PHOTOS: Social media reacts to Thailand's new rules on riding in a pick up

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Nice try, lads

 

 

 

 

Does this still count?

 

 

 

Car manufacturers are said to have already started production on a 'Thailand Only' range of pick up truck

 

 

 

 

Nothing is going to stop me enjoying Songkran

 

 

Someone didn't get the memo

 

 

 

Hide in the box! They'll never know

 

 

 

Cartoon of the day

[darksidedog]

Very inventive. I especially like the ones with the guys riding on the outside, but not in the back.

Nice to see some humour in the protest.

[webfact]

New transport order crashes into a mocking social media response
By The Nation

 

Dr Lab Panda

 

BANGKOK: -- Thailand remains the “land of smiles” despite the series of political upheavals and natural disasters the Kingdom has experienced in recent years. 

 

The latest proof of that resilient good humour comes after the government issued orders under the allpowerful Article 44 to strictly enforce existing rules for motorists requiring them to wear seatbelts, limiting the number of passengers in pickup cabs and banning passengers from riding in the back cargo beds.

 

Ahead of the Songkran Festival next week, when thousands of people will hit the road to visit their hometowns, the measures are meant to curb the road death toll during the notoriously bloody holiday. 

 

As such, the requirements for people to buckle up are welcome, but many people have cried foul about the rules regarding passengers in pickup cabs and cargo beds, which effectively bans a very common mode of transport in the Kingdom. 

 

On the serious side, the order effectively leaves many people, particularly lowincome earners, with no transport options during the long holiday, but the sense of humour displayed on social media mocking the authorities’ decision is drawing the most attention.

 

Police have insisted the regulations have existed for a long time, but were not fully implemented. In truth, they were rarely even partially enforced, although they can result in serious consequences as passengers sitting in the rear cargo beds are especially vulnerable to serious injury or death in an accident.

 

However, people have criticised the order, which went into effect yesterday, as being too rushed and failing to allow enough time for people to adjust their travel plans, particularly for Songkran, which begins on April 13. 

 

The criticism has been heard most loudly on social networks, Facebook in particular. While there is clearly genuine anger and unhappiness at the inconvenience cause by the order, most striking has been the creative humour illustrating the problems with the new rules.

 

One Facebook user, “Nong Ton Korhuai”, addressed the twoperson limit for passengers in a pickup cab, posting photos and a video of him putting his young daughter in a cardboard box – effectively turning her into “cargo” instead of another passenger inside his pickup cab to avoid breaking the rules. 

 

“Lower your head, my little girl, I have to do this. I have no money to buy a new car. I know I look happy but deep down in my heart, I’m very sad. I could not let my daughter stay alone during the festival,” he wrote.

 

The video drew about 2 million views in just three hours.

 

Facebook users also made fun of the ban on passengers riding in the cargo bed of trucks, given the Songkran tradition of watersplashing from barrels of water carried in truck cargo beds. A medical laboratory scientist well known on Facebook as “Dr Lab Panda” because of the dark circles around his eyes, photoshopped an image showing him sitting on the bonnet of a pickup with a big bucket and a bowl, ready to participate in the festival from his precarious perch.

 

Another user posted a photo of a couple lying in a pickup’s cargo bed with a sign reading: “No sitting in the cargo bed.”

 

Last is a photo of a police pickup and a statement pointing out that police usually transport detainees in truck cargo beds. Setting aside questions of enforcement, even the authorities will be in a quandary if they want to follow the new rules.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30311408

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-04-06

[Thailand]

There will be exceptions.

[Thailand]

Just occurred to me, the pending purchase of even more tanks.

 

Are they going to be used to enforce the old laws that may now be enforced?Strategically placed they could blast the offending pick up trucks off the face of Thailand, there would obviously be collateral damage but quite acceptable. 

 

And of course good practice in the case of invasion from outer space.

[whatawonderfulday]

Beyond a shadow of doubt it proves, if any further proof was needed, the complete and utter stupidity of these individuals

[wakeupplease]

Some even better ones on FB, so funny even made me smile, see there is a lot of talent here but sadly suppressed

 

But please keep safe over the hols and have a great time.

[Jonathan Fairfield]

[CMBob]

4 hours ago, Thailand said:

Just occurred to me, the pending purchase of even more tanks.

 

What about the pending purchase of the three Chinese submarines?  Heck, once the rains come and the Bangkok roads flood, that'd be a perfect use of those new submarines.  I wonder if they come with seat belts....

[Wilsonandson]

'One rule for them and another rule for us'

[Wilsonandson]

Found some more funny pickup photos that were circulated yesterday and today on the Thai social media sites.

 

Edited April 6, 2017 by Wilsonandson

[elgordo38]

15 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Very inventive. I especially like the ones with the guys riding on the outside, but not in the back.

Nice to see some humour in the protest.

I guess they could buckle them up to the outside of the vehicle. 

[timendres]

6 hours ago, whatawonderfulday said:

Beyond a shadow of doubt it proves, if any further proof was needed, the complete and utter stupidity of these individuals

As does your post.

[whatawonderfulday]

1 hour ago, timendres said:

As does your post.

Clearly anyone like yourself who condones riding in a pick-up is challenged mentality from a safety perspective.   Suggest you go and tell the grieving relatives of the soon to be dead that is was safe for them to ride in the back of a pick up truck and their child or elderly relative are only dead due to someone else's fault or sheer bad luck.

[overherebc]

5 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Jonathan the Prophet on that one. Only problem I can see is the doors on the ones coming soon to a place near you will be from different makes and models.

??

[JAFO]

Back in the states people regularly rode in the back of pick up trucks, in fact as a kid it was a treat. I always loved it. Then somewhere along the line it was determined by some group of old men that it was unsafe and then came the ban and subsequent tickets generating more money. For a short spell the law allowed you to sit in the back as long as it had a seat with a seat belt. A few car makers offered the option (I think Subaru did). That got banned. Then came the law people could ride in the back if there was a camper shell or camper. That got banned. Now mind you the reason the entire time was safety albeit reported deaths from people in the back was virtually none. We can all argue 1 is too many but who's life is it anyway, mine or the governments? Let the debates and protests begin....

 

While I respect the danger risk all the foreigners that want it all to be like their home country will soon get it all how they want it then will complain about Thailand being a Nanny country...555555

 

Enjoy the ride, there will be more to come. 

[mrwebb8825]

On 4/6/2017 at 6:21 AM, Thailand said:

Just occurred to me, the pending purchase of even more tanks.

 

Are they going to be used to enforce the old laws that may now be enforced?Strategically placed they could blast the offending pick up trucks off the face of Thailand, there would obviously be collateral damage but quite acceptable. 

 

And of course good practice in the case of invasion from outer space.

The tanks are being sent to Chieng Mai to enforce the new "Attempted Homicide" Song Kran law for those that try and get free water from the moat to splash. 

[MaxLee]

One day, the ruling institute that must not be named, will shut down Thailand 's Internet Communication System,......


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