Squat toilets to be scrapped in a bid to end knee-arthritis, boost tourism

BANGKOK, 19 March 2013 (NNT) - The government has planned to launch a campaign to discourage squat toilets, in a pledge to end knee-related arthritis and boost tourism.

The Public Health Ministry has planned to discourage the use of squat toilets and to replace them with sit-down ones, in a country where over six million people are suffering from knee-related arthritis.

Deputy Public Health Minister Cholanan Srikaew said that squat toilets are a major contributor to osteoarthritis in the knee.

Osteoarthritis is a form of arthritis, typically found in people of age over 40. It results from heavy usage of joints over the years, and can cause joint pain. Those with osteoarthritis to the knee may have a difficulty walking up stairs, straighten their legs, or walk at all.

About 85 per cent of the country's toilets are squat toilets, most of which are in the countryside, according to the ministry.

The ministry also hopes that the campaign will also make it easier for tourists to conduct their personal business in Thailand's countryside. Tourism accounts for about 7 per cent of Thailand's GDP.


-- NNT 2013-03-19

glad to know we will finally be seated ....

I could tell you wet poopy horror stories of my first encounters...but now, I prefer'em.

Please, please never do away with the, as you Yerps, so accurately have named, the "Bum Gun". I'm still looking for a usb version.

I can see the next promo from TAT. "come to Thailand where you can dump your load in style"

Should put another million on the tourist numbers.

Makes no difference,the locals still squat on the western toilets,that's evident from the colour of the seats in places such as Tesco and Big C.

Now remember this little ditty from my younger days ( suitably censored for language content I hasten to add) concerning the correct usage of the sit upon toilet, it does apply to all three sexes here in Thailand.

If you wish to relieve yourself with ease

Never sit with your elbows upon your knee's

Sit up straight, then you'll find

You'll never hit the seat behind.

I usually work up a bit of a sweat if I have to squat, not really used to it. If I've had a particularly dodgy curry, it can be downright uncomfortable, not to mention messy.

Long live the hose!

Arthritis from the practice of squatting over the toilet???!!!............Give me a break.....It takes alot more joint abuse than toilet squating to develope arthritis....Now I can see already having arthritis already and agravating the issue from squatting...who comes up with this ridiculous stuff?

SNL would have a ball with this one.

Well, squat toilets sound more hygienic to me though, when you see all the stuff we have to deal with to make those sit-on toilet hygienic in Europe, ... and when it's not, well you have to clean them yourself, or just go to the next one hoping it'll be cleaner, what is usually not the case.

IMO, sit-on toilets are good for home, and the public ones should be squats, but again, for that arthritis problem, are we sure it's because of squatting, most animals take their dump in the same position, so seems a bit weird it would not be more natural to do so for us.

actually as funny as this all is...physiologically speaking, the proper way that the body should be positioned when doing your business is ....from a standing position, squat, but not all the way down....kind of in a position between standing straight up and your quads being completely horizontal...the reason is because you want to keep the intestinal tract in a more elongated place in order to allow things to move freely down...and let gravity take over ...having to do less pushing and possibly straining yourself (hemmorroids etc)....sitting on a toilet or squatting too far down, can crunch up the intestinal tract in a way to make things alittle more difficult to come out as easy.....

actually as funny as this all is...physiologically speaking, the proper way that the body should be positioned when doing your business is ....from a standing position, squat, but not all the way down....kind of in a position between standing straight up and your quads being completely horizontal...the reason is because you want to keep the intestinal tract in a more elongated place in order to allow things to move freely down...and let gravity take over ...having to do less pushing and possibly straining yourself (hemmorroids etc)....sitting on a toilet or squatting too far down, can crunch up the intestinal tract in a way to make things alittle more difficult to come out as easy.....

Thank you for the report. I didn't know shit about that, no kidding.

"The Public Health Ministry has planned to discourage the use of squat toilets ..."

This should be a slam-dunk.

Thais are easily discouraged from things they've practiced from birth, like burning, throwing garbage out the back door, driving on the wrong side of the highway, at night, without lights, ignoring slights from complete strangers, and, oh, so much more.

actually as funny as this all is...physiologically speaking, the proper way that the body should be positioned when doing your business is ....from a standing position, squat, but not all the way down....kind of in a position between standing straight up and your quads being completely horizontal...the reason is because you want to keep the intestinal tract in a more elongated place in order to allow things to move freely down...and let gravity take over ...having to do less pushing and possibly straining yourself (hemmorroids etc)....sitting on a toilet or squatting too far down, can crunch up the intestinal tract in a way to make things alittle more difficult to come out as easy.....

Is gravity to blame for skids?

Great headline!

Great headline!

Agree. I think this is the first time I have ever seen a country link increasing tourism to toilets.

Westerners knees are much worse than those of people who use squatty toilets regularly. Plus western toilets increase the occurrence of hemmorroids. So two steps backwards once again.

Just wipe the footprints off before you sit down.

actually as funny as this all is...physiologically speaking, the proper way that the body should be positioned when doing your business is ....from a standing position, squat, but not all the way down....kind of in a position between standing straight up and your quads being completely horizontal...the reason is because you want to keep the intestinal tract in a more elongated place in order to allow things to move freely down...and let gravity take over ...having to do less pushing and possibly straining yourself (hemmorroids etc)....sitting on a toilet or squatting too far down, can crunch up the intestinal tract in a way to make things alittle more difficult to come out as easy.....

Sounds reasonable to me. I seem to remember some years ago when buying a new toilet in the UK that was a bit lower than normal the reason given was the position was better. Squats can't be easy when you get older and must be impossible if you're disabled. I think this is a good move although I don't know if it will affect tourism but I'm sure the squats do make westerners including me uneasy. I think the best solution is both types which might stop the problem of toilet seats with footprints on them. Oh and keep the bumguns.

Arthritis from the practice of squatting over the toilet???!!!............Give me a break.....It takes alot more joint abuse than toilet squating to develope arthritis....Now I can see already having arthritis already and agravating the issue from squatting...who comes up with this ridiculous stuff?

I was about to say it's crap but that would be inappropriate but a nonsensical excuse like this is so Thai and means they don't say anything adverse about their " culture "

Just wipe the footprints off before you sit down.

Shouldn't that be "after you're done" ?

someone doesn't know squat about arthritis or osteoporosis. Arthritis is not from heavy usage of the joints, how many times a day can someone squat, unless of course they are having a meeting. This deterioration of the joints and bones is from eating too much protein. will it be good for tourists? absolutely. but to blame poor joints on squatting pans is nothing short of ridiculous.

SNL would have a ball with this one.

I doubt that SNL (Società Navigazione del Lago di Lugano) would take an interest in it. It is the only SNL I know.

SNL would have a ball with this one.

I doubt that SNL (Società Navigazione del Lago di Lugano) would take an interest in it. It is the only SNL I know.

I was referring to Saturday Night Live.

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/

actually as funny as this all is...physiologically speaking, the proper way that the body should be positioned when doing your business is ....from a standing position, squat, but not all the way down....kind of in a position between standing straight up and your quads being completely horizontal...the reason is because you want to keep the intestinal tract in a more elongated place in order to allow things to move freely down...and let gravity take over ...having to do less pushing and possibly straining yourself (hemmorroids etc)....sitting on a toilet or squatting too far down, can crunch up the intestinal tract in a way to make things alittle more difficult to come out as easy.....

Thank you Doctor Lingba for that technicolor and very interesting presentation.

Arthritis from the practice of squatting over the toilet???!!!............Give me a break.....It takes alot more joint abuse than toilet squating to develope arthritis....Now I can see already having arthritis already and agravating the issue from squatting...who comes up with this ridiculous stuff?

The article does not claim it is only squat toilets that cause arthritis in the knees. It assumes that most people realize that and it was not worth mentioning.

I have had to install a western style toilet for my 86 year old mother in law as she could not use the squat toilet any more.

The number of times I have seen Thais using there knees makes me wonder why the problem is not more wide spread. As for squatting on sit down toilets well hire trainable girls.

actually as funny as this all is...physiologically speaking, the proper way that the body should be positioned when doing your business is ....from a standing position, squat, but not all the way down....kind of in a position between standing straight up and your quads being completely horizontal...the reason is because you want to keep the intestinal tract in a more elongated place in order to allow things to move freely down...and let gravity take over ...having to do less pushing and possibly straining yourself (hemmorroids etc)....sitting on a toilet or squatting too far down, can crunch up the intestinal tract in a way to make things alittle more difficult to come out as easy.....

I remember seeing carvings in Mount Albion in Oxhoca (sorry about the spelling) Mexico off Zapotec Indians giving birth that way.

actually as funny as this all is...physiologically speaking, the proper way that the body should be positioned when doing your business is ....from a standing position, squat, but not all the way down....kind of in a position between standing straight up and your quads being completely horizontal...the reason is because you want to keep the intestinal tract in a more elongated place in order to allow things to move freely down...and let gravity take over ...having to do less pushing and possibly straining yourself (hemmorroids etc)....sitting on a toilet or squatting too far down, can crunch up the intestinal tract in a way to make things alittle more difficult to come out as easy.....

Sounds reasonable to me. I seem to remember some years ago when buying a new toilet in the UK that was a bit lower than normal the reason given was the position was better. Squats can't be easy when you get older and must be impossible if you're disabled. I think this is a good move although I don't know if it will affect tourism but I'm sure the squats do make westerners including me uneasy. I think the best solution is both types which might stop the problem of toilet seats with footprints on them. Oh and keep the bumguns.

agree wth this keep the bumguns i hate when having to go at tesco or big c and only can clean with paper , takes forever to get a decent handfull out from those rolls and it does not even clean well , my sister when she visited a while back did buy one of those sprayers just have it hanging on the toilets radiator cos water in the winter in holland is like freezing cold

"Deputy Public Health Minister Cholanan Srikaew said that squat toilets are a major contributor to osteoarthritis in the knee."

And what evidence does he have for this? Did this perhaps come out of his rear end?

Since I've lived in Thailand for several years I'm wondering if someone has cornered the market on sit down toilets and is ready to cash in.

Wayne