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EDITORIAL

Let’s stop turning a blind eye

The Nation 

 

In Ayutthaya, more innocent souls perish simply because we don’t care about helping others

 

BANGKOK: -- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. The quotation is most often attributed to Edmund Burke, the 18th-century Irish statesman, and it applies well to the tragedy on the Chao Phraya River in Ayutthaya this past weekend.

Government officials were very likely among the witnesses who saw around 150 people board a boat that was designed to carry 50 passengers. No one said anything, and at least 27 of those passengers died.

 

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Lets-stop-turning-a-blind-eye-30295785.html

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2016-09-21

[taichiplanet]

and what about not turning a blind eye to the 55 or so people that die every day on Thai roads!

Edited September 20, 2016 by taichiplanet

[BigBadGeordie]

"Apart from concern over our own safety and that of the public in general, we should recognise that tragedies like this send an awful message about Thailand to the world. We are to Western eyes a Third World country overrun with corruption and insensible to risk. 

Tens of thousands of foreign tourists enjoy cruises along the Chao Phraya River every year, taking in the grand temples of the current and former capitals. Tourism is Thailand's biggest money earner, and yet tourists' lives are forever being put at risk. We endanger them and allow scammers to cheat them, and if we have the chance to speak up and object on behalf of our guests, we remain mute and avert our gaze. Let someone else worry about it."

 

It appears at least one journalist has woken up to the reality of Thai society.

 

I suspect the individual will be castigated and called in for a spot of AA. For another trait of Thai culture is the constant desire to "shoot the messenger" rather than deal with the real problem.

[trogers]

You can be found guilty and jailed for pointing out the truth. So, please, turn a blind eye. This is Thailand.

[williamgeorgeallen]

this is all bad publicity and thailand really does not need more of that. blame the piece of cement in the river that caused the problem so we can all move on as quickly as possible.

[OMGImInPattaya]

The primary blame of course lies with the boat operator for this tragedy and government officials who likely turned a blind eye to the passenger overloading. However, this practice is well known and the tour leader/organizer for this group should have assertained the maximum capacity of the boat and seen to it that it was observed.

[ratcatcher]

Just now, OMGImInPattaya said:

The primary blame of course lies with the boat operator for this tragedy and government officials who likely turned a blind eye to the passenger overloading. However, this practice is well known and the tour leader/organizer for this group should have assertained the maximum capacity of the boat and seen to it that it was observed.

I  agree with you but there is also the owner of the vessel, who may bear some responsibility in this case. The captain (operator, driver, steersman, whatever) was the man in charge of the vessel and may have had orders to carry more than the designated passenger capacity. The speed at which the boat was travelling when it passed a smaller wooden vessel is an indication of rash operation by the captain. The Chao Phraya at the moment is in full flow and actions like this, witnessed in the video, are sheer foolishness. 

As many posters on this and other threads related to this tragedy have said, this is Thailand and they never seem to learn from these disasters.

[OMGImInPattaya]

6 minutes ago, ratcatcher said:

I  agree with you but there is also the owner of the vessel, who may bear some responsibility in this case. The captain (operator, driver, steersman, whatever) was the man in charge of the vessel and may have had orders to carry more than the designated passenger capacity. The speed at which the boat was travelling when it passed a smaller wooden vessel is an indication of rash operation by the captain. The Chao Phraya at the moment is in full flow and actions like this, witnessed in the video, are sheer foolishness. 

As many posters on this and other threads related to this tragedy have said, this is Thailand and they never seem to learn from these disasters.

I meant to include the boat owner, as well as the boat personnel (primarily the captain), when I said "operator."

 

Agree with what you said...that's why it's so important to be proactive in these situations.

[Brer Fox]

31 minutes ago, OMGImInPattaya said:

The primary blame of course lies with the boat operator for this tragedy and government officials who likely turned a blind eye to the passenger overloading. However, this practice is well known and the tour leader/organizer for this group should have assertained the maximum capacity of the boat and seen to it that it was observed.

Your theory as to how to prevent this sort of tourist boat overloading is very sound and very practical; if it applied to most countries except Thailand that is. The loophole of course is that the tour leader is probably the one who organises the boat and the deal with the boat operator and together they pack as many on board so as to make a motza between themselves.

[MrJohnson]

Issues at many levels.

Boat Drivers - Often untrained, inexperienced and reckless - sometimes intoxicated. Overload the boats.

Government officials who do not conduct regular or rigorous inspections of boats and their drivers.

Boat Operator allows (sometimes encourage)the vessel to be overloaded, employs untrained, inexperienced, sometimes intoxicated and reckless drivers and often do not conduct regular maintenance of vessels and do not provide sufficient safety equipment and probably the list goes on.

As with so many of these issues here, the laws exist, they are simply not enforced.

[nakhonandy]

We need to stop turning a blind eye. 

 

Sorry NO

 

The authorities need to do the job they are paid for and enforce the existing laws. 

 

That is all it takes!

[SOTIRIOS]

...if you haven't noticed....greed is rampant....

 

...and we are all fares.....

 

...and there is always a handy excuse to find 'nobody to blame'....

[slapout]

How many government departments are being paid to enforce the rules the ferry boats operate under? When was the last inspection of the ferry made? who is charged with monitoring number of passengers allowed on board? who handles the captains qualifications?Who checks the ferry's owner to see that they monitor ,train, provide safety equipment, etc?

 

We could probably find that there are at least a dozen people who did not do what they are paid to do, from the private and civil work force, who should have been involved in the safety of transport of people on this and many other ferrys operating on the rivers.

[elgordo38]

8 hours ago, taichiplanet said:

and what about not turning a blind eye to the 55 or so people that die every day on Thai roads!

Sorry they are not the flavor of the day. This accident is on the governments radar at the moment. As soon as the military gets done processing the domino players we will get them right on accident prevention. We do after all  have our priorities. 

[soalbundy]

It's the only eyes they have, evolutionary self preservation.

[DrTuner]

Selective vision is right in the core of Thainess.

[lvr181]

9 hours ago, trogers said:

You can be found guilty and jailed for pointing out the truth. So, please, turn a blind eye. This is Thailand.

 

And for feeding a fish!  And yet hiso, rich, powerful, connected and those with the most lame excuse can get away with virtually any transgression of the law.