Thai Health Promotion Pushing To Make Songkran, An Alcohol-Free Festival

[Lite Beer]

Thai Health Promotion pushing to make Songkran, an alcohol-free festival

KHON KAEN, 15 April 2012 (NNT) – The Thai Health Promotion is pushing ahead with its plan to make the nationwide celebrations of Songkran holidays, an alcohol-free festival.

Thai Health Promotion Foundation manager, Dr. Krissada Raungarreerat, on Saturday, chaired the official launch of the “alcohol-free glowing human wave” activity, held on Khao Niew Road in Khon Kaen Province.

The activity is a part of the annual Songkran celebrations in this busy northeastern province.

Dr. Krissada said that the “alcohol-free glowing human wave” project is in its 10th year in 2012, under collaboration with the Khon Kaen Municipality, interested network groups and local entrepreneurs.

He stated that the activity has also turned the annual festival on Khao Niew Road into Thailand's role model of an alcohol-free celebration, during which the peaceful Songkran tradition has been upheld and the number of people arrested for drunk-driving has come down consistently.

This year, the Songkran celebrations on Khao Niew Road have been joined by more than 100,000 people, both locals and foreigners.

The Thai Health Promotion Foundation manager added that a similar campaign has been implemented in 50 provinces across the nation, where an iron rule of “no drinking, no getting drunk, no brawl” has been enforced.

He hopes that this same campaign will soon be adopted by more cities in order to restore the serene and peaceful way of Thai traditional celebrations.

-- NNT 2012-04-15

[OzMick]

Good luck with that.

[RickBradford]

Alcohol may not be part of the original tradition of Songkraan, but then neither is hordes of mouth-breathing nitwits roaming the streets with giant plastic multi-barrelled squirt guns hosing down everything that passes, in a display of moronic glee.

Certainly alcohol causes problems, but that's true 365 days a year, not just at Songkraan.

[Thai at Heart]

Alcohol free on tanon khao nieaw in kkc? Cheers pass me another one

[WhizBang]

Alcohol free Songkran. An oxymoron if ever I heard one.

Good luck with that.

But i do agree that the water drenching by morons with big squirt guns has gotten way out of hand. Perhaps it is time to reign it in by setting up areas were you can have your free-for-all water squirting, but making everywhere outside those zones DRY.

But this is Thailand, so nothing will ever change, and, in fact, is likely to get progressively worse as time goes on. Sigh.

[Misterwhisper]

I don't think I'll ever live to see the day when Thais can celebrate without copious amounts of alcohol being in play. Yesterday my taxi almost rammed a couple of drunken teenagers who thought they ought to take on police duties, run onto a fairly busy road and stop traffic so they could smear cars' windshields with that annoying white-powder-water-mixture. My taxi driver muttered laconically: "Idiots..."

[Lifer]

555555

I have personally witnessed first hand several temple fairs to raise money for building projects where the villagers parade in from different parts of their village to the temple so drunk they can hardly stand up. Don't think that was what the temple, or Buddha for that matter, intended. To be fair, there were also paarticipants at the temple not drinking as well.

Dry zones and wet zones are a good idea. Dry zones especially along major highways and ring roads would be a starter.

[Gers1873]

Sadly the sale of alcohol could be restricted but not the consumption. So yuo will still have drunk Thais on motorbikes causing hvoc and drunk farangs who think standing on a corner with a hooked up garden hose soaking people is fun........... Would be nice if we could return to the 'real Songkran' not the modern drunken melee

[ginjag]

Another utterly stupid statement, Unless Thailand bans all alcohol sales  it is going to remain the same as it's always been.  some shops sell--some cannot---police control--NO NO they do not they are mostly to blame for not enforcing the laws. No crash hats /pocket money is their theme.  saving lives Ha Ha--- Less police were evident during the holiday, FINE THE PARENTS HEAVILY and confiscate m/cycles. 80% accidents are this group and have been for 30 years.  no one noticed !!!!!!!! Throwing buckets of water on m/cyclists, ON MAIN roads should be a no go, and the throwers are equally to blame as they also are DRUNK.......sick government sick people.

[hellodolly]

Khao Niew Road in Khon Kaen Province.

Never heard of either one of them and don't believe a word of it being alcohol free.

100,000 sober participants in one spot.

[MarkCyr]

I think the best they can hope for are dry zones that have controlled entry / exit points. But as other posters point out, they would probably be more effective just confiscating anything that can shoot water more than 3 feet.

[voodoomagicman]

The Ministry of Delusion. <deleted> where do these statements come from, Emporers new clothes spring to mind. Was there a penny whistle or cymbal smash at the end of this statement.

[Nisa]

Khao Niew Road in Khon Kaen Province.

Never heard of either one of them and don't believe a word of it being alcohol free.

100,000 sober participants in one spot.

I was there last night, there was alcohol being drank and sold all over the place.

[MEL1]

I also think there's a rather bigger point being missed. That of Crystal Meth!

It's all ok to say reduce alocohol sales, or even stop them. Do the police have drug breathalysers yet, like the west? Nope, they do not.

Get a high out of the sky bike rider, on his way to mars and back, doing a quick shoot down the road on his little bikey, and they cannot do anything about it if he tests negative for alcohol.

Esan is renowned for meth usage, but with little traceability little will be done with this aspect of wreckless driving too.

However, good news included. I drove back from Amphawa, Samut Songkram, this morning home to Lak-si, and the traffic was fresh, little sign of anybody drink-driving, everybody keeping to 100Km/h with safe distance for stoppage, and not even a close incident, or spotted accident on either side. There was the odd Lexus or 4x4 doing 140-150 on the inside slow lane as usual in trying to get to B like tomorrow doesn't exist, but generally everybody was respecting each other and the possibility of accidents. Took only 1 hour from Amphawa to Lak-si. Odd moments we did shift up to 120Km/h as usual driving permits, but the congestion kept it to 100 generally. No incidents to report from that way. Yesterday went from Amphawa to Doi Hai Loi, mud flats and fish/crap/goong shopping, and not a single note of disregard for safety or drunk driving. That way at least seems to have respected the season, and even cars were chosen as being local to give a soaking to. All cars, including mine, with a BKK reg plate were clean and un-whitened! That I do like...

-mel.

[bigbamboo]

Why not just ban alcohol from Thailand completely?

Well......... they started it!

Edited April 15, 2012 by bigbamboo

[Skywalker69]

Good luck with that.

Yes. I am sure that "Tellus" will vanish before that happens.

[Skywalker69]

Khao Niew Road in Khon Kaen Province.

Never heard of either one of them and don't believe a word of it being alcohol free.

100,000 sober participants in one spot.

[Skywalker69]

How can it be asked of the Thai people to lay of the drinking during Songkran when Charlem can´t stay sober in the Parlament?

[PoodMaiDai]

I only went out for a few hours, but everyone is drinking as usual.

Not sure why Thailand even bothers with such rubbish. Waste of time and effort if you are not going to enforce a rule / law you make.

[longtom]

The Thai Health Promotion Foundation manager added that a similar campaign has been implemented in 50 provinces across the nation, where an iron rule of “no drinking, no getting drunk, no brawl” has been enforced.

50 provinces have enforced an iron rule of no drinking, really impressing, but I suspect many flying pigs were seen instead.

[MEL1]

Khao Niew Road in Khon Kaen Province.

Never heard of either one of them and don't believe a word of it being alcohol free.

100,000 sober participants in one spot.

There are 100,000 sober patients in one spot. They're queuing at the local hospital for flu tablets.

-mel.

[Throatwobbler]

When all of you don't have a drink at Christmas or New year then maybe you can tell the Thais what to do at Songkran.

[MEL1]

Songkran is theoretically a thanks-giving for water, a celebration of its availability, and originally was intended as a small bowl to sprinkle each other and respect and thank Buddha for his ways and opinions about water. It has deemed itself in to brutally throwing frozen iced water at cars and bikes at speed, and only last year did a huge ice-block shatter my Bro-In-Law's wing mirror. If that had hit a bike rider at speed it could have killed instantaneously. It is demonstrably way out of hand now, and as Thais become more wanting, selfish and greedy they are forgetting to uphold their Buddhist beliefs in their true sense.

As we have seen in the news there were 3 murders, all about brawling during the festivities, or objecting to getting soaked (for the poor guy who bit the bullet on his way to a funeral - bless him and RIP). It is flagrantly about pissing people off now with water, talcum filled water, and the throwing of ice, itself lethal.

So to tell Thais how to celebrate songkran? Nothing wrong with the odd beer, assuming no driving. But there is wrong to forget grass roots of respect and the real Buddhist message. As for the deterioration of festivities to now include blocks of ice being discharged.... it has to be a no-no! Thais have forgotten the bowl for sprinkling said others, with respect. That's advice I'd kindly infuse they remember, and not just out and out show disregard to all and sundry who pass.

-mel.

[bigbamboo]

The Thai Health Promotion Foundation manager added that a similar campaign has been implemented in 50 provinces across the nation, where an iron rule of “no drinking, no getting drunk, no brawl” has been enforced.

50 provinces have enforced an iron rule of no drinking, really impressing, but I suspect many flying pigs were seen instead.

Forget the Land of Smiles, this is the Land of Comedy..... and without the sound effects machine!