Bangkok Prepares for Safe Songkran Celebrations Amid Tightened Security

[snoop1130]

Photo courtesy of BK Magazine

 

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt has warmly invited the public to partake in Songkran festivities on Silom and Khao San roads from April 12 to 14, promising robust safety measures across the city. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has prepared comprehensive protocols, including entrance checkpoints and CCTV, to ensure a secure environment for all festival-goers.

 

High-traffic areas like Khao San and Silom will witness enhanced safety arrangements, building on last year's successful measures. Entry points will be closely monitored, with one-way gates and a strong police presence. Additionally, Khao San Road will employ advanced surveillance technologies, notably artificial intelligence for facial recognition and crowd analysis, to assist with locating missing persons and lost items.

 

Governor Chadchart emphasised this year's Songkran as an opportunity for Bangkok to showcase its readiness for public safety, especially following the March 28 earthquake. Despite ongoing holiday festivities, BMA teams will persist with the rescue operations at the collapsed State Audit Office in the Chatuchak district.

 

Highlighting the festival's logistics, Bang Rak district chief Pornpan Wattanasin announced the closure of Silom Road between Sala Daeng and Nararom Intersection from 1pm to 9pm daily during the celebrations. Street vendors are strictly prohibited from vending on footpaths, with stringent legal repercussions under the 1992 Act on the Maintenance of the Cleanliness and Orderliness of the Country for non-compliance.

 

 

 

Deputy Governor Sanon Wangsrangboon disclosed the allocation of 196 venues for Songkran festivities, with highlights including the Maha Songkran World Water Festival 2025 at Sanam Luang and events at Iconsiam, Siam Center, and Samyan Mitrtown. To ensure safety and enjoyment, BMA has introduced a “Five-No” policy: prohibiting oversized water guns, alcohol, revealing clothing, talcum powder, and water wastage.

 

In parallel, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, at the opening of King Power Rangnam’s Songkran Festival, called on Thais to leverage the celebrations as a platform for enhancing the country’s economic potential through soft power.

 

With these measures in place, Bangkok aims to offer a joyful and secure Songkran experience, balancing cultural celebrations with public safety and order, reported The Thaiger.

 

-- 2025-04-11

 

 

[hotchilli]

It will be the usual mix of merriment, drunkenness, fights and road deaths.

[PETERTHEEATER]

...........notably artificial intelligence for facial recognition and crowd analysis, to assist with locating missing persons and lost items.

 

Potential troublemakers can breathe  a sigh of relief. 😋