Is a life in Thailand worth less than in the West?
Most people familiar with this country would agree that Thailand is in many ways a land of contradictions. Of personal freedom and political constraints, of Eastern beliefs and Western expectations and the unmistakable clash of the old against the new Thailand can be quite paradoxical.
No pity for some of the dead in traffic
I have no pity for part of the estimated 20.000 deaths that Thai traffic claims every year. In most cases, it concerns drivers of scooters and/or motorcycles. They drive way too fast, don't wear a helmet and behave invincible in traffic.
Traffic in Thailand: on the road to nowhere
The holidays are over and Thailand is licking its wounds from a rising number of deaths and injuries during the “Seven days of death”. A number of extra measures taken by the police, such as the temporary confiscation of cars or motorbikes and breathalyzers, have apparently not made any impression and you may wonder what should be done to reduce the number of fatal accidents in Thai traffic?
Strict rules regarding alcohol in traffic remain in force
Junta leader Prayuth Chan-o-cha has used Article 44 of the temporary constitution against drink drivers. However, this is not limited to the 'seven dangerous days', the measures remain in force to tackle drivers with a drink on harder.
Balance 'seven dangerous days': 380 killed and 3505 injured
Yesterday was the last day of the seven dangerous days on the road. More than 3.380 traffic accidents occurred during the New Year holidays.
New Year with 'seven dangerous days': Still more deaths!
Despite the stricter measures taken by the Thai government, the 'seven dangerous days' count more deaths than last year. It was especially bad during New Year's Day. The result: 75 road fatalities.
Reader's entry: Thailand second in world road fatality rankings
According to the latest global traffic report for 2012, the WHO reports that there are still 100 road fatalities per 36,2 thousand people per year. That is more than 24.000 deaths every year in Thai traffic. In other words: 66 road deaths on average per day.
Kanchanaburi bus accident: 8 killed and 28 injured
A double-decker tour bus that veered off the road on a sharp bend yesterday and hit a concrete column took the lives of seven Thai tourists and the driver of the bus. 28 people were injured, of which 19 were seriously injured.
Thailand ranks second in terms of the highest number of road fatalities in the world. There are 100.000 deaths per 44 inhabitants, according to a new study.
News from Thailand – Saturday, April 11, 2015
A selection of today's most important Thai news, including:
– Police roll up large scam network
– 1 million rai of land in Nakhon Ratchasima used illegally
– THAI Airways checked four times more often abroad
– 59 road deaths on second day of Songkran holiday
– Car bomb Koh Samui: Seven slightly injured
Seven dangerous days of Songkran: 59 road deaths!
Songkran, for some a celebration for others a period of mourning. Before, after and during Songkran, Thailand's roads are crowded with Thais on vacation returning to their hometowns to celebrate the Thai New Year.
News from Thailand – January 5, 2015
A selection of today's most important Thai news, including:
– Tourists stranded on Phuket due to Etihad cancellations.
- Thai woman who fell off a rock did not take a selfie, says family.
– Unrest in southern provinces has so far killed 4.000 people.
– Number of road deaths “seven dangerous days” increased to 302.
– Police Bangkok will tackle speeders.
News from Thailand – January 2, 2015
A selection of today's most important Thai news, including:
– Already 128 road deaths during the New Year holidays.
– Fierce fire in Klong Toey (Bangkok) destroys six houses.
– Homemade bomb found in the center of Chiang Mai.
– Thailand has again moth with Cambodia about border area.
News from Thailand – December 31, 2014
An overview of the most important Thai news, including:
– 1st day of 7 dangerous days: 58 killed and 517 injured.
– Danish tourist (52) dies while snorkeling at Phi Phi islands.
– Airbus Thai Airways return Bangkok after technical defect.
– Cambodian man (27) in Jomtien chokes on chicken and suffocates.
Warning: Be careful during Thailand's 'Seven Dangerous Days'!
In the coming period you will have to be extra careful in traffic in Thailand, the 'Seven Dangerous Days' are coming and that means even more traffic victims than there are normally.
Prime Minister Prayut likes a drink
A ban on the sale of alcohol on New Year's Eve and during Songkran is not well received by Prime Minister Prayut: "Alcohol can be sold as usual." The proposal was made to reduce the number of road casualties in those days.
322 dead and 3.225 injured in the seven perilous days
The seven dangerous days of the Songkran holiday have ended with 1 fewer road deaths than last year: 322 (2013: 323). But there were more accidents and more people were injured.