[sriracha john]

another day, another city, another bus, another brake problem, another death.....

One killed, over 10 injured in pile-up on Bangkok road

A pile-up caused by an air-conditioned bus involving 14 other vehicles on a Bangkok road Wednesday morning saw one man killed over 10 other people injured, police said.

Police said the accident happened a 6 am at the Sri Ayutthaya-Rama V Intersection.

The No 72 bus developed a problem with its brake system and crashed into vehicles ahead of it, which were being stopped by the red light at the intersection.

All in all, seven cars, five taxis, a pick-up truck and a passenger van were hit in the pile-up.

Somboon Prasert, 57, a van passenger was killed and 10 other passengers were injured.

- The Nation

Edited April 4, 2007 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

CITY HORROR TRAFFIC ACCIDENT

Man dies, many hurt as bus rams into 20 cars

A city bus ploughed into 20 vehicles stopped at an intersection on Si Ayutthaya road yesterday morning, killing one person and injuring many others. The fatal accident came exactly two weeks after a Bangkok-bound bus from Yasothon burst into flames in Saraburi on March 20, killing 30 passengers. This time, the tragedy took place in the capital. The No.72 air-conditioned bus smashed into lines of vehicles at a red light, causing extensive damage to seven taxis, seven cars, three pick-up trucks, two vans and one six-wheeler. Bus driver Somkid Chu-sripipat, 48, said he was driving at high speed when the brakes malfunctioned and he lost control of the vehicle. Not convinced by the bus driver's account, police detained and charged him with causing death and damaging property through reckless driving. The bus was sent to the Traffic Police Bureau for inspection.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/05Apr2007_news02.php

[ratcatcher]

CITY HORROR TRAFFIC ACCIDENT

Man dies, many hurt as bus rams into 20 cars

A city bus ploughed into 20 vehicles stopped at an intersection on Si Ayutthaya road yesterday morning, killing one person and injuring many others. The fatal accident came exactly two weeks after a Bangkok-bound bus from Yasothon burst into flames in Saraburi on March 20, killing 30 passengers. This time, the tragedy took place in the capital. The No.72 air-conditioned bus smashed into lines of vehicles at a red light, causing extensive damage to seven taxis, seven cars, three pick-up trucks, two vans and one six-wheeler. Bus driver Somkid Chu-sripipat, 48, said he was driving at high speed when the brakes malfunctioned and he lost control of the vehicle. Not convinced by the bus driver's account, police detained and charged him with causing death and damaging property through reckless driving. The bus was sent to the Traffic Police Bureau for inspection.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/05Apr2007_news02.php

Driving at "High Speed" on Sri Ayuttaya road? Must have just finished his M150 and was thinking he was Kimi Raikkonen in Sunday's F1 Malaysian Grand Prix.

All joking aside, another preventable tragedy due to poor maintenance of vehicles, lack of proper and professional training of bus drivers and lack of enforcement of the law regarding speeding on city streets.

When will someone stand up and say "Enough is enough, I can't take it anymore"

It seems that hardly a week passes without someone being killed by or on a bus.