Songkran in Phuket


The Thai New Year is still one of those traditions that will surprise many foreigners.

From April 13 to 15, it's a celebration, and as everyone knows... Thai people love the celebration, so there's no limit, no restraint...

We dance in the streets, we sprinkle ourselves with water, we sing, we drink...

The children have a great time with their water guns.

UNFORTUNATELY.............

The Thai New Year's Day, with all the excesses and especially that of drinking and driving, has become a very dangerous time for those who decide to take to the road.
Here is the result of these few days of madness:

The final toll of road accidents during the seven dangerous days of the Songkran 2010 holiday reached 3,516 accidents, 3,802 injuries and 361 fatalities, announced the Department of Natural Disaster Prevention and Management, a decrease in the number of deaths and injuries compared to the previous year.

In total, 29.53% of accidents were caused by drinking and driving, 17.11% by speeding, and motorcycles were involved in 79.61% of cases. 54.08% of the people killed were over 18 years of age. Nakhon Si Thammarat province is the place where there were the most accidents (142) and injuries (159), while Nakhon Ratchasima reached the highest number of deaths (18). In 2009, there were 3,997 accidents, 373 deaths and 4,332 injuries.

We refuel as much as we can....
here at the entrance of Rawai, a water dispenser for tank trucks will fill the cans of happy partygoers...

Children don't miss a passer-by: everyone is entitled to it...







And when the police start... it's definitely with the pipe, non-stop!

And with a smile, please!





After a few hours of hard water battle, a glass of beer brought by a passer-by, which is good for the troops...
This relationship between the police and the inhabitants... a situation (unfortunately) that has become unthinkable in Europ!

Another one of these aspects of Thailand which will surprise many people...