Will Songkran Generate 5 Billion Baht This Year?

Songkran, Thai New Year, is supposed to be about family. It is supposed to be about showing respect for your elders.  It is supposed to be about honoring your ancestors.

Songkran Buddhist Monk

Songkran Buddhist Monk

Songkran

It is a time to visit the temple and make merit.  It is a time to clean physically and spiritually. It is a time to pour scented water on Budda images, monks, and family elders.  It is a time to build a sand stupa at the local temple to remember your ancestors.

Instead, because of the Thai Government and specifically the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Songkran has degenerated into a week-long drunken water fight.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand doesn’t promote the traditional Songkran.  They only promote and post videos and photos of the insanity on Khao San Road in Bangkok or Khao Niaw Road in Khon Kaen.

The BIG stories reported by the Tourism Authority of Thailand were two separate Guinness Records that were going to be attempted.  One was the biggest continuous water fight with the most people.  This was attempted in Bangkok and I think that record easily went down.

The other, will take place in Khon Kaen today, where the largest human wave will be set up.  The governor of Khon Kaen is overseeing this event.  Great photo op.

Both of these events involve gathering thousand of drunks and getting them soaking wet.  Some tradition!

Other noteworthy photos splashed across the pages of the Bangkok Post and The Nation, show all the touristy places with drunken idiots and huge water guns dousing people with dirty, ice cold water.  More great traditions.

So, why do the Thai Government officials and the Tourism Authority of Thailand promote the insanity instead of the tradition?

Money.  Baht.  Dollars.  Euros.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has predicted that Songkran will generate 5 Billion Thai Baht for the Thai economy.  How they can count how much money is spent by every tourist  is beyond me.  But, I know that the Tourism Authority of Thailand will state that the number they predicted will have been reached.  They will pat themselves on their backs and declare it another successful Songkran.

These government offices will neglect to inform the world about the number of road deaths that occur during Songkran (after 3 days it is at 116 dead, 1,760 injured in 1,626 accidents).  Most caused by excessive speed and excessive alcohol drinking.

The Thai government will not mention their failed “zero accident” campaign.  They will not mention how another campaign is to shut down alcohol selling during certain times of the day and along the highways.  So, far the Thai Police have arrested 2 people for violating these laws. This must be the reason that the number of reported traffic deaths are down from last year.  Or, maybe the reported numbers don’t include all the deaths.

The Nation, in another brilliant piece of journalism, stated that Bangkok is leading the way with 7 road deaths.  The Nation reported:

“Bangkok yesterday emerged as the province with the most traffic fatalities over the first three of the seven dangerous days of Songkran.”

Someone needs to inform them that Bangkok is not a province.  It is a “special administrative area”.

Our illustrious Government Health officials and Road Safety Center folks tell us:

“spike in casualties was caused by motorcycle drivers cruising around drunk, helmet-less and speeding. Those who passed water-splashing areas were vulnerable.”

Everyone knows the causes.  Nothing is done to prevent.

The Public Health Minister has some words of wisdom that will fall on deaf ears:

“Paijit warned revellers not to splash water longer than four hours and children not to wear wet clothes for more than an hour. Also, they should avoid using iced or dirty water.”

Songkran Ice And Dirty Water

Songkran Ice And Dirty Water

Saw the guys in the photo out in front of a housing complex dump two. 25 kilo bags of ice into the trash bin full of water.  Guess they didn’t get the message.

I was talking about Songkran with my buddy, Tom from Isaan-Five O, and he sees things from the perspective of having lived in Thailand for 16 years.  He feels that Songkran, the way it is set up today with all the lunacy, is purposely arranged like this to keep all the Farangs in specific areas so that the Thai people can go home and be with family and celebrate Songkran according to the old traditions.

This way, all the white whales are in areas that can be controlled and used to squeeze as much baht out of the tourists as possible.  Remember, the Tourism Authority of Thailand needs to hit that magic number of 5 Billion Baht in order for this to be a success.  I guess it doesn’t matter that the Prime Minister of Thailand has told the Tourism Authority of Thailand to focus on “quality tourists” and not just the sheer number of tourists.  Looks like the Tourism Authority of Thailand didn’t get that memo.

So far, I have managed to escape the insanity of Songkran for two days only going out once to the local temple with my wife’s family to make merit and honor ancestors.  My brother-in-law is trying to get me to go out with him today, the last official day of  Songkran.  It is a difficult decision.  He wants me to accompany him to his uncle’s house for food and drink and then ride around in the back of a pick-up truck and drink more and get soaking wet.  I don’t want to upset anyone in the family, but I am not really in the mood to get soaked.  We shall see what happens later.

In the meantime, the Tourism Authority of Thailand will continue to update us with Songkran events after they have happened. Wonder if the Tourism Authority of Thailand will ever mention that Songkran is not a Thai Festival but that it originated in India.

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