The week that was in Thailand news: Thailand's new swearword – Minivans!

[rooster59]

The week that was in Thailand news: Thailand's new swearword – Minivans!

 

 

There was a few weeks last year when every time you looked at anything online it was connected to Pokemon Go. I wanted to wring the neck of the inventors – but the feeling passed as more serious news kicked the little critters into touch. Thank goodness.

But this week no matter where you looked came another word every bit as prevalent – Minivans! I wouldn’t be surprised if Thailand’s fruitiest cuss word about water monitors was now going to be usurped with something like “ay rot tuu” on the coarse lips of the swearing public.

But hardly surprising that they came in for such vitriol after a week in the Thai news when the vans and their drivers were front and central as the appalling carnage on the roads took center stage once again on the “seven deadly days” of New Year.

This safety campaign at New Year and Songkran and the reporting of the accidents stats at such times is actually one almighty big smokescreen. When the deaths were tallied up they came to just under seventy a day. Exactly what you’d expect for any day on the Thai roads, campaign or no campaign.

But those minivans emerged almost as a kind of scapegoat to hide behind. Sure the inferno that incinerated 25 lives in Chonburi was horrendous. The letting off of a driver for those bald tires appalling. But the government response was equally disgraceful.

During the seven days the interior ministry commented, then the tourism ministry – finally the transport department thought they better say something.

I was all ready for the general PM to set up a Ministry of Carnage to look into the problems but instead in his Friday address to the nation he went on record to say that the laws would be tightened but it needed the public to obey them. But then he doesn’t mention the police.

For foreigners or Thais can bang on about the issue as much as they like with their calls for tachometers, stringency and increased regulation but nothing, and I mean nothing, will change while a corrupt (albeit under resourced, underpaid and under trained) police force, that does not adequately enforce the law, remains in place.

And frankly not just that – the public must take the blame too for their attitude in conniving with their police force just because it often suits them. Sure, Prayut is right that the public must obey the law but they must stop enabling the corruption too with their laissez-faire attitude.

Perhaps it is time for the people themselves – and I include myself in that - to see they are at the root of the problem and are the only hope for an answer. For as sure as there will be another 70 dead every day next week there will be a million Thais dead in the next forty years if we don’t mend our ways as well as demand action from those that might lead us.

Perhaps everyone needs to take a long hard look at the eerie CCTV footage of the young and hopeful people boarding the minivan in Chanthaburi that would take them to their fiery end. Almost like hapless, unwitting souls entering a crematorium for a shower from another era, another continent. Try some empathy then do something about it.

My final words on the matter were muttered to myself on reading the story that the government had decided to replace minivans with 20 seat “micro-buses” within six months.

Those words were something to do with water monitors.

After all the shocking accidents we really were in need of some light relief and though two handlers and a tourist might disagree, that came in the form of some snappy work from the nation’s crocodiles.

In two separate shows the “trainers” were filmed having an impromptu handshake with the giant beasts while a tourist in Khao Yai thought taking a selfie with one would be a hoot.

Commenting on one of the crocodile farm bites “canuckamuck” gets my award for best quip of the week with: “The next show was delayed for 15 minutes as they had to train a new handler”.

Also adding to the fun was the story that the PM had requested all government departments to ensure that the Thai people were ready for 4.0.

What the hell is 4.0, Rooster thought. An attempt to improve Thai IQ? The score in the latest soccer match versus the team from Laos? A target for limiting the number of hourly road deaths at Songkran? I had no idea so I read on.

Sorry to say that I still have no idea though apparently the project involves innovation, knowledge and technology. And the story included my favorite oxymoron alert of the week – something called “smart farmers”.

Jeez – they’ll be talking about smart politicians next.

There were some great New Year stories for the Thaivisa forum warriors to get their gnarly gnashers into this week. I enjoyed the story of the student who let off a gun in celebration out of a condo window. She was soon sitting in dark glasses in the background as ever present Sanit of the metropolitan force fingered the gun with his latex gloves at the press conference.

Khun Sanit always seems to be on hand for the highest profile social media cases – I get the impression that a mobile unit follows him around so they can apply make-up for all these photo ops. In this case the star of the show sure was cute – if a tad stupid. By that I mean the girl, not the head of police, of course….

Sanit, meanwhile, had gone on record as saying there had been “no violent incidents at New Year”.

I wonder if he got a sheepish phone call later:

“Er…chief, PR department from HQ here. Sorry we didn’t tell you about this earlier but we had a bit of trouble with some shootings at a pub in Bangkok, nothing to write home about, oh and a double, well triple, homicide by a prawn farmer in Prajuab. Storm in a teacup, but might be best to keep quiet about the violent incidents thingy. Cheers, chief, bye now”.

The murders in Prajuab were a heady mix of face saving, revenge, status and blatant disregard for the law – all stemming from the noise at a party and a minor assault on the murderer’s grandson. While the Bangkok shootings were more drug or alcohol fueled mayhem as the young made a desperate attempt not to let their rivals get any older.

Top billing this week went to the story of the heiress to a pharmaceutical firm who arrived home late after a New Year binge at RCA. But the hi-so family weren’t having that. The police swiftly arrested a man for rape in a short time hotel then had to change tack when it was discovered she hadn’t been touched. It remains to be seen if she was even drugged.

But with the cops threatening to prosecute the hotel for allowing a man to stay there with a drunken woman the case began to spiral into a farcical face saving fiasco for the pharma filly. That’s the last of my ‘effing’ on the subject.

And so to this week’s Rooster awards. The “For Gould’s Sake Do You Dingbats Have To Film Everything” award goes to the taxi passenger who videoed the driver talking about the time when he had a woman in his cab; “cor she was a bit of alright, then guess what….blah blah blah”.

Sure, we know that some of these guys are hardly angels but please stop thinking it is your Buddha given right to catch everyone saying anything then post it on Facebook. Stop playing Big Brother and start behaving more like a “phee chai”, if that makes any sense.

While the “Did He Really Say That” award went to the scumbag “Ay Tom” who blamed his stabbing victim for fighting back when he ended his life for an iPhone, then called for justice as people had been horrible to him on social media. Rooster will never be an advocate of the death penalty but I am in favor of mislaying the key to certain people’s cells.

Finally the “Man’s Best Friend” award goes to the guy who deliberate ran over a mangy soi dog who had bitten him and his mum. Of course the Thais were rabidly foaming at the mouth because it happened in a temple and the western dog lovers on the forum were up in paws in disgust, but Rooster loathes these mangy mutts and would sooner they were all rounded up and given to the Vietnamese for a hearty dinner. All in the spirit of friendly ASEAN relations, you understand.

Lastly, rounding up a tumultuous week of Thai news was the on again, off again story of the much trumpeted Pattaya to Hua Hin ferry. When the waves had subsided enough, off she sailed with just a little help from a Thai Navy escort on her maiden voyage. It was back slapping all round as even the prime minister got in on the act to hail this wonderfully successful service that would bring in four billion baht in new revenue for the eastern and western ports. Skeptical Rooster felt patriotically converted.

Especially as it was the only transport that didn’t have an accident this week.  

 

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-01-07

[elgordo38]

18 hours ago, rooster59 said:

But the government response was equally disgraceful.

Key words.

[pumpjack]

how many dead& injured   this year allready ?  

 

downright bloody discracefull

[smudger1951]

The minibuses are not responsible for the high rate of accidents of it is the drivers. So perhaps we could phase them out and replace with the new driverless car technology. 

[mikiea]

41 minutes ago, smudger1951 said:

The minibuses are not responsible for the high rate of accidents of it is the drivers. So perhaps we could phase them out and replace with the new driverless car technology. 

ehhh... or shoot all the van drivers right thru their keesters  high impact 44 mag loads  to reduce sit down time while driving ..

[yooyoo]

4 hours ago, elgordo38 said:

Key words.

More keywords synonymous with Thailand:

 

"general PM to set up a Ministry of Carnage".....

[oldlakey]

5 hours ago, yooyoo said:

More keywords synonymous with Thailand:

 

"general PM to set up a Ministry of Carnage".....

It wont need a minister it will run itself

[Usual Suspect]

Yes indeed...The root of all these incidents are the minivan DRIVERS!..These idiots are the cause of death & injury, not the vehicles..& as ever these morons will drive just as they please despite any new laws coming into play soon.

 (My wife was in a van this morning in the pouring rain...the driver was on his mobile phone through-out the journey!)

[pbeieio]

 OFF!!!!!!!

[LennyW]

New swearword?. i have been swearing about minivans for years!!!!

[Happyman58]

All i can say is that thai people must like living the dangerous life If i was a police man i could of filled my book with bookings  of people driving dangerous in 1 hour It is that bad I think the whole Thai attitude here is when they are driving a car or bike We can do this because we can get away with it Congratulations Thailand you have just taken over from Liberia in Africa as the most dangerous country in the world

[mettech]

Like my opinion I call this driving Jungle Driving everything goes so if out of luck it is an accident if lucky you made it home safely.

Daily routine on the driving.