Bangkok Traffic Cops.

[Robski]

Over a thousand traffic cops in Bangkok are receiving laughing lessons to ease the stress of working on Thailand's dirtiest streets.

The Laughing Project is aimed at improving their mental and physical health, by learning to laugh using different parts of the body.

In the two-hour therapy sessions, participants are taught how to laugh from their face, their head, their fingers and how to use their diaphragms to have a good chortle.

Sergeant Choi Powan said: "Sometimes I feel stressed and then I do exercises which help my muscles and make me sweat. It helps me to forget all my stress."

Instructor Wanlop Piyamanotham says laughing properly helps the cops take in oxygen to replace the carbon dioxide they breathe in all day every day, increasing brain and body alertness.

"Laughter therapy detoxes every part of body to welcome the New Year," he said.

Controlling traffic is considered to be one of the unhealthiest and most stressful jobs in Thailand's congested capital, where cops work up to 16-hour shifts.

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/worl...t+laugh/1239352

[AlexLah]

Is that what they where doing today on Phetkasem road?

Really dozens of police checking vehicles and some police chiefs standing there looking.

Causing big traffic jams.

[Theyreallrubbish]

There were a rash of reports about ten years ago that the lifespan of a traffic cop was ridiculously short, something like 40, because of breathing in the pollution all day. Gave me a bit of a shock and I moved from lower Sukhumvit to an outer suburb partly based on these reports.

Although I've always found the traffic cops willing to laugh if you make a joke and if you can make them laugh they'll lower the fine. I was once stopped for an illegal U turn on sukhumvit and the cop asked for 500 Baht. I started telling him in Thai I was very poor and had no money and I needed my money for buying food. I was driving a Mercedes 500SEL and he waved at the car and asked how I could be poor when I have an expensive car. I said I'd spent all my money on the car and had no money left for food, did he want to leave me to be hungry for the rest of the month? I said it with a smile to show I was joking and he burst out laughing and said, "OK, how much money do you have?" I said 200 Baht and he said to give him 100 Baht.

Another time I was driving a Thai woman and her baby and was stopped by a cop who couldn't speak English. I acted as if I couldn't speak Thai so he started talking to the woman. He told her to tell me I needed to pay 400 Baht or so and she told him she couldn't speak English. The cop asked her how we had a baby if she couldn't speak English and I couldn't speak Thai. She said, "Don't need to speak to make a baby" The cop burst out laughing and so did I, which made him look at me suspiciously, but he found it so amusing he just waved us on with no fine.

[Bananaman]

Saw this last night on the English-language news program on whatever channel it's on. All these boys in brown holding onto one another in circles and jumping up and down while guffawing raucously. Dunno about them laughing but me and the missus nearly wet ourselves at the spectacle.

On a serious note, it was actually really refreshing to see people letting loose and forgetting the cultural restraints that dictate composed and reserved behaviour.

Good on 'em I say, after all 'laughter is the best medicine'!

[mrtoad]

They always make me laugh anyway, so it's good to see them laughing.

Any sightings of the "Hello Kitty" armbands?

[yorkman]

Any sightings of the "Hello Kitty" armbands?

Unfortunately not, but it might be as well to not (openly) laugh about it if you see one

[corkscrew]

There were a rash of reports about ten years ago that the lifespan of a traffic cop was ridiculously short, something like 40, because of breathing in the pollution all day. Gave me a bit of a shock and I moved from lower Sukhumvit to an outer suburb partly based on these reports.

Although I've always found the traffic cops willing to laugh if you make a joke and if you can make them laugh they'll lower the fine. I was once stopped for an illegal U turn on sukhumvit and the cop asked for 500 Baht. I started telling him in Thai I was very poor and had no money and I needed my money for buying food. I was driving a Mercedes 500SEL and he waved at the car and asked how I could be poor when I have an expensive car. I said I'd spent all my money on the car and had no money left for food, did he want to leave me to be hungry for the rest of the month? I said it with a smile to show I was joking and he burst out laughing and said, "OK, how much money do you have?" I said 200 Baht and he said to give him 100 Baht.

Another time I was driving a Thai woman and her baby and was stopped by a cop who couldn't speak English. I acted as if I couldn't speak Thai so he started talking to the woman. He told her to tell me I needed to pay 400 Baht or so and she told him she couldn't speak English. The cop asked her how we had a baby if she couldn't speak English and I couldn't speak Thai. She said, "Don't need to speak to make a baby" The cop burst out laughing and so did I, which made him look at me suspiciously, but he found it so amusing he just waved us on with no fine.

That IS funny!

[mrtoad]

Any sightings of the "Hello Kitty" armbands?

Unfortunately not, but it might be as well to not (openly) laugh about it if you see one

I'll remeber that when my daughter is going to school on her elephant.

[Travel2003]

The guys in the booths that control the traffic lights should maybe read the comics instead of the sports sections.

They sit and read the papers anyway, forgetting about the jam infront of their booth.

[siam2007]

Any sightings of the "Hello Kitty" armbands?

Unfortunately not, but it might be as well to not (openly) laugh about it if you see one

has anyone EVER spotted such a thing ? probably a Thai policeman would rather commit suicide than being forced to wear this thing on duty.....

[Jockstar]

Another time I was driving a Thai woman and her baby and was stopped by a cop who couldn't speak English. I acted as if I couldn't speak Thai so he started talking to the woman. He told her to tell me I needed to pay 400 Baht or so and she told him she couldn't speak English. The cop asked her how we had a baby if she couldn't speak English and I couldn't speak Thai. She said, "Don't need to speak to make a baby" The cop burst out laughing and so did I, which made him look at me suspiciously, but he found it so amusing he just waved us on with no fine.

Brilliant!

[Theyreallrubbish]

Another time I was driving a Thai woman and her baby and was stopped by a cop who couldn't speak English. I acted as if I couldn't speak Thai so he started talking to the woman. He told her to tell me I needed to pay 400 Baht or so and she told him she couldn't speak English. The cop asked her how we had a baby if she couldn't speak English and I couldn't speak Thai. She said, "Don't need to speak to make a baby" The cop burst out laughing and so did I, which made him look at me suspiciously, but he found it so amusing he just waved us on with no fine.

Brilliant!

Whatever complaints people have about Thai police I can't imagine any circumstances in which European or American cops would let you off simply because you made them laugh. Its one of the aspects of the Thais that make their country a special place to live

[h90]

Another time I was driving a Thai woman and her baby and was stopped by a cop who couldn't speak English. I acted as if I couldn't speak Thai so he started talking to the woman. He told her to tell me I needed to pay 400 Baht or so and she told him she couldn't speak English. The cop asked her how we had a baby if she couldn't speak English and I couldn't speak Thai. She said, "Don't need to speak to make a baby" The cop burst out laughing and so did I, which made him look at me suspiciously, but he found it so amusing he just waved us on with no fine.

Brilliant!

Whatever complaints people have about Thai police I can't imagine any circumstances in which European or American cops would let you off simply because you made them laugh. Its one of the aspects of the Thais that make their country a special place to live

Well in Austria: 170 km/h. Policemen wanted 50 Euro after he saw I am fresh married, he lowered it to 20 euro

[Amethyst]

Another time I was driving a Thai woman and her baby and was stopped by a cop who couldn't speak English. I acted as if I couldn't speak Thai so he started talking to the woman. He told her to tell me I needed to pay 400 Baht or so and she told him she couldn't speak English. The cop asked her how we had a baby if she couldn't speak English and I couldn't speak Thai. She said, "Don't need to speak to make a baby" The cop burst out laughing and so did I, which made him look at me suspiciously, but he found it so amusing he just waved us on with no fine.

Nominee :

Post of the year 2007