Postbag: Terrorised by noise

Postbag

Published: 12 Feb 2013 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

There is untold violence and intimidation happening in the sois of Thailand which threatens to destroy all the other beautiful things about the country and its people. It used to be that in a place like Pattaya there would be a cacophony of noises, from bars, from street vendors and the ever-present motorbikes. The noise level would be tolerable and most of the music emanating from the bars would be over by midnight, thus making it possible for the hard working tourist to get some sleep.

This has changed, though. The Thai fondness for loud noise has reached new heights _ or decibels _ and their respect for the well-being of others has reached new lows. This has resulted in loudspeakers the size of small houses being erected outside bars in narrow sois, blasting noise (formerly called music) with a heart-thumping bass that makes walls reverberate and beds shake. What it does to the hearing of the people close to the loudspeakers is no secret and one can only hope that they will be able to communicate by sign language later in life.

Sometimes, specially rigged trucks will even be parked in front of the bars with the power and sound level of small atomic bombs. They terrorise the neighbourhood, with all its hotels and paying guests, until well after midnight.

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egon
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Discussion 13 : 13 Feb 2013 at 09.5013
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Disc11:Since when went prices down in Thaiand{except fuel}?
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DonAleman
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Discussion 12 : 12 Feb 2013 at 15.4412
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Even more intolerable is the INSIDE noise. I live, 4 years, in an expensive beach high rise which, like many others, after 5 yrs., still has unsold condos and sell 1 a month or so. The shells take an incredible 3-4 months to complete and all work is done with various sized hammers - can you apply paint with hammers ! Dishes fall,railings vibrate, and Tylenol reigns !
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cadcolin
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Discussion 11 : 12 Feb 2013 at 14.1911
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I don’t know what you’re complaining about with the strong baht the imported goods I need as an important person has become cheaper so the money I save from all these imported luxuries can go on the skyrocketing local goods
You just have to purchase more imported goods !!!!!!!!
Or in the words of someone else “if you can’t afford bread let them eat cake” and we know how well that ended for her.
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rebel4ever
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Discussion 10 : 12 Feb 2013 at 10.3310
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Opchoi: Economic lesson. You are correct if you spend 100%. But when you saved some money each month, that amount will increase by 10% as well...
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kena
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Discussion 9 : 12 Feb 2013 at 10.339
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First two letters lament gross noise pollution. Is Thailand the 'hub of annoying loud noise'? At least in Cuba and Brazil, the quality of music is a thousand times higher than Thailand's.
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rebel4ever
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Discussion 8 : 12 Feb 2013 at 10.298
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Kip Keino: Buy a cable cutter...success guaranteed...
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egon
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Discussion 7 : 12 Feb 2013 at 10.187
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As a regular user of the local market and shops I can confirm the prices are rising more than inflation or justified by rising of minimum income.Moreover rising salaries could become tax income charged.
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djay
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Discussion 6 : 12 Feb 2013 at 10.096
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OPCHOI - don't worry, I passed ECON101 plus a lot more Econ classes, and I still haven't figured it out either.
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dao
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Discussion 5 : 12 Feb 2013 at 09.405
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OHPCHOI
You have thought about it more than the average voter ever will .
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uberbraun
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Discussion 4 : 12 Feb 2013 at 09.284
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Indeed, our illustrious sock puppet PM has clearly stated that there is no inflation. It's all in your imagination.

Errr... who did you say failed Economics 101?
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Postbag: Terrorised by noise | Bangkok Post: opinion