Nine Cambodians killed in Thai road accident

[kimamey]

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19 in a mini van... the last new clip says 20.... I thought the maximum was 17 alt=blink.png width=20 height=20>

I understood most of these mini buses -private hire were 12 passengers seated----were these persons or SARDENES. ??

Considering most of the larger mini vans have three rows of four seats, one row of three seats plus driver and front seat passenger equals 17 people. Where they fit 20 people I have no idea.

On the floor between the seats. These are Khmer people not 200lb farangs. They can squeeze tight. I feel sorry for these people, dirt poor, probably saved up a few hundred baht for their simple Songkran in their village and now their families will have funerals instead of fun.

Blame surely lies squarely with the driver;

Too damned sad..

I couldn't agree more. Something could be done to cut the deaths but that would mean things like proper driving tests which many wouldn't pass so any party that proposed it would have trouble getting votes.

It's a big job but it needs to be started but it's difficult to see anything being done.

I recently gave a lift to one of my wife's work colleagues. She not been to university as so many seem to have but she's not uneducated. I suggested that she put on the seatbelt, which she did but then said 'But Kim this is Thailand'. I'd no idea that there was a geographical element to inertia and the transfer of kinetic energy when you car hits something.

With that attitude is there any hope?

RIP

[ginjag]

I'm not sure who you are referring to when you say 'US' but I work and live in Thailand. I am protected by Thai labor laws which ensure I get paid an above average salary. I do have rights as an employee and there are labor rules which stipulate to my employer a maximum amount of hours I should work, a minimum pay and a minimum amount of paid holiday and sick leave amongst many other rights. I receive a very good standard of medical insurance which is another of the labor rules for those of my circumstance. The Cambodian workers who Loles is referring to do not have these luxuries and so their situation is really not similar to mine at all.

This is you. and a small % of others. I am speaking for MOST of the RETIRED ex pats and visitors here, I love it but know full well no matter how much money you spend here or how good you are to the country with free help and the rest we tend to be classed as necessary evils.

I get along fine in my area-integrate as much as possible but still know the score.

Good for you if you want to work and get the benefits---with a permit to work and have the comforts to boot --Brilliant.

To compare your situation to a Cambodian worker is extraordinary. I work and am entitled to benefits as should they be but unfortunately they are not given this same benefit and many are even enslaved.

What rights do you feel you are being denied?

Extraordinary ??? The slave bit-agree as any migrant worker is treated.

I spend the best part of my money here and have done for 33 years, In return for my millions over the years I have to report every 90 days, twin tariffs at most places, gunned by the police on the road, little protection for us as in law, we pay for all medical, usually driving incidents we have to pay.

I am not comparing retirees here to Cambodian worker -but making a point that Thai will win in any case.

Burmese and Laos workers are looked on as lower class, and agree are USED. My other point is we are used and exploited to a certain extent.

[unanimosity]

So where is the road rage tie-in to this post? The newsletter emphasizes road rage but apparently it is a bogus reference. Is tis not disrespectful to the nine Cambodian souls that perished?

[unanimosity]

Where is the road rage tie-in to this OP? The newsletter emphasizes road rage but the accident makes no mention of it. Is this not disrespectful to the nine Cambodian souls that perished to sensationalize them in a headline of untruth?

[yooper2001]

Until Thailand appoints a competent minister of transportation this will be a weekly experience. I will never understand how such a incompetent person can keep his job and still be paid. I would turn over traffic control to the military for 6 months until a real police force can be trained. Thailand is not a third world country and should be held up to higher standards.

[RuskiCat]

This is under the topic of "Road Rage," at Songkrat.

Do the roads really get angry and cause bus-drivers to fly from it, into tress, drunkenly killing passengers?

Maybe they need to use a non-Buddhist pavement?

I wonder if the same thing kills students in American schools, when the gun of a Riddlin using liberal suddenly forces itself into some poor helpless sap's hands and takes over his Obama-dong schlarving brain and orders him to kill helpless children?

Has UCLA or Yale done any studies on this? Maybe they can use left-over funding from the global warming hoax? There has to be SOME thing we can do, as socialist commie leaning brain-dead twerps, to promote this!

Occupy Pavement!

Oooops. Did you say Cambodians? Sorry. My bad.

Obama brainwashed, ridilin eating, global warming hoaxing, socialist, commie Cambodians are forcing Thais to crash their cars? I'll have 2 of whatever you are having! I bet its catamine. Did they slip that to you instead of your normal yaba?

In any case. Reckless driving does seem to go along with Mai pen rai attitude. I can't say I seen the neighbors do any better. In fact here in Asia only Singapore and Japan had any sort of order as far as I saw.

Edited April 11, 2014 by RuskiCat

[Bigfarang1948]

Sawatdee Phi Mai.

Even in the newer vans seating for about 14 maybe but the drivers just keep packing them in until there are 24 in a van between Nom Sam and Udon thani. U could not find a seatbelt or buckle it because of crowding; shame on the operator and owner; pure profit driven madness

[NativeSon360]

19 in a mini van... the last new clip says 20.... I thought the maximum was 17

So what's your point? Huh? For heaven's sake, stay on topic. Nine people have lost their lives, as a result of placing a "public safety trust" into the hands of another knucklehead chauffeur. The tragedy is the topic, sir!

[NativeSon360]

Sawatdee Phi Mai.

Even in the newer vans seating for about 14 maybe but the drivers just keep packing them in until there are 24 in a van between Nom Sam and Udon thani. U could not find a seatbelt or buckle it because of crowding; shame on the operator and owner; pure profit driven madness

SHAME? After 3,500 years of cultural developmental history, if they have no sense responsible public safety by now, then it ain't ever gonna happen. Welcome to SE Asia.

[NativeSon360]

Until Thailand appoints a competent minister of transportation this will be a weekly experience. I will never understand how such a incompetent person can keep his job and still be paid. I would turn over traffic control to the military for 6 months until a real police force can be trained. Thailand is not a third world country and should be held up to higher standards.

WRONG! Thailand has First World infrastrucure, but the "should be's" don't count. The cultural "mentality" of the people remains very Third World. Try paying attention to the "realities" of SE Asia, and rid yourself of the western fantasies you've embraced, regarding "Smoke & Mirrors" Thailand. It will NOT change.

[NativeSon360]

Until Thailand appoints a competent minister of transportation this will be a weekly experience. I will never understand how such a incompetent person can keep his job and still be paid. I would turn over traffic control to the military for 6 months until a real police force can be trained. Thailand is not a third world country and should be held up to higher standards.

WRONG! Thailand has First World infrastrucure, but the "should be's" don't count. The cultural "mentality" of the people remains very Third World. Try paying attention to the "realities" of SE Asia, and rid yourself of the western fantasies you've embraced, regarding "Smoke & Mirrors" Thailand. It will NOT change, until Singapore arrives.

[DLP]

19 in a mini van... the last new clip says 20.... I thought the maximum was 17

Does it really make any difference to the outcome whether it was 17 or 20.

It does to the other three.

[bbbbooboo]

Stupid IS what stupid DOES?......year after year after year

[wellred]

Sawatdee Phi Mai.

Almost a good example of how serious problems are ignored.

When I read stories like this I just chuckle. Not because of the deceased, but because I can't understand how any society can not after so many accidents stand up and demand change.

[kevin2852]

Same old story, small vehicles, loaded to the brim, bad tires and brakes and going too fast. Maybe the real answer is to just simply, make the Police in every town they go through pull them over and start fining the drivers or defecting the cars.

[peecee]

Sawatdee Phi Mai.

Bad taste or what? these were people with families. RIP.

[bbbbooboo]

It's not actually road rage......it's more like road stupidity

[searcherkind666]

What Thailand needs is a real motor vehicle inspection system .

[Joe Bloggs]

In my mathematics 9 + 14 = 23 As the article states that nine were killed and fourteen others were hospitalised it cannot have been a minibus unless it was grossly overloaded. Please see "Legal definition of a minibus"

http://www.minibuswebsite.com/htm/definition.htm

Most vehicles suffer from poor braking when loaded to maximum capacity. Only vehicles such as Range Rovers and Bugatti Veyrons that have enormous ventilated disc brakes can be trusted to stop. Budget quality vehicles that only have drum brakes can be very very iffy (guess how I know?). OK if the vehicle is only driven on level ground at moderate speeds drum brakes will be OK. The problem arises on hills as there is a vast amount of potential energy to dissipate.

Say we have twenty people on the minibus each weighing 75 kilos. That is 1.5 tonnes of people. Lets say the minibus weighs 2.5 tonnes empty, we now get a total weight of 4 tonnes. Now imagine that the minibus has to descend a hill that is 100 metres high. In its descent it will lose 4 Megajoules of energy. Assuming that the gradient is a mere 1 in 20 the 100 metre drop will involve 2KM of road. Now here is the interesting part, lets assume that the brakes are used to prevent the speed from rising above 60 KM/H. At this speed the 2KM will only take two minutes so the power dissipation from the brakes will be 2 Megajoules minute or approximately 33 kilowatts. (this dissipation is for a moderate gradient that is descended at a moderate speed) Note that with drum brakes the entire 33 kilowatts has to make its way through the cast iron brake drum so overheating and brake fade is likely. At 120 KM/H which is now a fairly standard highway speed in Europe, the brake dissipation on such a grade would be about 66 kilowatts and this is just to stop the speed from rising. To actually brake to a standstill the vehicle's Kinetic Energy also has to be disposed of. Nice big heavy duty ventilated disc brakes will do this easily but undersized drum brakes can be very iffy. This is especially the case with soft high-friction brake linings which do have the cost advantage of not requiring a brake servo. The de-luxe Ferodo VG95 brake lining resists brake-fade very well but unless one has legs as strong as an elephant's, a brake servo is essential.

Of course it is possible to use a "Jake Brake" or a Telma Electric Retarder but these cost money!.

Always remember the golden rule "Never start something unless you can stop it!" Over in the UK standards are SO much higher as at one MOT test the tester was quibbling over a brake force of 800 kilos per wheel on a Range Rover! (Allegedly he has now been sacked!)

RIP for all the victims and I do hope that the injured get well soon.

[Lite Beer]

Nine Cambodians killed in van crash
The Nation

Pol Lt-General Ruangsak Jritake, assistant national police commissioner for traffic, performs a blood-alcohol check on a motorist at a checkpoint in Saraburi.

BANGKOK: -- A dozen others injured in tragic start to Songkran's '7 dangerous days'

The Seven Dangerous Days of Songkran 2014 started with nine Cambodians killed and burned inside an overturned van on a road in Chanthaburi yesterday.

The driver of the vehicle, carrying Cambodian workers, lost control on the main road from Bangkok to Chanthaburi. The van overturned, and crashed into a roadside tree in the morning.

The vehicle burst into flames, and it took rescue workers more than 20 minutes to put the fire out.

"Nine charred bodies were found inside," Pol Lt-Colonel Chatchai Chaiphet said. He is an inspector at Thung Benja Police Station in Chanthaburi's Tha Mai district.

Chatchai said 12 victims were also thrown out of the vehicle during the crash and survived. "We have sent them to local hospitals for treatment," he said.

According to an investigation, the van driver - a Thai woman - was among the survivors. "The workers were heading to a border checkpoint so that they could spend their Songkran holiday in their home town," Chatchai said.

The accident took place as authorities and many partner organisations struggle to promote road safety during the Songkran Festival.

Millions of people hit the road during the Songkran break each year, raising the risks of accidents.

The Songkran period is called the Seven Dangerous Days because of its grim road-casualty record. This year, the Dangerous Days will run until April 17.

The Road Safety Directing Centre will report the road toll every day during this period and analyse the cause of accidents in a bid to guide officials on how best to prevent casualties.

"We are strictly enforcing traffic laws," Interior Minister Charupong Ruangsuwan said yesterday.

He placed a strong emphasis on the control of alcohol consumption and the need to designate water-splashing zones.

Deputy Interior Minister Visarn Techateerawat said relevant authorities hoped to keep the toll from Songkran accidents at no more than 300 this year.

Pol Lt-General Ruangsak Jritake, assistant National Police commissioner for traffic affairs, took a helicopter ride to monitor traffic conditions himself yesterday. Heavy traffic was seen along main roads out of Bangkok.

Saraburi, a province just north of the capital, had a traffic back-up several kilometres long as a huge number of revellers began their Songkran journey home.

-- The Nation 2014-04-12

[Joe Bloggs]

I spent a lot of time writing an explanation of power dissipation in brakes and the system binned it. Great its getting worse than Wiki.

RIP to all the victims.

[JoePai]

In my mathematics 9 + 14 = 23 As the article states that nine were killed and fourteen others were hospitalised it cannot have been a minibus unless it was grossly overloaded. Please see "Legal definition of a minibus"

http://www.minibuswebsite.com/htm/definition.htm

Most vehicles suffer from poor braking when loaded to maximum capacity. Only vehicles such as Range Rovers and Bugatti Veyrons that have enormous ventilated disc brakes can be trusted to stop. Budget quality vehicles that only have drum brakes can be very very iffy (guess how I know?). OK if the vehicle is only driven on level ground at moderate speeds drum brakes will be OK. The problem arises on hills as there is a vast amount of potential energy to dissipate.

Say we have twenty people on the minibus each weighing 75 kilos. That is 1.5 tonnes of people. Lets say the minibus weighs 2.5 tonnes empty, we now get a total weight of 4 tonnes. Now imagine that the minibus has to descend a hill that is 100 metres high. In its descent it will lose 4 Megajoules of energy. Assuming that the gradient is a mere 1 in 20 the 100 metre drop will involve 2KM of road. Now here is the interesting part, lets assume that the brakes are used to prevent the speed from rising above 60 KM/H. At this speed the 2KM will only take two minutes so the power dissipation from the brakes will be 2 Megajoules minute or approximately 33 kilowatts. (this dissipation is for a moderate gradient that is descended at a moderate speed) Note that with drum brakes the entire 33 kilowatts has to make its way through the cast iron brake drum so overheating and brake fade is likely. At 120 KM/H which is now a fairly standard highway speed in Europe, the brake dissipation on such a grade would be about 66 kilowatts and this is just to stop the speed from rising. To actually brake to a standstill the vehicle's Kinetic Energy also has to be disposed of. Nice big heavy duty ventilated disc brakes will do this easily but undersized drum brakes can be very iffy. This is especially the case with soft high-friction brake linings which do have the cost advantage of not requiring a brake servo. The de-luxe Ferodo VG95 brake lining resists brake-fade very well but unless one has legs as strong as an elephant's, a brake servo is essential.

Of course it is possible to use a "Jake Brake" or a Telma Electric Retarder but these cost money!.

Always remember the golden rule "Never start something unless you can stop it!" Over in the UK standards are SO much higher as at one MOT test the tester was quibbling over a brake force of 800 kilos per wheel on a Range Rover! (Allegedly he has now been sacked!)

RIP for all the victims and I do hope that the injured get well soon.

Nice try but can you please recalculate using real world number e.g. people weighing 75 KG - with the number of females I would suggest half that weight plus the weight of van would be nearer 2 tonnes ?

[sae57]

Buddhist New Year???

It's the traditional Thai new year. The Buddhist new year is Visaka, in June this year.

But this has gone beyond toleration, this repeated horror. Are things seriously getting worse or is it more reporting? -I've travelled in vans designed for 15 packed with over 20... No more!

--S

In Theravadin countries, eg Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Laos, the Buddhist New Year is celebrated from the first full moon day in April. Cambodians weren't going home for Thai new year after all. I thought Vesak was Buddha's birthday.

Vesak (there are multiple spellings) celebrates the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha. The Buddhist era begins with his death. Thus if there were a Buddhist New Year it would be on Visaka. Songkran is a festival celebrated throughout the region, said to have originated in India. Nothing to do with Buddhism. Right: they were going home to celebrate Songkran not the Thai new year. Sorry, I realized that after I logged off. It's probably the traditional new year for Cambodia and Lao as well. Burma? I don't know.

[kieran2698]

I'm not sure who you are referring to when you say 'US' but I work and live in Thailand. I am protected by Thai labor laws which ensure I get paid an above average salary. I do have rights as an employee and there are labor rules which stipulate to my employer a maximum amount of hours I should work, a minimum pay and a minimum amount of paid holiday and sick leave amongst many other rights. I receive a very good standard of medical insurance which is another of the labor rules for those of my circumstance. The Cambodian workers who Loles is referring to do not have these luxuries and so their situation is really not similar to mine at all.

This is you. and a small % of others. I am speaking for MOST of the RETIRED ex pats and visitors here, I love it but know full well no matter how much money you spend here or how good you are to the country with free help and the rest we tend to be classed as necessary evils.

I get along fine in my area-integrate as much as possible but still know the score.

Good for you if you want to work and get the benefits---with a permit to work and have the comforts to boot --Brilliant.

To compare your situation to a Cambodian worker is extraordinary. I work and am entitled to benefits as should they be but unfortunately they are not given this same benefit and many are even enslaved.

What rights do you feel you are being denied?

Extraordinary ??? The slave bit-agree as any migrant worker is treated.

I spend the best part of my money here and have done for 33 years, In return for my millions over the years I have to report every 90 days, twin tariffs at most places, gunned by the police on the road, little protection for us as in law, we pay for all medical, usually driving incidents we have to pay.

I am not comparing retirees here to Cambodian worker -but making a point that Thai will win in any case.

Burmese and Laos workers are looked on as lower class, and agree are USED. My other point is we are used and exploited to a certain extent.

Some countries allow people to buy citizenship, it's a terrible idea and I'm glad that Thailand does not.

[art vandelay]

good start to the songkran 'festivities' - wasn't i reading yesterday that the PM has 'instructed' the provinces to work to reduce the number of fatalities this songkran?!

[Borzandy]

Yesterday, I drove from Pattaya to Hua Hin, I saw 2 road accidents, 4 killed and a lot of injuries. Nice Phetkasem road.

[fabphil]

DH drivers cant handle these vans its either stop or flat out...

[Teddy3943]

The insanity begins

This is not the beginning.... it continues and will continue as long as LOS has incapable and powerless authorities.

[Jeremy50]

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The insanity begins

Yep. And being typically Thai they say that it's the roads ...............CRAP ! I have been driving here over 9 years 0 accidents! It's common knowledge to anyone with half a brain that it's NOT the roads..............it's the Thais !!!

The insanity is every day of the year, and will continue until sweeping changes are made in Thai driving habits and law enforcement.

[londonthai]

Nine Cambodians killed in van crash

The Nation

the picture is implying car accident due to drink driving, but there was nothing so far in the reports about a female driver being tipsy