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Arsenal | Gotcha | Fortune | Lawless | Relax | Merit |
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If you think that anybody, including those in uniform, are immune to getting wet, have a look here... |
| ...for
even those who are upholding the law will get caught in the traffic jams
and singled out for attack. This police officer actually had to stop here
because the engine of his motorcycle was flooded by water and stalled
out. In fact, I am here at this location for the same reason.
If you think my negative attitude towards this water throwing tradition is because of my motorcycle stalling out, consider this: Bangkok is sinking because of a depleted water table; much of the world in coming years will be suffering from water scarcity; government officials in the northeast of Thailand are scrambling to figure out how to deal with the prolonged drought they are expecting this year; and in the ultimate irony, a few short weeks after this holiday, an Asian Development Bank meeting was disrupted by protesting citizens. The reason why: the ADB is funding a water project and is trying to force wiser use of water by charging a water tax. I am not familiar with all of the issues surrounding that project but I think if the government enforced a water tax on every bucket of water thrown during songkhran, perhaps this three days of water wastage would stop. |
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Arsenal | Gotcha | Fortune | Lawless | Relax | Merit |