The majority of all food and drink sold at passenger terminals in Thailand has found to have fallen below the standards municipal councils have asked for. Some of the foodstuffs on sale have even been tested as poisonous and the liquid refreshments on sale hazardous.
Thailand Public Health
The Public Health Department on Friday sent out its teams to several passenger terminals being used to ferry holidaymakers to their destinations for the four-day Songkran festivities. They tested more than 80 different outlets for food hygiene and safety standards and alarmingly found 32 samples contained the Ecoli virus contaminant. A further six samples had levels of bacteria and five others had salmonella contamination.
The Public Health Department has urged retailers to only sell water that is packaged in containers with a food and drugs administration certificate of safety. The department of health has also urged consumers to use plastic straws when buying fruit juices in containers. The survey was carried out at three major bus stations and one railway terminal, none of the passenger terminals were named by the department.
Songkran Safety
Police have accompanied the health department on their surveys and have also been giving out advice on safety to holidaymakers out to enjoy the Songkran festival. Police are approaching owners of high-powered water pistols and guns and informed them not to aim the water jets towards people’s eyes or ears as this could cause damage. Police have also warned water throwing louts not to aim their liquid ammunition at motorcyclists while they are riding. Water louts who cause a motorcyclist to fall off his or her vehicle after being soaked may find themselves arrested for on assault charges.
An assault charge will carry a two-year jail term for anyone prosecuted and may also include a fine of up to 4,000 baht. Water throwers have also been told that the use of ice cubes is strictly prohibited in the water they throw over revellers. Some revellers have been found to be using crushed ice which when hurled at a person can cause serious injury.
Shops and outlets selling water pistols and aqua-rifles have also been targeted by police and health authorities. Some shops have been selling improvised home-made pipe guns or brands that have been specifically banned as being too powerful. These outlets are liable to receive a fine according to the police and public health authority.
Many people send gifts in Thailand at Songkran. Songkran festival is the largest celebration in Thailand and marks the start of the Buddhist new year. If you want to have some flowers sent around Songkran in Thailand you can use Flowers Thailand – they have many types of flower arrangement for delivery and suitable gifts for a Thai person at Songkran. Their phone number is 089-6368365
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