Thai Govt Declares Success In Its 'Zero Songkran Holiday Death' Campaign

[FOODLOVER]

makes you wonder what they would consider a disaster if 320+ was a success

Over 800 people dead from the flood management disaster and declared a success as well, maybe there is a translation problem.

[jerrybuice]

I spent part of my Songkran in Pattaya (never again). The third night of it while going down one of the main raods there, there was a road block...but ONLY for the people driving the motorcycles! I am sure 1/2 of the people in the cars and trucks were drunk but they seemed to think the motorcycle drivers were the ones that had the most money to pay the fees. All the people with money got to drive right on by!

[trainman34014]

Majority of those 'death free' provinces are predominately Muslim. Probably the lowest accident Songkran count in them every year. Less drunk motorists

Too busy making Bombs !

[IsaanUSA]

I actually yelled out loud at my computer, "WHAT?!?!"

[friendphil]

Sorry, I didn't know I had a limit, or "quota", on how many "likes" I could have in one day on Thaivisa forum. But so many of these posts are on the same wavelength, and it's so obviously idiotic that I gotta agree with so many posts.

[quandow]

In Orwellian speak: "War is peace." I don't know what just brought that to mind . . .

[samsiam]

Its all about channeling.

[anon467367354]

I think Thai Visa forgot the "satire" banner at the top of the page, I don't know what else to think.

[michaelrayjackson]

Congratulations, this is their biggest success since..... completely eradicating drugs several years back in their "Zero Drug Campaign". For their next success, perhaps they could tackle "Zero Government Corruption" or "Zero Spin in Politics" Keep up the great work!

[Disavowed]

I almost coughed up a pork rind !

[Kabinretiree]

I'm sorry....but maybe we went to a different kind of Maths Class. Back in my day, I thought 320 was actually MORE than Zero???? Go figure.

[Neurath]

"Zero death" campaign and 320 deaths that is an 18% rise over the last year a success? Whatever. They can say what they like, they are the government. The government of loonies.

That's one way of looking at it. But last year was also a statistical outlier. Year-on-year comparisons are always problematic. Compared to 2007-2010, inclusive, this was a better year.

2007: 361 deaths, 4,805 injuries and 4,274 accidents

2008: 368 deaths, 4,801 injuries and 4,243 accidents

2009: 373 deaths, 4,332 injuries and 3,977 accidents

2010: 361 deaths, 3,802 injuries and 3,516 accidents

2011: 271 deaths, 3,476 injuries and 3,215 accidents

2012: 320 deaths, 3,320 injuries and 3,129 accidents

Yes, even these statistics are not a correct way to compare between years. The only useful method is compare the rate of the total number of journeys to the total number of deaths/accidents. It would be reasonable to assume there were many more car journeys in 2012 than last year - larger number of tourists, better economy - so it would be likely more accidents occur because of more driving. Unfortunately, whenever statistics are quoted in the news they always leave out vital information to understand why something increases or decreases and you can not really know anything more than the face value of these figures which is often misleading. .

One thing that's not good to see is no consistent trend showing a decrease in the deaths as a proportion of injuries. Improvements in EMS should be reflected in this number.

[Neurath]

Note also that Mr. Yongyuth said that the Campaign was a success, not that the Campaign was successful in reducing the road toll over Songkran. There are many ways for the Campaign to have been successful

[noitom]

The hubris of this incongruous remark about "the success of the campaign" in the same article with the large upgrade in deaths and the previous daily news "scoreboard" of deaths is preposterous.

[blazes]

In Orwellian speak: "War is peace." I don't know what just brought that to mind . . .

Maybe the fact that you read contribution #123 and forgot all about it?

[luckyman]

Deny the evidence, is a classic of a dictatorship regime

Perhaps Mr. yongyooth has a stake in the Sawang Boribun Rescue Services ? As they made a fortune during those 7 dangerous days....

[phiphidon]

I'll try again. If you read the article without the "benefit" of the two offending sub headings you end up with this:

Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Yongyoot Wichaidit said during the weekly â€Yingluck Government Meets the People†program that the government regrets the loss of lives and the injuries suffered by the public during this year's Songkran holidays.

Nothing contentious there

Mr. Yongyoot stated that both deaths and injuries seen in the past holiday are tragic and remain a lesson for those who live to remember.

Or here

However, the Deputy PM is pleased that the government-initiated campaign to rid the country of road fatalities during the Songkran holidays ended up with six provinces recording 'zero' death this year. They include Nakhon Phanom, Trat, Trang, Ranong, Pattani and Satun.

Well, He's hardly likely to be displeased with a number of provinces, no matter how small the number, recording zero deaths is he?

He added that, with more than 260 districts across the country reported no road accident at all, the campaign could be declared a success of a certain level.

a certain level, i.e with regard to this part of the "report", the fact that 260 plus districts reported no accidents at all, could point to the limited success of the campaign

Now it reads quite differently, doesn't it. The addition of the idiotic sub headings can only be described as an attempt by the National News Bureau to ridicule the source. They serve no other purpose other than to precondition the reader as to what to expect.

No. Actually it reads exactly the same as most other years. There are allways districts and provinces that 'report ' no accidents or deaths. But most politicians do not claim that as a success. They know that's just 'how it is '

It was a stupid claim in the 1st place and could NEVER have been achieved,

But you have your red tinted specs on so can not see that. These headlines claiming success are for those of the electorate that only listen or read the headlines. That what all the chest beating is about.

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

Do you believe that the government now controls the writing of headlines? if you do , do you think they would write headines like these?

[Skywalker69]

I'm sorry....but maybe we went to a different kind of Maths Class. Back in my day, I thought 320 was actually MORE than Zero???? Go figure.

I think they count like this, skip 3, skip 7 keep 0.

[Arkady]

If you win an election you are allowed to re-write or re-interpret history to suit yourself and moronic voters who are systematically denied decent state education to keep them malleable with undeveloped powers of deduction and argumentation will lap it all up and continue to vote for you.

There seems to have been a virtual massacre on the roads this year, a large proportion of deaths no doubt caused by drunken idiots throwing buckets of water and ice cubes at motorcyclists and then laughing at them lying in the road. My brother-in-law's three closest friends and house mates at uni seem to have executed this way in Chiang Mai. A few years ago I was nearly killed by a Chinese shopkeeper who tipped a bucket of water and ice cubes at me in Hua Hin and then guffawed with laughter when I fell on the ground narrowly avoiding a 10 wheel truck. That is not to mention the kids who were beaten to death so that their corpses were unrecognisable in Silom after they unintuitively decided to go on a binge of electocuting people with a cattle prod and gropping up young women.

Isn't it time the authorities actually did something to prevent the carnage like banning water throwing the street as Cambodian has apparently done? But no, they are happy just releasing nonsensical self congratulatory press releases and concentrating on the real work of stealing as much taxpayers' money as they can while they are in office.

[asupeartea]

Subtext: Nobody important to THEM. Stats can say anything. I personally had a very succssful Song Kran because I did hit and drag a single person (more than km) with anything larger than an Abrams. Complete success for me. Oh, nobody bounced either.

[phiphidon]

The hubris of this incongruous remark about "the success of the campaign" in the same article with the large upgrade in deaths and the previous daily news "scoreboard" of deaths is preposterous.

"success of a certain level" actually - you may wish to read post #168, you may not.

[a99az]

It's the sort of stupid thing my wife would say.

[Buchholz]

The addition of the idiotic sub headings can only be described as an attempt by the National News Bureau to ridicule the source. They serve no other purpose other than to precondition the reader as to what to expect.

The National News Bureau is run by the government's Department of Public Relations.

That Department falls under the Office of the Prime Minister... aka Yingluck... aka the boss responsible for "idiotic" individuals who "ridicule" sources... aka Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth.

.

Edited April 21, 2012 by Buchholz

[Skywalker69]

The addition of the idiotic sub headings can only be described as an attempt by the National News Bureau to ridicule the source. They serve no other purpose other than to precondition the reader as to what to expect.

The National News Bureau is run by the government's Department of Public Relations.

That Department falls under the Office of the Prime Minister... aka Yingluck... aka the boss responsible for "idiotic" individuals who "ridicule" sources... aka Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth.

.

aka known as the Clone.

[phiphidon]

The addition of the idiotic sub headings can only be described as an attempt by the National News Bureau to ridicule the source. They serve no other purpose other than to precondition the reader as to what to expect.

The National News Bureau is run by the government's Department of Public Relations.

That Department falls under the Office of the Prime Minister... aka Yingluck... aka the boss responsible for "idiotic" individuals who "ridicule" sources... aka Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth.

.

hook line and sinker I admit it is true - remember this buchholz because I know you have a terrible memory for my apologies - yours are a lot easier to remember................

I, if I was in the position would give this guy,Nopparat Chaichalearmmongkol, the reorter responsible for those stupid headlines, the boot, forthwith.

I maintain my position that there is nothing wrong with the statements themselves.

I also apologise to thai CBR for accusing him of thinking that the government writes the headlines for the nnbt - they obviously do and the guy who does it does it badly!

Edited April 21, 2012 by phiphidon

[MILT]

[Nodski]

Idiot!

[HaleySabai]

Politicians never fail to amaze me with their blantant dis-connect from reality.......the problem with "higher" education is that it only serves to 'educate' ones ignorance.

[monkfish]

Eliminating deaths over Songkrann is of course impossible!

Personally I don't think Booze consumption has much to do with it,

most likely throwing buckets of water into Motorcyclists faces whilst driving at high speeds is a bit more dangerous?

Anyway would be interested to know some stat's like how many were killed whilst intoxicated and how many of those killed were on bikes etc. etc.

On a political point I do wonder how the Dems managed to reduce the death toll by like 25% last year? Just Luck or maybe adjusting the numbers?

On a positive note at least they didn't fake the numbers.

[DeepInTheForest]

I would join in the wholesale condemnation of Yongyoot if the headline reflected exactly what he said. However, it does not, nor does the first sentence of the story.

If you read the article carefully, Yongyoot was looking for a silver lining in what he admitted was a grim situation. He first said that the government regretted the loss of lives and suffering of the injured.

Then we hear from him that the deaths were tragic and remain a lesson for those of us who are living.

Then he points out that at least some provinces did not record deaths, and reckons that this is a success 'at some level'. So he's looking for something to justify and validate the effort put forth by the government.

That is, of course, what we would expect of a politician. But it is not a totally ridiculous notion, either. Any public campaign against social ills will have difficulties, especially at the beginning. Anybody care to remember the car-safety campaigns in the West, or the anti-smoking campaigns, which required decades and are still ongoing?

I know, I know. This is spinning. But I think the article's headline and first line are pretty slanted, too.

I'm all in favor of holding pols to account, but in this case, I think we're piling on a bit too strongly.

I want the government to address Songkran fatalities. I hope that efforts that fail don't cause an abandonment by government officials of the campaign to limit traffic fatalities in the future, because the government is afraid it may be attacked for being ineffectual.

If we take officials to task, let's be specific about which initiatives or policies were wrong-headed or impractical or corrupt, and which proved valuable.

Edited April 21, 2012 by DeepInTheForest