Bangkok: Floods Turned Hundreds Into Street Dwellers

[webfact]

BANGKOK

Floods turned hundreds into street dwellers

Chularat Saengpassa

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The number of street people in Bangkok's 50 districts increased by 4.2 per cent from 2,451 in 2010 to 2,561 (931 females and 1,630 females) in 2011, many of whom had to sleep in public areas for up to five days due to last year's flood disaster.

The Issarachon Foundation secretary general Nathee Sorawathee told a seminar yesterday in Sathon that the foundation had surveyed Bangkok streets and public areas in NovemberDecember 2011 and found 2,561 "people living in public space", a new term promoted to identify them with more dignity. The average time for people to live in such a condition was 20 years.

The survey divided these people into 10 categories and a person could fit into more than one, he said. For instance, 781 were described as people temporarily living on the streets (many due to flooding and there for up to five days), 785 were alcoholics, 641 roadside patients, 379 street children, 309 "service workers" (many laidoff workers due to flood who turned to prostitution briefly at Sanam Luang, Chatuchak and Lumpini Park) and 57 exconvicts.

Phra Nakhon district had the most street people at 472, followed by Bang Sue 258, Chatuchak 207, Pathumwan 183, Samphanthawong 163, Klong Toei 144, Ratchathewi 114, Phya Thai 111, Bang Rak 104, and Dusit 103, he said.

Nathee said that, following the 2011 flood disaster, more people went to live on the streets for many reasons, particularly after being laid off or unemployed. He said the foundation had collected the data after the 2006 coup and the 2007 economic crisis when many factories folded and workers were unemployed. Female workers had to live on the streets and many became "service workers" in Sanam Luang and other public areas.

In the aftermath of the 2011 flood, again many factories closed leaving workers jobless, he said. Many returned to hometowns, while others struggled in Bangkok to stay afloat - which led to monitoring by the foundation and the Social Development and Human Security Ministry's Mitramaitree Home.

Some flood victims became mentallyill from the extreme stress and wandered Bangkok streets, he said. In Sanam Luang alone 40 per cent of those living there were mentallyill and each street would have at least one such person.

Nathee said the number of mentallyill street wanderers would continue to rise in the face of crises - manmade or naturemade. The economy had always been the main focus of previous governments but now lawmakers should pay more attention to human issues, working on human resource development along with economic development. He urged the government to prepare for more persons living on Bangkok streets from neighbouring countries following the emergence of the Asean Economic Community in 2015.

Nathee said each month at least one street person died and was unclaimed by family since authorities weren't told of their death. Occasionally other people would take over their identity.

Recent street deaths included an elderly Thai man who ate poisoned leftovers near the Rattanakosin Hotel and was found dead on February 25; and another man who was drunk and fell into Klong Lod and drowned. The drown man was among many people that were driven out of Sanam Luang hence slept along the canal after the city sealed Sanam Luang for relandscaping last year.

-- The Nation 2012-03-01

[phiphidon]

Yet another sensationalist headline from Thailands leading english language comic.

The number of street people in Bangkok's 50 districts increased by 4.2 per cent from 2,451 in 2010 to 2,561 (931 females and 1,630 females) in 2011, many of whom had to sleep in public areas for up to five days due to last year's flood disaster.

That is 110 people more than the previous year if any of these figures are to be believed, hardly "Hundreds" is it?

Further "facts"

The survey divided these people into 10 categories and a person could fit into more than one, he said. For instance, 781 were described as people temporarily living on the streets (many due to flooding and there for up to five days),

Some were forced onto the streets for up to 5 days - not a pleasant situation to be in by any means but hardly a permanent change of status into a "street dweller".

Surely they could find something else to write about e.g follow up stories on the Bangkok bombers, probing the decision that there is "no evidence" of unusual wealth exhibited by the Transport Ministers secretary, the court case of the teen age girl and the mini bus crash tragedy (anybody know what happened there), the murder allegedly committed by the democrat MP, any amount of important stories..........................

(and I'm not belittling the experience of those affected by the floods before anybody starts to derail the "discussion")

[BigSkip]

Yes and All are FEMALES....????????????????

[OzMick]

Yet another sensationalist headline from Thailands leading english language comic.

The number of street people in Bangkok's 50 districts increased by 4.2 per cent from 2,451 in 2010 to 2,561 (931 females and 1,630 females) in 2011, many of whom had to sleep in public areas for up to five days due to last year's flood disaster.

That is 110 people more than the previous year if any of these figures are to be believed, hardly "Hundreds" is it?

Further "facts"

The survey divided these people into 10 categories and a person could fit into more than one, he said. For instance, 781 were described as people temporarily living on the streets (many due to flooding and there for up to five days),

Some were forced onto the streets for up to 5 days - not a pleasant situation to be in by any means but hardly a permanent change of status into a "street dweller".

Surely they could find something else to write about e.g follow up stories on the Bangkok bombers, probing the decision that there is "no evidence" of unusual wealth exhibited by the Transport Ministers secretary, the court case of the teen age girl and the mini bus crash tragedy (anybody know what happened there), the murder allegedly committed by the democrat MP, any amount of important stories..........................

(and I'm not belittling the experience of those affected by the floods before anybody starts to derail the "discussion")

You could always skip to the next article if you found this one of little interest.

[phiphidon]

Yet another sensationalist headline from Thailands leading english language comic.

The number of street people in Bangkok's 50 districts increased by 4.2 per cent from 2,451 in 2010 to 2,561 (931 females and 1,630 females) in 2011, many of whom had to sleep in public areas for up to five days due to last year's flood disaster.

That is 110 people more than the previous year if any of these figures are to be believed, hardly "Hundreds" is it?

Further "facts"

The survey divided these people into 10 categories and a person could fit into more than one, he said. For instance, 781 were described as people temporarily living on the streets (many due to flooding and there for up to five days),

Some were forced onto the streets for up to 5 days - not a pleasant situation to be in by any means but hardly a permanent change of status into a "street dweller".

Surely they could find something else to write about e.g follow up stories on the Bangkok bombers, probing the decision that there is "no evidence" of unusual wealth exhibited by the Transport Ministers secretary, the court case of the teen age girl and the mini bus crash tragedy (anybody know what happened there), the murder allegedly committed by the democrat MP, any amount of important stories..........................

(and I'm not belittling the experience of those affected by the floods before anybody starts to derail the "discussion")

You could always skip to the next article if you found this one of little interest.

I'd much rather them using column inches on investigating some of the subjects I mentioned at the end of my post. Aren't you intrigued about "what happened next"?

[Reasonableman]

Yet another sensationalist headline from Thailands leading english language comic.

The number of street people in Bangkok's 50 districts increased by 4.2 per cent from 2,451 in 2010 to 2,561 (931 females and 1,630 females) in 2011, many of whom had to sleep in public areas for up to five days due to last year's flood disaster.

That is 110 people more than the previous year if any of these figures are to be believed, hardly "Hundreds" is it?

Further "facts"

The survey divided these people into 10 categories and a person could fit into more than one, he said. For instance, 781 were described as people temporarily living on the streets (many due to flooding and there for up to five days),

Some were forced onto the streets for up to 5 days - not a pleasant situation to be in by any means but hardly a permanent change of status into a "street dweller".

Surely they could find something else to write about e.g follow up stories on the Bangkok bombers, probing the decision that there is "no evidence" of unusual wealth exhibited by the Transport Ministers secretary, the court case of the teen age girl and the mini bus crash tragedy (anybody know what happened there), the murder allegedly committed by the democrat MP, any amount of important stories..........................

(and I'm not belittling the experience of those affected by the floods before anybody starts to derail the "discussion")

Yes, you're right, it was more like thousands made homeless. That is your point, right?

Edited March 1, 2012 by Reasonableman

[Curt1591]

Where do they get these numbers !?!

[Reasonableman]

Yet another sensationalist headline from Thailands leading english language comic.

The number of street people in Bangkok's 50 districts increased by 4.2 per cent from 2,451 in 2010 to 2,561 (931 females and 1,630 females) in 2011, many of whom had to sleep in public areas for up to five days due to last year's flood disaster.

That is 110 people more than the previous year if any of these figures are to be believed, hardly "Hundreds" is it?

Further "facts"

The survey divided these people into 10 categories and a person could fit into more than one, he said. For instance, 781 were described as people temporarily living on the streets (many due to flooding and there for up to five days),

Some were forced onto the streets for up to 5 days - not a pleasant situation to be in by any means but hardly a permanent change of status into a "street dweller".

Surely they could find something else to write about e.g follow up stories on the Bangkok bombers, probing the decision that there is "no evidence" of unusual wealth exhibited by the Transport Ministers secretary, the court case of the teen age girl and the mini bus crash tragedy (anybody know what happened there), the murder allegedly committed by the democrat MP, any amount of important stories..........................

(and I'm not belittling the experience of those affected by the floods before anybody starts to derail the "discussion")

You could always skip to the next article if you found this one of little interest.

No way. Predictably defending his personal agenda, as usual.