webfact Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Police Recruit Monks to Help Promote Road SafetyBy Khaosod EnglishMonks gather for a meeting with police in Nakhon Si Thammarat about promoting road safety, 28 July 2015.NAKHON SI THAMMARAT — Police in southern Thailand have asked Buddhist monks to help promote road safety by explaining to temple-goers that accidents are caused by recklessness, not bad karma.Pol.Col. Wanchai Ekpornpitch, deputy commander of Nakhon Si Thammarat police force, told over local 90 monks in an auditorium today that police are looking to cut traffic accident fatalities by half by the year 2020."We want to encourage 100 percent of motorcyclists and their passengers to wear motorcycle helmets, so we invited the monks to listen to accident statistics and other measures, because religious institutions are very important in spreading information, through sermons, discussions, and other public relations efforts with people who make merit at temples," Pol.Col. Wanchai told reporters.Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1438065837 -- Khaosod English 2015-07-28 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spidermike007 Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 It's a start. A bit of a deterrent in the way of enforcement of existing traffic safety laws would be even better. In other words, real police doing real police work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil B Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 (edited) Looking at the picture they look really interested... (look like a bunch of speeding motorist at a speed aware lecture). What ever happened to the police enforcing driving standards??? Edited July 28, 2015 by Basil B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misterwhisper Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I see from the image that at least three monks are taking a nap while the rest look highly interested and alert. And how about that young chap in the lower left corner? Is he involved, too? On the other hand I find this a rather good initiative - if it works. If people believe in the lottery numbers given out to them by monks, chances are they also might take heed about the dangers of reckless driving when the advice comes from the mouth of a saffron-clad holy man. Question is if the monks really want to enlighten their flock that karma is nothing but a myth, thus chipping away at all the hocus pocus that goes for Buddhism in this country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khwaibah Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 (edited) Looking at the picture they look really interested... (look like a bunch of speeding motorist at a speed aware lecture). What ever happened to the police enforcing driving standards??? Kid in the lower left is differently interested. NOT. Two in the top right are asleep. Edited July 28, 2015 by khwaibah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatOngo Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 LOS gets more bizarre by the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphod reborn Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 How about the monk on the far right doing the face palm? He must be thinking, there goes my fake amulet business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clockman Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Amazing Thailand! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NongKhaiKid Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Did they arrive at the briefing in a fleet of pickups with the monks crammed in the back as is usual where I live ? Road safety ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z42 Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Haha when all else fails.. Wheel in the monks.. It's fair to say that Thailand really doesn't have a police force to speak of. Even by the diabolically low standards of the BIB here this is uncharted territory. Good for a laugh though :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneday Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Poor misguided fools. They will just never get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lupatria Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Please sort out the drunks and drug addicted before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seastallion Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 It is a start, and a reasonable approach.....except for two things; 1. How many of the monks, especially senior monks, will like the idea of undercutting the karma business, and 2. If this is a trial, wouldn't it be better to do it in an area that has not got such a large Muslim population who will not be getting the message and thus will skew any results. The police should not have mentioned karma. They should have asked the monks to get the message across simply from a humanitarian POV to lower the death toll. And helmets are the same as ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.....accident prevention is the key, not injury mitigation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALLSEEINGEYE Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 they want to "encourage" people to use helmets? I would like to encourage the BIB to do their jobs and "enforce" laws. Lazy, useless, stupid and corrupt. The perfect storm of incompetence. Fire them all and start over without the culture of paying for your positions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outsider Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Why can't they just enforce the damned law??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Croker Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Please sort out the drunks and drug addicted before. Why sort them out? they will fit right in with their hosts I believe they were picked mostly for their high visibility values. Put a monk on every high risk hotspot, everyone will take notice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northernphil Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 The lad on the left looks like he has wandered outside the 300m zone and had a drop of Sangsom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davehowden Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I read it as "Monkeys" rather than "Monks", but then looking at the picture maybe I was right first time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyUK1960 Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 They need to start with media education on driving safely. It is education that is required then when you have that in place it is enforcement. The driving test is absolutely useless, making applicants watch a video that is nearly 2 hours long just sends them to sleep. It requires some on road driving with examiner sat next to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyUK1960 Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 They need to start with media education on driving safely. It is education that is required then when you have that in place it is enforcement. The driving test is absolutely useless, making applicants watch a video that is nearly 2 hours long just sends them to sleep. It requires some on road driving with examiner sat next to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyUK1960 Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 They need to start with media education on driving safely. It is education that is required then when you have that in place it is enforcement. The driving test is absolutely useless, making applicants watch a video that is nearly 2 hours long just sends them to sleep. It requires some on road driving with examiner sat next to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyUK1960 Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 They need to start with media education on driving safely. It is education that is required then when you have that in place it is enforcement. The driving test is absolutely useless, making applicants watch a video that is nearly 2 hours long just sends them to sleep. It requires some on road driving with examiner sat next to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil B Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 (edited) Now how do you make saffron, florescent? Edited July 28, 2015 by Basil B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Americano555 Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 LOL............... When I'm feeling blue...I just read Thai Visa....and have a chuckle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slapout Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Don't stop yet make up rank chevrons with velco backing to give to the monks . Start at private and go up to sergeant major rank for the older more obese ones and you will get the attention of some folks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangon04 Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 use them as traffic cones on roads where there are accident blackspots?? As other posters have pointed out, the monks cannot now explain to their gullible flock that wearing a motorcycle helmet every time they ride will be more effective than carrying a lucky charm, and will also change the odds of Karma taking effect..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khaowong1 Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I think this group was just glad to get away from a day of boring chores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckmandon Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 It's a start. A bit of a deterrent in the way of enforcement of existing traffic safety laws would be even better. In other words, real police doing real police work. Why would they do something when they can get someone else to do it for them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuanku Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Maybe if the monks manned the road checkpoints leaving the police free to do some policing, we would get somewhere. They wear the right colour clothes for it and I for one would be more up for making merit with a donation to a monk if I get caught out than to pay an un-reciepted "fine" to a police officer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbthailand Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 could we just have decent driving schools, make sure that everyone is properly trained to drive, and that drivers actually have licenses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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