Songkran 2023

[buksida]

Seems we don't have a Songkran thread this year yet so I'll kickstart one. Could be a big one this year after it was banned/restricted for three years due to lockdowns. Our area is already starting to get busy with fancy SUVs from Bangkok - which appears to have the entire week off. If you have to drive anywhere this week, stay safe out there, I'll be hunkering down as usual!


Over 5m people set to travel over Songkran holiday period
Some 5.1 million people are expected to travel during this year's Songkran Festival, generating over 23 billion baht in revenue -- a 26.3% increase from last year's figures.

Citing a survey by Kasikorn Research Centre, government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said 44.7% of Bangkok residents are planning to travel, either to their hometowns or other destinations, during the Thai New Year holiday period.

"Over 5 million people will travel this week, which is a 28.9% increase compared to the number of travellers in the same period last year," he said.

Airports of Thailand (AoT) expects to see 2.37 million people travelling through its airports, an increase of 137.5% per last year's figures.

Out of the total, 1.37 million people will travel internationally, while the rest will travel within the country.

As such, travellers should arrive at least 2–3 hours before their scheduled departure time to ensure they have enough time to pre-flight formalities and procedures, he said.

He also said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had advised the public to get a Covid-19 booster shot before the holiday starts as well as strictly following Covid-19 prevention measures to avoid infection.

"Gen Prayut hoped that the public is prepared for the summer heat and urged motorists to follow traffic rules to avoid accidents," he added.

Meanwhile, the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) has disclosed the results of its pre-Songkran crackdown, which resulted in the arrest of 318 people.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... day-period

[Dannie Boy]

I was out on my bike over the weekend and again this morning. Normally there’s a marked difference between the number of cars in the beachside hotel car parks on Sat/Sun and on a Monday morning, but today it looked virtually the same as yesterday, supporting your view that many of the Bangkokians are taking the whole week off!!

[migrant]

Tonight starts a week of putting the dogs out and closing the gates!!

[thecolonel]

Tonight starts a week of putting the dogs out and closing the gates!!

Please explain....

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[migrant]

Tonight starts a week of putting the dogs out and closing the gates!!

Please explain....

Sent from my M2007J20CG using Tapatalk

Not fond of crowds so will be staying home.

[caller]

It took 7 hours to drive from Bkk to Korat yesterday. Clearly many are taking the week off. Tomorrow afternoon, starting about noon, I drive from Korat to Khon Kaen. I am hoping that will be easier,

[buksida]

Songkran is coming and the 7 Most Dangerous Days road safety campaign is back.

This year, the campaign is taking place between April 11 and 17 and the government has set up a Road Safety Directing Center to cramp down on traffic violators.

The center aims to reduce the number of traffic collisions, injuries, and deaths during the Songkran holidays when many people are traveling around the country.

Last year, there were 1,917 traffic collisions, 1,869 people were injured, and 278 deaths.

The main causes were speeding, drunk driving, and cutting in too close in front of another vehicle.

82% of the traffic collisions involved motorbikes.

Source: Thai Enquirer

[Big Boy]

Yes, my granddaughter's boyfriend works for the rescue services. He has just started his 7 day, 24/7 roadside shift. These guys do a fantastic job, offering a range of services from small breakdown assistance to a bottle of water, and a place to sit down whilst refreshing yourself. All free of charge.

[bigston]

Ive forgotten
is makro / lotus etc, open the holiday tomorrow / restricted hours or as normal.
thanks

[Dannie Boy]

Ive forgotten
is makro / lotus etc, open the holiday tomorrow / restricted hours or as normal.
thanks

Fairly certain it’s “business as usual” as far as Makro goes - I’d be surprised if Lotus was any different!!

[Lost]

Happy Songkran fellow forum members. Anyone braved the mayhem today? Pics?