All being well, Thailand will celebrate Songkran this year: Health Ministry

[alex8912]

20 minutes ago, redwood1 said:

About the only 3 things I have ever seen expats agree almost 100% on are....

 

1. The baht is overvalued....

2 Thai visas are a convoluted mess...

3.And almost a unanimous hatred of Songkran...

#3. Complete BS. Its fun , it’s like healthy therapy and all the haters haven’t even tried going out and enjoying it for years. I was just waiting for the first Songkran thread and here it is in all its misery. I prefer 2 days on Silom the most. 2022 will be epic!!

[alex8912]

1 hour ago, Bundooman said:

Oh, dear. "Bitchy, Bitchy, Bitchy me"

Wa Wa Wa!

Yah YOU!!

[Tanoshi]

1 hour ago, hellohello123 said:

From the title:

"If covid didn't exist, Thailand wouldn't have covid"

 

Can I have this guys job?

You wouldn't qualify.

It's a requirement to have the brains of a wooden rocking horse, or be a complete p r i c k.

Edited January 14, 2021 by Tanoshi

[BestB]

Priorities. Not to restore the economy or put people back into jobs but to celebrate , get drunk and drive ????

[Paul Henry]

This will be a great super spreader event if it goes ahead. Lets hope not, enough idiocy throughout the rest of the year 

[andux]

Damn, I thought we were gonna have another year without people aggressively throwing water to those who are just trying to get to work.

 

 

[10baht]

I feel wearing a mask at Songkran will be like self-waterboarding.

[alation]

Well its madness all around the world, one may not agree with there rules, but one can respect the rules ( laws) implemented and still protest against them some how.

I feel personally that we should run to the virus and not from it, protect the elderly and sick. I get so frustrated when like in Australia the premieres lock the boarder's from one another because of just a few cases even after a year of learning none think the same.

Just madness. 

[Guderian]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand will be able to celebrate Songkran this year,

 

Great idea, bring all your Burmese friends too, and never mind their silly nagging coughs...

[Tanoshi]

10 minutes ago, 10baht said:

I feel wearing a mask at Songkran will be like self-waterboarding.

Replacing the masks with sanitary towels would solve that issue.

Let's not be putting any ideas in their heads though.

[shy coconut]

12 hours ago, fishtank said:

Obviously trying to break the record for road deaths during this stupid festival.

I wish it could be banned indefinitely.

What an odd observation to make from the article.

 

It literally has absolutely no reference to road deaths whatsoever. Yet that is 

the "obvious" conclusion you come to.

 

 

 

[hotchilli]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

All being well, Thailand will celebrate Songkran this year: Health Ministry

That's a very big "if"

[shy coconut]

1 hour ago, teacherclaire said:

According to Sanook News, Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha has said that if people continue to follow the preventative measures put in place to limit the spread of the virus, then the Songkran water festival will go ahead as normal in April.

 

Who would believe that?

 

They announced two weeks ago to shut down schools in provinces without sick people. 

 

   It was decided on a Sunday evening at 9 pm. 

 

How would they know now if the numbers are still low in April?

 

   The fortune tellers must make good money these days. 

 

 

There is a big fat IF in the statement which means that it (the statement) comes 

with provisos, not a guarantee.

 

 

 

 

[Misterwhisper]

2 hours ago, redwood1 said:

 

I will be dancing around my room with my zimmer frame...Dancing with delight when Songkran is cancelled in 2021.....

With Donna Summer's skeleton crooning from your closet?

[Keesters]

12 hours ago, fishtank said:

Obviously trying to break the record for road deaths during this stupid festival.

I wish it could be banned indefinitely.

Don't ban Songkran ban the stupidity that goes with it. 

 

[Keesters]

33 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

#3. Complete BS. Its fun , it’s like healthy therapy and all the haters haven’t even tried going out and enjoying it for years. I was just waiting for the first Songkran thread and here it is in all its misery. I prefer 2 days on Silom the most. 2022 will be epic!!

But having a bucket load of ice cold water thrown over you while riding your scooter along a public road on your way to work is not epic. I don't think anybody is trying to stop the fun they just want it to be sensible and avoid accidents and deaths caused by some overly stupid participants. 

[Hawayman]

The lucky ones will be those in quarantine mid-April. See it has its advantages.

[shackleton]

There's me thinking they were better off having 2 Songkran holidays Same as last year

Let's wait and see if the Corivirus numbers continue to go down 

 

[Jiggo]

3 hours ago, alex8912 said:

Yah with no tourists. I can just imagine how every old man scared of water and fun in Pattaya will be still celebrating under their  bed terrified. Just wait till April 2022. It will be epic!! Some of you guys can start complaining about it this May. Wa wa wa I can’t ride my motorbike for a week. 

So you are one of those who enjoy acting like a total tit for a week lol????

[Happyman567]

Songkran do many Thais actually know what it stands for? Its a green light to act the fool  drive like an idiot and get killed and be drunk for 4 days. Oh and throw water over each But best of all  what Thais like most is that they get out of work for 4 days 

[dave moir]

13 hours ago, fishtank said:

Obviously trying to break the record for road deaths during this stupid festival.

I wish it could be banned indefinitely.

Sounds quite a selfish attitude!

[dave moir]

16 minutes ago, Happyman567 said:

Songkran do many Thais actually know what it stands for? Its a green light to act the fool  drive like an idiot and get killed and be drunk for 4 days. Oh and throw water over each But best of all  what Thais like most is that they get out of work for 4 days 

More like Bah humbug man!!!????????????

[Neeranam]

Living here for many years, I'm still amazed at how many holidays the local like to take. Any chance for a day off, they grab. 

[Satyrman]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

All being well, Thailand will celebrate Songkran this year: Health Ministry

 

Image: Reuters file photo

 

Thailand will be able to celebrate Songkran this year, providing the number of coronavirus infections continue to fall, the deputy health minister has said.

 

The Songkran celebrations in 2020 had to be cancelled due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. But the famous water festival, which marks the beginning of  Thai New Year, is set to return in all its glory. 

 

According to Sanook News, Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha has said that if people continue to follow the preventative measures put in place to limit the spread of the virus, then the Songkran water festival will go ahead as normal in April.

 

Mr Sathit added that it is expected Thailand will continue to see over one hundred new cases per day for some time to come. This is because the preventive measures put in place  are not as strict as during the first outbreak of the virus last year. 

 

However, the government was also concerned about the impact stricter measures would have on the economy.  

 

Mr Sathit’s comments suggested the government was trying to balance controlling the new wave of infections without further damaging the beleaguered economy.

 

The news comes as Thailand on Wednesday recorded another sharp fall in the number of new infections, with health officials reporting 157 new cases, down from 287 new cases reported on Tuesday.

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2021-01-13

 

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I find it laughable that they are already talking Songkran. Maybe they ought to get their situation in Samut Sakhon straightened out first. 

[spidermike007]

Such kindness and such a spirit of benevolence on the part of the leadership here, allowing the people to have a holiday. But, who really needs a holiday, when the great and benevolent leader has already insured happiness. He is lowering unemployment. He is growing the economy. He is increasing tourism revenue. He is increasing exports. He is abiding by all of the terms of the ASEAN charters he signed, and allowing the duty free importation of all beer throughout ASEAN. They are on all of the supermarket shelves as we speak. We are not longer subject to the very low quality local beers. He is making visa policy easy, simple and streamlined, and all tourists are very happy about that. Immigration officials have become gracious, welcoming and express such kindness towards us. He is improving traffic and public safety. Much work is being done to improve the air quality, so we can all lead long and healthy lives. Corruption is being eliminated, and innocent fall guys are no longer getting charged for murder, and being put to death. The taxi mafia on Samui and Phuket have been eliminated, and tourists can now get a taxi at a fair price.

 

Life is better for all now that this great man is demonstrating his genius and vision on a daily basis. All he cares about is the welfare of his own people, and the happiness of both tourists and the ex-pat community. He contemplates this day and night.

Edited January 14, 2021 by spidermike007

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, Satyrman said:

I find it laughable that they are already talking Songkran. Maybe they ought to get their situation in Samut Sakhon straightened out first. 

Yes, it makes no sense to me.

Thailand's vaccine program hasn't even started yet and it's clear that when it does start it's going to take a very long time to get to a majority of the population. Like over a year.

So April is like tomorrow in this context. 

I think it's crazy not to announce the cancellation now instead of even considering such a mass super spreader event. 

 

[Neeranam]

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Yes, it makes no sense to me.

Thailand's vaccine program hasn't even started yet and it's clear that when it does start it's going to take a very long time to get to a majority of the population. Like over a year.

So April is like tomorrow in this context. 

I think it's crazy not to announce the cancellation now instead of even considering such a mass super spreader event. 

 

If you have lived here for a while, you'll understand that Songkran is a very big, the biggest holiday here. It's like your country and Christmas; people talk about it well before the time. 

[Neeranam]

1 hour ago, Keesters said:

But having a bucket load of ice cold water thrown over you while riding your scooter along a public road on your way to work is not epic. I don't think anybody is trying to stop the fun they just want it to be sensible and avoid accidents and deaths caused by some overly stupid participants. 

Take time off, like all other people, or buy a car. 

[Almer]

Must be some sort of election due.

[Derek B]

12 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

If the powers that be allow people to celebrate Songkran, then the protesters will be on the streets.

They will find a way to cancel Songkran.

People in  power are more frightened of the protesters than they are of Covid.

I am fine with peaceful protests............sending the riot police back to border patrol duties is far more of a priority I would of thought.

The parked up water canons would be a gas at Songkran on Nana Soi 4. Better still use them to put out the forest fires.

Edited January 14, 2021 by Derek B
added text.