Thai Govt Crackdown On Street People Planned

[webfact]

Action on street people planned

By The Nation

Starting in January, a government crackdown on street people, especially those with mental illnesses, will commence across the country. The unfortunate people are to be cared for in various rehabilitation centres supervised by the Department of Social Development and Welfare.

The policy, initiated by the Social Development and Human Security Ministry, will focus on beggars and homeless people and is aimed at helping them out with basic welfare conditions. Career training will be available for those still capable of learning and making a living, said DSDW deputy director-general Lertpanya Booranabundit.

He said the persistent problem with homeless people and beggars was that they demand to go out or escape after brief stays, as they perceive the care homes as detention centres. Authorities have had no choice but to comply with their demands. Some people with obvious mental illnesses were compliant to stay on in psychiatric hospitals or centres.

"The Mitr Maitree Homes are intended to be a secondary home to all residents, which provides them with food, shelter and career training, to enable them to make a living once their stay is over," Lertpanya added.

There are now five Mitr Maitree Homes - in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Phuket. Five others are to be built soon in Chon Buri, Phitsanulok, Songkhla, Khon Kaen and Ubon Ratchathani, to accommodate the government crackdown.

Dr Duangta Kraiphasphong, a deputy director of the Galyarajanagarindra Institute, said that in addition to chronic mental illnesses that could cause people to go on rampages and attack others in the public, a sudden surge of sugar in diabetics could cause similar results.

She said people with mental illnesses did not always get away with crimes they committed against people following legal exemptions in general cases. "Liability is binding if their conscience in various preconditions is proven in court," she added.

She called on people to take notice if family members or people close to them start showing habitual irregularities or symptoms of mental illnesses in the early stages. The initial symptoms include speaking to oneself, laughing alone, stress and depression, signs of absent-mindedness, suicidal manners or frequent speaking of committing suicide.

Attacks on people in the public by "nut cases", as they are generally thought of among Thai people, are rare, but a recent case near Victory Monument prompted a major concern on risks of this kind. Company employee Cherdsak Faiphet sustained severe cut wounds by a seemingly harmless homeless man who frequented the area after Cherdsak refused to give him some money.

Cherdsak suffered a 12-inch wound on his back that required 44 stitches, when he turned his back on Suthon Thongchote and was heading to get on a bus. Vendors in the site who frequently saw Suthon, 49, said they never thought the harmless-looking man, who usually begged for coins from women and walked away when turned down, carried a razor knife and could turn violent.

Cherdsak complained about inaction by the authorities and police to prevent such attacks, and called on preventive measures to be widely implemented. "From now on I will stay away from them and watch my back when seeing them."

He also cited an old saying: "Nut cases know no laws, therefore they do no wrong".

"I want to know if that is correct. I want to know police need to wait for one of them to kill ten people before taking action. Who knows when such an attack will happen next?" he asked.

Pol Major Sitthisak Nakhamart of Phya Thai police, whose jurisdiction covers the Victory Monument and the site, said this attack was a first of its type in many years, and police always take them to mental hospitals and especially the Galyarajanagarindra Institute. He advised pedestrians to avoid such people, or not to give them money directly to their hands, but put it away from them and walk away.

-- The Nation 2010-12-11

[thailandbluegrass]

Well go figure. And its only 2011 (2554).

[geriatrickid]

What a crock of sh*t. These people will end up handcuffed in local jails like the recent case of the Briton in Pattaya.

As of 2006, the most recent WHO report shows that;

- There are only 17 mental hospitals in Thailand providing 13.8 beds per 100,000 population. In the last five years the number of mental hospital beds has decreased by 7% (There has not been any significant increase in funding since the report was issued in 2006.)

- There is no provision for routine follow-up community care.

- No facility has mental heath mobile clinic teams.

- In terms of treatment, a few patients last year received one or more psychosocial interventions.

- There are no mental health day treatment facilities in Thailand, except the ones specifically for children with mental retardation or for people with substance abuse.

- There are 25 community-based psychiatric inpatient units in regional hospitals with 0.4 beds per 100,000 general population.

- Community residential facilities for patients being discharged from the hospitals do not exist.

Who will take care of these mentally ill people?

- 419 psychiatrists (0.66 per 100,000 population)

- 110 other medical doctors (not specialized in psychiatry but associated with mental health care); 0.17 per 100,000 population);

- 2406 nurses (3.81 per 100,000 population);

- 163 psychologists (0.26 per 100,000 population);

- 465 social workers (0.74 per 100,000 population) (Other reports cite 0.56)

- 125 occupational therapists (0.20 per 100,000 population

The numbers speak for themselves. The mentally ill will not be treated.

There will be no occupational therapy and the problem will continue.

That is the reality. Welcome to Thailand where people that should know better call the mentally ill nutcases.

[apollo13]

According to DR.Duangta Kraiphasphong, a surge in blood sugar sometimes causes "diabetics to go on rampages and attack others in the public" . I was curious, having never heard of this phenonemon before, so I googled the words 'aggressive diabetic'......not one single search result.!!....No wonder the 'doctors' in this country don't want the medical malpractice bill to go through if a deputy director (DR Duangta) of an institute can't even get the symptoms for diabetes right. I feel so sorry for the Thai public.

[millwall_fan]

"The initial symptoms include speaking to oneself, laughing alone, stress and depression, signs of absent-mindedness, suicidal manners or frequent speaking of committing suicide"

Let's hope Foreigners aren't included. I can think of a few candidates.

This whole idea smacks of those Romanian Orphanages we saw years ago, with listless, vulnerable people existing in squalid conditions. But IF and I mean IF they fund this properly and give these people proper care and really attempt to rehabilitate them, then I'm all for it. The number of beggars down our road including old and infirm, kids and vagrants is a constant nuisance and Thais find it hard to say 'no' to these people and risk losing merit.

[bushwacker]

<"The initial symptoms include speaking to oneself, laughing alone">

I have been talking to myself for 30 years and often laugh alone. It really is the only time that I can have an intelligent conversation and enjoy remarkable humour!

[lonewolf99]

<"The initial symptoms include speaking to oneself, laughing alone">

I have been talking to myself for 30 years and often laugh alone. It really is the only time that I can have an intelligent conversation and enjoy remarkable humour!

You are not alone...I laughed out loud reading the article.

I especially like the "non PC" approach to the whole article.

Mental illness is a sad state of affairs for sure.

I learned one thing recently about Thai Doctors....and the only analogy I think of is that you get car mechanics who fix all things on any car and you get car mechanics who do not make the grade that change tyres, brakes and exhausts....i.e. Thailand has fully qualified Doctors ....and ....not so qualified but still allowed to open a clinic and treat people...!

2 words for Doctor in Thai...one is Maw and the other is Phedt forgive my attempt at phonetics in English :jap:

And before I get flamed ( I usually do ) I got this information from a a 60 year old male Thai who was employed by the Governent as an English Teacher.

[SweeneyAgonistes]

&lt;deleted&gt;. You can imagine what those places are going to be like. And I agree with the comment about the 'Crackdown' headline. Really nauseating.

Edited December 11, 2010 by SweeneyAgonistes

[MZurf]

<"The initial symptoms include speaking to oneself, laughing alone">

I have been talking to myself for 30 years and often laugh alone.  It really is the only time that I can have an intelligent conversation and enjoy remarkable humour!

You are not alone...I laughed out loud reading the article.

I especially like the "non PC" approach to the whole article.

Mental illness is a sad state of affairs for sure.

I learned one thing recently about Thai Doctors....and the only analogy I think of is that you get car mechanics who fix all things on any car and you get  car mechanics who do not make the grade that change tyres, brakes and exhausts....i.e. Thailand has fully qualified Doctors  ....and ....not so qualified but still allowed to open a clinic and treat people...!

2 words for Doctor in Thai...one is Maw and the other is Phedt    forgive my attempt at phonetics in English :jap:

And before I get flamed ( I usually do ) I got this information from a a 60 year old male Thai who was employed by the Governent  as an English Teacher.

Could you please explain the second word for a doctor in Thai? The word maw i know about but the second word is new to me.

[asiawatcher]

What a crock of sh*t. These people will end up handcuffed in local jails like the recent case of the Briton in Pattaya.

As of 2006, the most recent WHO report shows that;

- There are only 17 mental hospitals in Thailand providing 13.8 beds per 100,000 population. In the last five years the number of mental hospital beds has decreased by 7% (There has not been any significant increase in funding since the report was issued in 2006.)

- There is no provision for routine follow-up community care.

- No facility has mental heath mobile clinic teams.

- In terms of treatment, a few patients last year received one or more psychosocial interventions.

- There are no mental health day treatment facilities in Thailand, except the ones specifically for children with mental retardation or for people with substance abuse.

- There are 25 community-based psychiatric inpatient units in regional hospitals with 0.4 beds per 100,000 general population.

- Community residential facilities for patients being discharged from the hospitals do not exist.

Who will take care of these mentally ill people?

- 419 psychiatrists (0.66 per 100,000 population)

- 110 other medical doctors (not specialized in psychiatry but associated with mental health care); 0.17 per 100,000 population);

- 2406 nurses (3.81 per 100,000 population);

- 163 psychologists (0.26 per 100,000 population);

- 465 social workers (0.74 per 100,000 population) (Other reports cite 0.56)

- 125 occupational therapists (0.20 per 100,000 population

The numbers speak for themselves. The mentally ill will not be treated.

There will be no occupational therapy and the problem will continue.

That is the reality. Welcome to Thailand where people that should know better call the mentally ill nutcases.

Another headline grabbing promise as elections are due - let's say this week we will fix the social issues, that should get some votes (not).

[newermonkey]

So will the government please send their officers into all the game shops in Pattaya and round up all the many street urchins who call the "game shop home"?

Lots of these kids are on yabba and usually have a gang leader who gets them to commit crime, push them into underage sex for money and whatever extortionist methods they can get away with.

I am serious about this and something "permanent" should be done about this huge (but mainly hidden) problem in Thailand.

[brucegoniners]

What they fail to address in this article is that most of the beggars are run by the mob, including the women with babies out there. If the police want to do everyone a favor, get all the beggars off the streets and into shelters. Stop the "rent a baby" business, which is just appalling! That's what they need to do. Don't just take the crazy ones off the streets, take all of them off the streets and help them.

[Tod Daniels]

Could you please explain the second word for a doctor in Thai? The word maw i know about but the second word is new to me.

OFF TOPIC ANSWER:

The word หมอ (maaw^R) is the colloquial word for doctor and spoken in casual thai speech. The REAL word is in fact แพทย์ (phaaet^F) and very few people who go to the hospital would ever dare address a medical doctor to his face as หมอ (maaw^R). Instead they would use the polite 'official' term นายแพทย์ (naai^M phaaet^F). The different levels of politeness in thai and the words that carry the same meaning yet on different levels, can be disconcerting.

BACK ON TOPIC:

If the figures quoted by "geriatrickid" are correct (and I have no reason to doubt them), it does indeed paint quite the dismal picture for the thais suffering with any form of mental illness. Sad really. ..

[aripengu]

Just think twice before writing CRACKDOWN again.:jap: please..

[Jirapa]

According to DR.Duangta Kraiphasphong, a surge in blood sugar sometimes causes "diabetics to go on rampages and attack others in the public" . I was curious, having never heard of this phenonemon before, so I googled the words 'aggressive diabetic'......not one single search result.!!....No wonder the 'doctors' in this country don't want the medical malpractice bill to go through if a deputy director (DR Duangta) of an institute can't even get the symptoms for diabetes right. I feel so sorry for the Thai public.

Yep Diabetics blackout, collapse and can die if they don't get enough sugar. They certainly wouldn't be capable of attacking anyone!

[Colabamumbai]

In Toronto about 10 years ago they closed the psychiatric hospital, The Queen Street Mental Health Building and sent the people to live in the street. I will believe it when I see it.

[FarangKenStine]

By crackdown does thaivisa mean "preemptive strike with shock and awe" or frontal lobotomy?

[Chris Lawrence]

sounds like a feel good article that may amount to nil.

[SweeneyAgonistes]

- 419 psychiatrists (0.66 per 100,000 population)

- 110 other medical doctors (not specialized in psychiatry but associated with mental health care); 0.17 per 100,000 population);

- 2406 nurses (3.81 per 100,000 population);

- 163 psychologists (0.26 per 100,000 population);

- 465 social workers (0.74 per 100,000 population) (Other reports cite 0.56)

- 125 occupational therapists (0.20 per 100,000 population

It'd be interesting to see the social and geographic distribution of those. The numbers are awful but if you factor in socio-economic class and location, I wouldn't be surprised if for many, the number of medical mental health staff available is essentially zero.

[Colabamumbai]

According to DR.Duangta Kraiphasphong, a surge in blood sugar sometimes causes "diabetics to go on rampages and attack others in the public" . I was curious, having never heard of this phenonemon before, so I googled the words 'aggressive diabetic'......not one single search result.!!....No wonder the 'doctors' in this country don't want the medical malpractice bill to go through if a deputy director (DR Duangta) of an institute can't even get the symptoms for diabetes right. I feel so sorry for the Thai public.

Yep Diabetics blackout, collapse and can die if they don't get enough sugar. They certainly wouldn't be capable of attacking anyone!

And hypoglycemics, the opposite of diabetics people like myself with low blood sugar, can appear to be drunk or disoriented when they have not food in their bodies to generate sugar. Some times they are arrested as being drunk.

[arthurwait]

A story about a mentally ill person being mistreated after roaming the streets makes the press and this appears a few days after.

[Deeral]

One presumes their initial treatment will involve being taken to a police station and chained to a cell bar for a couple of weeks.....or until they cheer up?

I would say that the announcement by DSDW deputy director-general Lertpanya Booranabundit et al shows that they really have done no research into the situation at all and are simply making assumptions that they hope will justify a nasty campaign to clear the streets of the poor, disadvantaged and homeless.

I think the technical term for it is "sweeping under the carpet"

[Jirapa]

What a crock of sh*t. These people will end up handcuffed in local jails like the recent case of the Briton in Pattaya.

As of 2006, the most recent WHO report shows that;

- There are only 17 mental hospitals in Thailand providing 13.8 beds per 100,000 population. In the last five years the number of mental hospital beds has decreased by 7% (There has not been any significant increase in funding since the report was issued in 2006.)

- There is no provision for routine follow-up community care.

- No facility has mental heath mobile clinic teams.

- In terms of treatment, a few patients last year received one or more psychosocial interventions.

- There are no mental health day treatment facilities in Thailand, except the ones specifically for children with mental retardation or for people with substance abuse.

- There are 25 community-based psychiatric inpatient units in regional hospitals with 0.4 beds per 100,000 general population.

- Community residential facilities for patients being discharged from the hospitals do not exist.

Who will take care of these mentally ill people?

- 419 psychiatrists (0.66 per 100,000 population)

- 110 other medical doctors (not specialized in psychiatry but associated with mental health care); 0.17 per 100,000 population);

- 2406 nurses (3.81 per 100,000 population);

- 163 psychologists (0.26 per 100,000 population);

- 465 social workers (0.74 per 100,000 population) (Other reports cite 0.56)

- 125 occupational therapists (0.20 per 100,000 population

The numbers speak for themselves. The mentally ill will not be treated.

There will be no occupational therapy and the problem will continue.

That is the reality. Welcome to Thailand where people that should know better call the mentally ill nutcases.

Another headline grabbing promise as elections are due - let's say this week we will fix the social issues, that should get some votes (not).

There's a large government run psychiatric hospital in my province just down the road from me which is pretty nice, set in huge 150 Rai landscaped gardens and the patients are treated well. Might not be enough of them but the psychiatric hospitals they do have aren't too bad.

[anterian]

I am a type 2 diabetic, on a good day I can summon up the energy to go shopping, getting physically aggressive is just not on

Standard psychiatric treatment in Thailand is drugs, zombies cause no problems.

[Deeral]

What a crock of sh*t. These people will end up handcuffed in local jails like the recent case of the Briton in Pattaya.

As of 2006, the most recent WHO report shows that;

- There are only 17 mental hospitals in Thailand providing 13.8 beds per 100,000 population. In the last five years the number of mental hospital beds has decreased by 7% (There has not been any significant increase in funding since the report was issued in 2006.)

- There is no provision for routine follow-up community care.

- No facility has mental heath mobile clinic teams.

- In terms of treatment, a few patients last year received one or more psychosocial interventions.

- There are no mental health day treatment facilities in Thailand, except the ones specifically for children with mental retardation or for people with substance abuse.

- There are 25 community-based psychiatric inpatient units in regional hospitals with 0.4 beds per 100,000 general population.

- Community residential facilities for patients being discharged from the hospitals do not exist.

Who will take care of these mentally ill people?

- 419 psychiatrists (0.66 per 100,000 population)

- 110 other medical doctors (not specialized in psychiatry but associated with mental health care); 0.17 per 100,000 population);

- 2406 nurses (3.81 per 100,000 population);

- 163 psychologists (0.26 per 100,000 population);

- 465 social workers (0.74 per 100,000 population) (Other reports cite 0.56)

- 125 occupational therapists (0.20 per 100,000 population

The numbers speak for themselves. The mentally ill will not be treated.

There will be no occupational therapy and the problem will continue.

That is the reality. Welcome to Thailand where people that should know better call the mentally ill nutcases.

Another headline grabbing promise as elections are due - let's say this week we will fix the social issues, that should get some votes (not).

There's a large government run psychiatric hospital in my province just down the road from me which is pretty nice, set in huge 150 Rai landscaped gardens and the patients are treated well. Might not be enough of them but the psychiatric hospitals they do have aren't too bad.

This kind of comment astounds meFirstly it is just one hospital in a population of 60 million....are trying to say because you have seen a hospital that LOOKS nice then mental healthcare in Thailand is OK - otherwise what are you trying to imply?

Furthermore, how do you know it is any good? have you done a survey of healthcare in Thailand - or eve your province? - or are you just judging the place by its architecture?Who can get treatment? Nationwide?

it's just such a presumptuous thing to say and in truth has no bearing on the issues at all.

If you want to cite individual hospitals get some authoritative information to back it up - not just personal observation.

[softgeorge]

According to DR.Duangta Kraiphasphong, a surge in blood sugar sometimes causes "diabetics to go on rampages and attack others in the public" . I was curious, having never heard of this phenonemon before, so I googled the words 'aggressive diabetic'......not one single search result.!!....No wonder the 'doctors' in this country don't want the medical malpractice bill to go through if a deputy director (DR Duangta) of an institute can't even get the symptoms for diabetes right. I feel so sorry for the Thai public.

Yep Diabetics blackout, collapse and can die if they don't get enough sugar. They certainly wouldn't be capable of attacking anyone!

My step father was a diabetic and required daily insulin injections to control his blood sugar levels. If he didn't eat his blood sugar levels would drop and on a number of occassions he would have a Hypo in public and become threatening and sometimes violent causing damage and injuries to people. He was often misdiagnosed as mentally ill and placed in retraints. When a diabetic enters a hypo he is not aware but those around him/her will see it in thier eyes and simply supplying some sugar drinks or sweets will stop it progressing. If not detected early they can esculate into a full blown hypo where they can became violent before blacking out and requiring hospital treatment.

Yes diabetics can be misdiagnosed as mentaly ill. There are a number of degrees of the condition from some who require no medication just a diet to those who have the higher scale as my step father did.

[Jirapa]

According to DR.Duangta Kraiphasphong, a surge in blood sugar sometimes causes "diabetics to go on rampages and attack others in the public" . I was curious, having never heard of this phenonemon before, so I googled the words 'aggressive diabetic'......not one single search result.!!....No wonder the 'doctors' in this country don't want the medical malpractice bill to go through if a deputy director (DR Duangta) of an institute can't even get the symptoms for diabetes right. I feel so sorry for the Thai public.

Yep Diabetics blackout, collapse and can die if they don't get enough sugar. They certainly wouldn't be capable of attacking anyone!

And hypoglycemics, the opposite of diabetics people like myself with low blood sugar, can appear to be drunk or disoriented when they have not food in their bodies to generate sugar. Some times they are arrested as being drunk.

Thing is that idiot DR. Duangta is liking diabetes to mental illness and it's a physical disability? Sure you can be a psycho with diabetes but an irregular sugar level won't turn a diabetic into a psycho!

[blazes]

What a crock of sh*t. These people will end up handcuffed in local jails like the recent case of the Briton in Pattaya.

As of 2006, the most recent WHO report shows that;

- There are only 17 mental hospitals in Thailand providing 13.8 beds per 100,000 population. In the last five years the number of mental hospital beds has decreased by 7% (There has not been any significant increase in funding since the report was issued in 2006.)

- There is no provision for routine follow-up community care.

- No facility has mental heath mobile clinic teams.

- In terms of treatment, a few patients last year received one or more psychosocial interventions.

- There are no mental health day treatment facilities in Thailand, except the ones specifically for children with mental retardation or for people with substance abuse.

- There are 25 community-based psychiatric inpatient units in regional hospitals with 0.4 beds per 100,000 general population.

- Community residential facilities for patients being discharged from the hospitals do not exist.

Who will take care of these mentally ill people?

- 419 psychiatrists (0.66 per 100,000 population)

- 110 other medical doctors (not specialized in psychiatry but associated with mental health care); 0.17 per 100,000 population);

- 2406 nurses (3.81 per 100,000 population);

- 163 psychologists (0.26 per 100,000 population);

- 465 social workers (0.74 per 100,000 population) (Other reports cite 0.56)

- 125 occupational therapists (0.20 per 100,000 population

The numbers speak for themselves. The mentally ill will not be treated.

There will be no occupational therapy and the problem will continue.

That is the reality. Welcome to Thailand where people that should know better call the mentally ill nutcases.

I've just looked up the WHO report for 2006, but couldn't determine where you had obtained these stats.

Wanted to check against my home province of British Columbia in Canada where since 2001 a right-wing government has abandoned the mentally ill, forcing them on to the streets in large numbers.

I would like to be able to compare the BC figures with Thailand. The problem of begging and homelessness in Vancouver and Victoria has hit epidemic proportions....in one of the richest areas of the whole world. It is disgusting....and one thing I do notice in Thailand (compared to Vancouver/Victoria) is that the only people who beg (and they are very few) are the truly desperate (limbless or very old or single mothers).

Perhaps the family-oriented social system here in Thailand ensures that people are "taken care of" better than in the welfare states of the West?

[geriatrickid]

There's a large government run psychiatric hospital in my province just down the road from me which is pretty nice, set in huge 150 Rai landscaped gardens and the patients are treated well. Might not be enough of them but the psychiatric hospitals they do have aren't too bad.

I am sure the premises look nice. Many of Thailand's prisons look ok from the outside too, Unfortunately, landscaped gardens are not treatment.

Have you been inside the facility? Do you know how the patients are treated? How do you think they are cared for?

Before you answer, keep in mind the shortage of trained professionals. Even a psychiatric care orderly has to have additinal training. Do you think the support staff have proper training? The treatment regime at most Thai mental health facilities is to drug the patient. The magic pill syndrome. The staff do the best they can but when there is only 1 or 2 psychiatrists available for such a hospital, how can you say it isn't too bad? The professional staff try, but they are overworked and overwhelmed. I hope and pray I never develop alzheimers or dementia while in Thailand.

[Colabamumbai]

What they fail to address in this article is that most of the beggars are run by the mob, including the women with babies out there. If the police want to do everyone a favor, get all the beggars off the streets and into shelters. Stop the "rent a baby" business, which is just appalling! That's what they need to do. Don't just take the crazy ones off the streets, take all of them off the streets and help them.

They learned the rent a baby routine from India where 70 year old women hold babies in their arms and beg for money. The mob cuts the limbs off kids, puts them In the street in the morning to beg and picks them up in the evening, takes all the money but gives them a bed and food.