US Thai groups to demand bodies’ retrieval

[webfact]

US Thai groups to demand bodies’ retrieval

By The Nation

 

 

SEVERAL THAI associations in California will gather today to call for US authorities to speed up the recovery of the bodies of two Thai students and their rental car, according to a respresentative.
 

The comments were made in a video posted by by Siam Town US’s Facebook page.

 

The gathering would include representatives of at least five Thai associations in California, not as a protest but only to demand authorities to start the retrieval operation, as the accident took place half a month ago, said Sriwong Ayasitthi, president of the Thai New Year and Songkran Festival.

 

Police were alerted on July 27 by hotel staff that Bhakapon Chairatanathongporn and Thiwadee Saengsuriyarit, postgraduate students from South Florida University, were missing after they failed to check out of a hotel while their belongings were still in the room.

 

Their rental car was later found in the Sierra Nevada mountain range at the base of a 150-metre cliff in the Kings River. The students were believed to have been heading to Kings Canyon National Park when the accident happened.

 

Sriwong said the group planned to give flowers to the Fresno County Sheriff and others involved to offer them moral support. US officials have said strong winds and bad weather, as well as the high level of water from snowmelt and rapid river current, had prevented them from recovering the victims. 

 

There will also be a candle-lit ceremony at the highway where the accident happened.

 

Meanwhile, a reporter from Nat News TV interviewed a US rescue officer at the scene of the accident who said it was still too dangerous to send rescuers to retrieve the bodies.

 

The officer, who was not named in the video, said the abnormally high levels of snow and rain this year were 150 per cent of average levels. “The water has been still flowing rapidly, making it unsafe to get into the river. The recovery of the bodies and the car is still dangerous.” 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30323700

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-08-14

[Jingthing]

Enough with the shrill demanding. 

Mai bpen rai. 

It's too dangerous now.

 

 

Edited August 13, 2017 by Jingthing

[yankee99]

Unlike here safety seems a priority in California

[sweatalot]

unbelievable stupid - enough  is enough 

Even staying in a civilized country does not improve their intelligence. Idiots

let the Thai teams come in and commit suicide if they think that is right

But first make sure that the US services will not be responsible for their rescue or retrieval and that the Thai pay everything.

Edited August 14, 2017 by sweatalot

[jaiyen]

Same old rubbish !  Thai people demanding want they think is best. Thought they might have learned something living in America

[Bluespunk]

Must be nice to live in a country where even foreigners can protest, eh...

[heybuz]

46 minutes ago, sweatalot said:

unbelievable stupid - enough  is enough 

Even staying in a civilized country does not improve their intelligence. Idiots

let the Thai teams come in and commit suicide if they think that is right

But first make sure that the US services will not be responsible for their rescue or retrieval and that the Thai pay everything.

they had to fly in australian navy divers a few years ago when a plane crashed into a river here

[gandalf12]

2 hours ago, jaiyen said:

Same old rubbish !  Thai people demanding want they think is best. Thought they might have learned something living in America

Pity they dont show such strength back home

[Dustdevil]

I live on a river in the northwestern U.S. that becomes a rapids every spring after the snow melts off the local mountain peaks. Somebody drowned in it not 200 yards from my place last year--swept away by the current. If the Thais are so much better at it, then just send a military cargo plane and try it themselves.

Edited August 14, 2017 by Dustdevil

[rijb]

Send Immigration to talk to these Thai associations.  That'll cool their jets.

[tonray]

They are used to retrieving farang bodies from condo parking lots. A bit different here 

[trainman34014]

3 hours ago, jaiyen said:

Same old rubbish !  Thai people demanding want they think is best. Thought they might have learned something living in America

Thai people in foreign countries don't mix that much unless they are isolated from other Thai's.  They like to stick together in groups so they can still live in their own fantasy land whilst raping their host country of everything they can get, breaking every law they can and overstaying their visa's.  Seen it all so many times.

[mtls2005]

Now, after hearing them whine so much, I'm kind of leaning towards allowing them sending over a team of Thai rescuers.

 

 

[Just1Voice]

A Thai rescue team wouldn't have a damn clue as to what to do.  They have never seen in Thailand this type of river & canyon, especially in a snow/rain runoff flood stage. 

[Bangyo1948]

Thais rescuers in a cold river,do they seriously think they would be better at it than the Americans.......

[Psimbo]

Just lower Somchai down on a clothesline- when it snaps and he whirls away down the river maybe they will realise what the authorities have been  saying is right. IT"S TOO FRIKKIN DANGEROUS!

[gummy]

Nothing other than identifying themselves as complete nitwits.   The US authorities will most certainly recover those victims bodies but only once it is safe to do so.  If those Thais consider that the US authorities should forgo appropriate health and safety measures then perhaps they should just return to live in their beloved Thai homeland where health an safety takes a back seat,  or even further back.

[oldgent]

A lot of Thai bashing going on here even tho a lot of you are retired in Thailand.

with all the knowledge and Hi Tech equipment that America professes to have

they don,t seem to be able to find it.

[Jingthing]

Just now, oldgent said:

A lot of Thai bashing going on here even tho a lot of you are retired in Thailand.

with all the knowledge and Hi Tech equipment that America professes to have

they don,t seem to be able to find it.

They found it. It's too dangerous now to retrieve the bodies. It's not rocket science. They're professionals and it's not part of their job to commit suicide to retrieve bodies. 

[oldgent]

did,nt stop the Brave Firefighters going into the Twin Towers maybe the country boys

are not so brave

[Just1Voice]

I've got a friend in Arizona who is Captain of a SAR unit.  I contacted him about this situation.  In short, his reply was: "I'm not about to risk the lives of my people to pull out 2 dead bodies.  If the Thai think they can do it, go for it.  Then we'll have even more dead bodies, if the river doesn't sweep them away."

[Just1Voice]

2 minutes ago, oldgent said:

did,nt stop the Brave Firefighters going into the Twin Towers maybe the country boys

are not so brave

I'm not sure what you're talking about, because a hell of a lot of BRAVE FIREFIGHTERS, and other Civil Servants, lost their lives try to rescue people in the Towers. 

[colinneil]

 

The US and Europe have some of the best equipped and trained rescue people in the world.

Now if the professionals are waiting for the safest time to retrieve the wreck/bodies, people should accept their judgement, and stop this nonsense of sending Thais in to do the job.

 

Just think, Somchai and his pal will get a rope, climb over the cliff ( in flip flops ) and die in the attempt,  the US authorities would be castigated for allowing it to happen.

[Jingthing]

5 minutes ago, oldgent said:

did,nt stop the Brave Firefighters going into the Twin Towers maybe the country boys

are not so brave

A huge difference between trying to save lives and trying to retrieve bodies.

Duh. Double duh. 

[oldgent]

3 minutes ago, Just1Voice said:

I'm not sure what you're talking about, because a hell of a lot of BRAVE FIREFIGHTERS, and other Civil Servants, lost their lives try to rescue people in the Towers. 

I Know that some Brave Heros lost there lives in that horrible incident 

my point is at least they could have tried

[oldgent]

7 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

A huge difference between trying to save lives and trying to retrieve bodies.

Duh. Double duh. 

have you no respect for the families

[Jingthing]

Just now, oldgent said:

have you no respect for the families

Of course I do. I also have respect for the families of the Americans you callously suggest should take unnecessary risks to retrieve bodies.

In the extreme, if the professionals decided it was never safe enough, I would respect that too. But they're not saying that. They're saying NOT YET. 

[oldgent]

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Of course I do. I also have respect for the families of the Americans you callously suggest should take unnecessary risks to retrieve bodies.

In the extreme, if the professionals decided it was never safe enough, I would respect that too. But they're not saying that. They're saying NOT YET. 

if they are as professional as you say then if they had tried they would have known for sure it was not safe.

I posted before on this and quote... if this was a High ranking American would things be different.

[Jingthing]

5 minutes ago, oldgent said:

if they are as professional as you say then if they had tried they would have known for sure it was not safe.

I posted before on this and quote... if this was a High ranking American would things be different.

You'd have to have a case of a VIP American dead body in a similar canyon with similar river conditions to prove your case. You can't. 

 

Also, I don't think there are any political sensitivities with Thais in the USA. They aren't being discriminated against based on being Thai. I think if they were from Pakistan, it would be more sensitive. 

Edited August 14, 2017 by Jingthing

[Beats56]

25 minutes ago, oldgent said:

did,nt stop the Brave Firefighters going into the Twin Towers maybe the country boys

are not so brave

That comment was total uncalled for.