Thailand road accidents: figures

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand

speech for the World Health Organisation 2004:

"Effective and sustainable prevention of road traffic injuries can only be achieved through concerted multisectoral collaboration. In Thailand, road traffic accident is one of the important health problems, which has caused significant economic and social losses. Such a problem has always been one of the top three serious health problems, in terms of burden of disease. It has been estimated that over 30% of inpatient beds of the hospitals under the Thai Ministry of Public Health are occupied by road traffic accident victims, who usually require more bed-days than other categories of inpatients. And each year, due to these kind of accidents, there are more than 13,000 deaths, more than one million injuries, and tens of thousands of disabilities."

The most common cause of traffic accidents in Thailand is...

“Our message is simple -- only a fool would drive and wai,” a spokesman for Thailand’s traffic police told a press conference in Bangkok. “According to our surveys, the most dangerous thing a motorist can possibly do while driving is to pay respect to a holy shrine by performing a wai as they pass by. It s become the biggest single cause of traffic accidents in Thailand, even greater than excessive alcohol consumption or using a mobile phone.
“The risk of accidents increases drastically when a driver puts his or her hands together to perform a wai , as a gesture of respect while driving past a holy shrine or spirit house. Taking the hands off the steering wheel at any speed can be disastrous, but many drivers do not slow down at all, and it can take up to thirty seconds to perform an elaborate wai , by which time they may have travelled more than half a kilometre. So we are asking all motorists to remember that, next time they drive past a holy shrine, they should try to convey their respect mentally, not physically, and avoid using any hand signals. The good spirits will surely appreciate this gesture, and other motorists and pedestrians will surely appreciate not being run over and becoming a spirit themselves. I am convinced this is a major contribution to road safety.”

(The Nation [Thailand], 17/6/02)

Gen. Sonthi's visit to Burma

Because of the bad political- and human rights situation in Birma does the Dutch gouvernment not support the economical activities in this country.

Besides this statement there are already since long EU-sanctions:

1. Military contacts forbidden
2. An arms-embargo
3. A sanction at non-humanitarian support
4. A visa-stop for high representatives of the military regime, state owned companies and other economical groups or companies of the regime
5. Blocking of the bank-accounts of the persons mentioned in 4
6. A sanction at political and high leveled official visits

In spite of that it seems that Thailand really do not want to act more mondial:

Sonthi to help peace process in Burma

An extract of a publication of Wassana Nanuam

………Army commander Ge. Sonthi Boonyaratkalin has agreed to help bring peace between the Burmese junta and armed ethnic groups in Burma………

“We have helped create harmony in Burma quietly and we do that with sincerity. We would like to see peace between them so that our country can be peaceful as well,” said Gen. Sonthi, also the chairman of the Council for National Security………..

………Gen. Sonthi’s visit was his third to Burma as army chief…………..

……….He assured Burma that his successor would follow the same policy……….

Source: Bangkok Post – Thailand, 29-8-2007
Collected by Antoni P. Uni – Bangkok, 31-8-2007