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laconic2
Joined: 23 May 2005
Location: Wonderful World of ESL
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wannago
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
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 Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 5:07 pm Post subject: |
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| I live not 10 minutes drive from the scene of this accident. As always when a Falang and a Thai have an "incident", the foreign apologists come and automatically accuse the foreigner of being the bad guy, without knowing all the facts. |
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Fresh Prince
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Location: The glorious nation of Korea
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| Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 5:26 pm Post subject: |
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Appeared drunk and actually being drunk are very different.
The newspaper article said that the man appeared drunk, however a lot of people that appear drunk at an accident scene are actually in shock after being in an accident. If he was injured then that would account for a large part of it. |
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Harpeau
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Location: Coquitlam, BC
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| Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 6:10 pm Post subject: |
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Not to diminish the actual tragedy of it all, but it would seem that there were 4 people on the motorcycle. I guess the Thai's don't really see that as being a part of the problem.  |
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wannago
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 6:30 pm Post subject: |
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| Harpeau wrote: |
| Not to diminish the actual tragedy of it all, but it would seem that there were 4 people on a motorcycle. I guess the Thai's don't really see that as being a part of the problem. |
No, it happens ALL THE TIME. And their "motorcycles" are actually motorbikes (usually 100cc) and, with 4 people on board, are vastly underpowered and they weave all over the road. Helmets are only "required" for the driver. You see the family with mom, dad and two siblings on the seat and the baby in mom's arm. The only one wearing a helmet? Dad, because he's operating the motorbike.
It is a tragedy, but you see motorbikes and bodies lying on the roads consistently. If there is a foreigner to blame, they will be blamed. My wife advised me to NEVER, EVER stop for an accident that doesn't involve me and, according to most Thais, don't stop for an accident that does involve you. |
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cangel
Joined: 19 Jun 2003
Location: Jeonju, S. Korea
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| Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 8:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Just a few days ago I say a man and a woman on one of those delivery scooters with the plasic bin on the back. In the bin was their very young child, maybe 2 or 3 years old. Un-freakin-believable! In the US they would most likely have their child taken away by child services. |
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Julius
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 8:11 pm Post subject: |
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| wannago wrote: |
| according to most Thais, don't stop for an accident that does involve you. |
Its hard not to stop when your motorcycle is lying in pieces on the ground.
Anyhow..you reckon there is some anti-foreigner prejudice in the kingdom? Hard to percieve as a casual tourist I suppose. |
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wannago
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 12:40 am Post subject: |
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| Julius wrote: |
| wannago wrote: |
| according to most Thais, don't stop for an accident that does involve you. |
Its hard not to stop when your motorcycle is lying in pieces on the ground. |
 True enough. If your legs are still attached, use them.
| Julius wrote: |
| Anyhow..you reckon there is some anti-foreigner prejudice in the kingdom? Hard to percieve as a casual tourist I suppose. |
In my experience, having been a tourist and living here on the economy, if you have money and are willing to part with it, then it truly is the Land of Smiles. If you live here, you are a farang (and all the good and bad that comes with it). My Thai wife gets more upset with it than I do. It's not horrible but it is there. |
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stevemcgarrett
Joined: 24 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 1:52 am Post subject: |
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The accident is sad but we don't have the details as wannago said.
Do Thais give farang the benefit of the doubt? (That was meant as a rhetorical question).
Those scooters are the way most families get around but they don't drive with sufficient caution most of the time and it can't be easy to balance three or four on a seat.
On my visits to the Land of Smiles I found that it was easy to be taken for a ride, and I don't mean on a cycle. On my first visit I was naive enough to think this only happened in Korea or China, or Vietnam. |
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laconic2
Joined: 23 May 2005
Location: Wonderful World of ESL
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm not sure how one divines the anti-foreigner angle. We have a bare bones news story about a car accident. Maybe he was drunk. Maybe not. Maybe the motorcycle hit him. Who knows? Crap happens. Wrong place, wrong time. |
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wannago
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 5:56 pm Post subject: |
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| mindmetoo wrote: |
| I'm not sure how one divines the anti-foreigner angle. We have a bare bones news story about a car accident. Maybe he was drunk. Maybe not. Maybe the motorcycle hit him. Who knows? Crap happens. Wrong place, wrong time. |
Not nitpicking here MM2, but it was a she, not a he. The story doesn't mention anything about drinking and driving nor do the charges that were filed. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
It is a well-known fact, according to my wife, that if a motorbike and a car collide, it is always the car operator's fault (even if it wasn't) because the car is bigger and should be more careful....UNLESS the motorbike is operated by a farang. Then, there is either no fault or the farang on the motorbike is responsible. |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 6:05 pm Post subject: |
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| cangel wrote: |
| Just a few days ago I say a man and a woman on one of those delivery scooters with the plasic bin on the back. In the bin was their very young child, maybe 2 or 3 years old. Un-freakin-believable! In the US they would most likely have their child taken away by child services. |
Saw something similar yesterday. A woman on her very stylish scooter, her 3 year-old on the foot-board, the 4 year-old clutching for dear life, holding on to her back. One helmet between the three of them. Guess who was wearing it. |
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wannago
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 6:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Hollywoodaction wrote: |
| cangel wrote: |
| Just a few days ago I say a man and a woman on one of those delivery scooters with the plasic bin on the back. In the bin was their very young child, maybe 2 or 3 years old. Un-freakin-believable! In the US they would most likely have their child taken away by child services. |
Saw something similar yesterday. A woman on her very stylish scooter, her 3 year-old on the foot-board, the 4 year-old clutching for dear life, holding on to her back. One helmet between the three of them. Guess who was wearing it. |
Yup. It's an everyday occurence here in Phuket. Believe it or not, I saw one of the motorbikes with the homemade sidecar with 10 schoolboys and one father operating it. This was a 100cc motorbike hauling 11 bodies. An accident waiting to happen, mainly because they were in the main flow of traffic and going VERY slowly. |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 8:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Thing is, I'm in Korea. It used to be a more frequent site, but people seem to have grown slightly more safety conscious in the years I've been here. |
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