News Forum - Thailand’s plan to extend Songkran raises eyebrows and 5.1 billion baht in soft power bid

[Thaiger]

Thailand‘s iconic Songkran Festival might be turning into a month-long water extravaganza in a bid to boost the country’s soft power, or a potential disaster waiting to happen? Thailand’s political arena is buzzing with controversy as the Pheu Thai Party, led by Paetongtarn Shinawatra, unveils an audacious plan to extend the beloved Songkran Festival. The goal? … …

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[Paulw]

Has anyone told the Thai government that there is a global slow down, that several major economies are struggling, ie China, Japan, Germany, the USA and the list goes on.  Currently there are 2 substantial conflicts taking place and the Covid scam is not long behind us. Travel costs have escalated since the covid scam and Thailand is no longer a budget destination despite its global status. Corruption within the country is rife, there are many ripoffs which mostly go unchallenged by the government, crime is noticeably on the rise and the authorities do little to clean up the beaches and enforce common laws. Riding a scooter is becoming more & more dangerous due to the local driving standards and again no input by the government to rectify this. Tourists in numbers have been coming to Thailand since the seventies yet how many tourist destinations have clean beaches and public amenities like toilets, waste disposal bins, tourist information centres and so on. The taxis are a rip off, doubling pricing on venues and the eagerness for many local operators to gouge the Farang whenever possible is a detraction for tourists. 

[Ramanathan.P]

Sometimes it is good to leave them in their own cocoon.....

[ChrisS]

A month of Songkran, . Methinks this has not been thought through, while it might be fun for a day or two I suspect it would become tiresome if it were every day of the average families 2 week break in Thailand. Do I not recall that the road death tolls rise dramatically during Songkran, is this a plot by the government to reduce the population?

[Guest1]

On 12/3/2023 at 7:08 AM, Thaiger said:

Songkran Festival might be turning into a month-long water extravaganza

Ok, out of the country Songkran holiday gets a bit longer, then!

[Smiler]

Songkran for a month?? Most people I know would absolutely hate that idea, it is too long as it is, especially as already stated the death toll on the roads during the water festival is absolutely horrendous. That money could be much better spent on improving the image of Thailand, clamp down on all the rip offs for a start, taxi drivers for one.

[Manu]

A "month-long water extravaganza"? That's just insane! I personally quite like Songkran, this year where I am it was great fun, Thais, Ex-pats and tourists alike had all a great time. But on the 3rd day, everyone starts to be a little tired from it but hey, it's the last day. A month? I am pretty sure everyone would not enjoy anymore being poured with water on day 5. I guess the fights will start on day 10...

And in the middle of the hot season, where would all this water coming from exactly?

Just insane!