Communities seen to help reduce casualties during festivity

BANGKOK, April 18 (TNA) - The Thai Ministry of Public Health says that local communities are considered to be able to help reduce accidents and casualties during festivity more effectively. Deputy Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr. Surachet Sathitniramai, in his capacity as the ministry's acting permanent secretary, told journalists on Saturday (Apr 18) that an effective measure to help reduce accidents, deaths and injuries during seasonal celebrations, namely the annual Songkran or the Traditional Thai New Year Festival, appears to be the setting up of checkpoints by local communities. According to the senior official, most accidents and casualties during the recent Songkran Festival in most Thai areas were found to happen in local communities, with alcohol consumption reported to be the top cause of accidents and casualties. The senior public health official voiced his comments while visiting injured people from the Songkran Festival at many government-run hospitals, together with other health authorities concerned. Earlier, the ad-hoc Road Safety Centre, set up by the Thai Ministry of Interior's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, reported that there were 3,373 road accidents nationwide during the seven-dangerous days of this year's Songkran or Traditional Thai New Year Festival, set from April 9-15, with 364 deaths and 3,559 injuries, higher than last year when 2,992 accidents were recorded with 322 deaths and 3,225 injuries. (TNA)