The Other Side Of Thai'S

[robblok]

The village has been flooded (suburbs of BKK). Been this way for a while. Now everyone is helping eac other. People are bringing free food around. People are helping eachother with their cars.

Today i did a trip to get some food at a Big C 5 km from our home. The road is flooded only trucks can go. Those trucks transport boats and are constantly picking people up for free.

Boats ferry people around for free. People help lifting boats handing out food. Nobody here is trying to make a buck.

Its good to see all the Thais pull together like this.

Before the flood there were of course taxi drivers asking crazy amounts of money but now when its really needed people are helping not asking.

[MEGALITHIC]

It has been my experience that the average, ordinary citizen of this country (Thailand) is actually a rather generous and helpful type. As are the average, ordinary citizen of most countries I've been to. The pity is that average, ordinary citizens are often let down by those who are charged with resposibility of managing the affairs of the nations that the average, ordinary citizens reside in.

[theblether]

It has been my experience that the average, ordinary citizen of this country (Thailand) is actually a rather generous and helpful type. As are the average, ordinary citizen of most countries I've been to. The pity is that average, ordinary citizens are often let down by those who are charged with resposibility of managing the affairs of the nations that the average, ordinary citizens reside in.

+1

[robblok]

It has been my experience that the average, ordinary citizen of this country (Thailand) is actually a rather generous and helpful type. As are the average, ordinary citizen of most countries I've been to. The pity is that average, ordinary citizens are often let down by those who are charged with resposibility of managing the affairs of the nations that the average, ordinary citizens reside in.

I have to agree here, just showing some positive sides though in afterthought i could have chosen the titel different because it kinda says like normally Thais are bad.

(some are but not the majority)

Anyway the average ppl are great.

[lazygourmet]

It has been my experience that the average, ordinary citizen of this country (Thailand) is actually a rather generous and helpful type. As are the average, ordinary citizen of most countries I've been to. The pity is that average, ordinary citizens are often let down by those who are charged with resposibility of managing the affairs of the nations that the average, ordinary citizens reside in.

I have to agree here, just showing some positive sides though in afterthought i could have chosen the titel different because it kinda says like normally Thais are bad.

(some are but not the majority)

Anyway the average ppl are great.

[edwinchester]

Here in all the local villages close to where we live in Kanchanaburi there has been massive donation and organised convoys of relief goods to all areas affected even by people with hardly a couple of satang to rub together.

On the other hand I have just finished talking to a Thai friend from Bkk who has been forced to evacuate to rental accomodation. They are having to pay 25k per month for a place that was 10k pm only a few weeks ago.

[DanaDeLuxe]

This amazing vid shows how people are helping each other, Thai and also some foreigners ...

[frankr]

It has been my experience that the average, ordinary citizen of this country (Thailand) is actually a rather generous and helpful type. As are the average, ordinary citizen of most countries I've been to. The pity is that average, ordinary citizens are often let down by those who are charged with resposibility of managing the affairs of the nations that the average, ordinary citizens reside in.

I have to agree here, just showing some positive sides though in afterthought i could have chosen the titel different because it kinda says like normally Thais are bad.

(some are but not the majority)

Anyway the average ppl are great.

not surprised, but good to hear!

[leo12345]

In my soi where I am now no longer able to stay in, the lady who runs the local laundromat's husband is a police officer who now charges 300 baht to run people in his boat to the main road.

Somebody came to my and my neighbor's house and stole our sand bags after we left.

Another neighbor who we helped to get a concrete wall built to protect from water got their air con units moved and water pump taken out so not to get ruined and never offered us if we needed the engineer to use. So they watched as we did it ourselves .

However here in BKK at my work many lower ranking people in my workforce have been very generous in their helping me and my family.

The only issue in BKK is that people are asking me in the street if i want a 12 pack of 600ml water for 250 baht that only costs about 60.

I am very dissapointed of sopme of the people in Nonthaburi where i live.

[hehehoho]

In my soi where I am now no longer able to stay in, the lady who runs the local laundromat's husband is a police officer who now charges 300 baht to run people in his boat to the main road.

Somebody came to my and my neighbor's house and stole our sand bags after we left.

From Twitter:

Hired boats are charging up to Bt1,000 per trip in Bang Bua Thong. Nakhon Sawan had faced the same fees.

Beautiful people.

Edited October 27, 2011 by hehehoho

[silsburyhill]

This amazing vid shows how people are helping each other, Thai and also some foreigners ...

Thanks for this. Lovely.

[robblok]

In my soi where I am now no longer able to stay in, the lady who runs the local laundromat's husband is a police officer who now charges 300 baht to run people in his boat to the main road.

Somebody came to my and my neighbor's house and stole our sand bags after we left.

From Twitter:

Hired boats are charging up to Bt1,000 per trip in Bang Bua Thong. Nakhon Sawan had faced the same fees.

Beautiful people.

Always bad people around must say here in Bang Bua Thong where i live i have yet to find anyone trying to make a baht out of this. BUt im sure there are like you report.

[metisdead]

A derogatory profane post has been removed.

[slapout]

The extent of gouging during natural disasters seems to be directly related to how widespread the disaster is. At the small town/village level, people know many and those they know, know the rest. Thus you have a large moral police force in place.

In the huge metropolitan area this may be prevalent in local areas, but as the affected area grows, those individuals who are probably basically dishonest anyway, seem to come out from under their rocks to take advantage of all they can.There was mention of a suburb being ordered evacuated and the scrounger coming in as the last families were leaving.About the only tried and successful solution seems to be a SOE declared and armed military personal on site to protect from the looters/price gouging, etc. But this does not seem to be agreeable with the present government. Some may suggest local vigilante groups to handle the problem or the local police, but not sure the latter would be agreeable, if the police are involved in price gouging.

[bmwbloch]

However once the water is gone, money rules again.

My wife´s parent live along the Chao Praya river. Their village gets flooded pretty much EVERY year. Last year the government promised to pay a cash allowance to renovate flooded houses. My wife took pictures of every house flooded and we had the pictures printed and distributed to all owners at our expense.

The owners then filed their claimes and the money was finally paid to the major (sort of) of the village to distribute to the suffering owners. My wife´s family did not get any money (neither her mother, uncle, nor aunt), althought their houses were flooded up to the roof. The major´s reason was "they have a wealthy farang in the family". The major did however distribute the money genorously to his family and friends overlooking the fact his family has a "wealthy farang married into the family" as well.

I don´t mind if they distribute the money to the poorest, but please equally.

[Payboy]

Would also be nice if they stopped overtaking from the wrong side in 30cm of flood water though.

[janverbeem]

What is soooo special about these people helping each other in times of emergency.Have you never seen similar in your homecountry or anywhere else in the world?