Noise, power, and scams topped Thailand complaints list last year

[buksida]

In fiscal 2024 more than 59,400 complaints were filed at government complaint centres nationwide, with noise, electricity and scams topping the list.

The PM's Office permanent secretary's office reported the statistics to the cabinet.

The report showed that 59,471 gripes were filed at government complaint centres in fiscal 2024, which was 2,072 more than the previous year.

The largest number of complaints, 5,657, were about noise and vibration from music, concerts, drinking parties, temple fairs, fireworks and road racing. Such complaints soared, especially during festivals.

The second highest number of complaints, 3,011, were about electricity services including widespread blackouts, frequent brownouts, electrical appliances and requests to pay power bills in instalments.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... -last-year

I can definitely relate to this; Thailand is the noisiest country I've ever experienced.

On a daily basis, your ears are bombarded with traffic, loud scooters (or boats if you live near the coast), blaring ambulances, construction and angle grinders, election and advertising trucks, bad karaoke, bass speakers blasting bing bong music, screaming roosters all day, howling dogs at night, temple/school/village events with tannoys, weed whackers, fumigators, chainsaws, warbling kites, the list is endless ... its like a competition of who can make the most noise. The power cuts issue is also pretty close to home!

[Big Boy]

I can relate to most of the above list with the exception of the electricity problems. They really seem to have got their act in order in the area I'm living (hope I'm not speaking too soon). Power supply has not been an issue here for a few years.

[HHTel]

One more reason why I've moved to Nongkhai.
Quiet, peaceful and no hassles.

[buksida]

The excessive noise levels are not just limited to Hua Hin or cities, believe me!

This is why I love going camping in the middle of nowhere, but even then if other groups of Thais rock up, they bring noise with them to shatter the serenity - its just ingrained in the psyche here.

[Big Boy]

One more reason why I've moved to Nongkhai.
Quiet, peaceful and no hassles.

Really? Your virtual umbrella must be soundproofed as well

I've spent plenty of time in that part of the world, and quiet, peaceful is most definitely not a description I'd use.

[HHTel]

Well I've been here a few months now and I've always found it quiet. I live 6 kms from the town centre and it's very very quiet.
Even venturing into town I don't find it anything like the noise in HH. The bars and restaurants by the river are never noisy. Even the 'bar area', called 'boxing street' for some reason, is quiet. You don't hear noisy music from any of the bars.

[HHTel]

It's probably different in places like Udon (40 mins away) and Khon Kaen. But Nongkhai itself is quite sleepy.

The downside is buying 'farang' food with the nearest Villa Market being 55 kms away and zero 'international' shops in Nongkhai itself.

[Big Boy]

What happens when there's a death, wedding or any other occassion? Don't the megga blast speakers come out?

You won't find anywhere quieter than my wife's village, but there's the roosters, the dogs barking through the night, the Buddha drums every morning at 4am to name a few. Oh, and the public loudspeaker broadcast at 6am amd 6pm every day.

[caller]

I don't honestly think you can compare a town or city with a small isaan village, where everyone is involved and there is no escape.

When my other halfs father died 3 years ago, in Khon Kaen, the only noisy part was the exhilerating Chinese ceremony, that I took part in, that took place in front of the coffin, before the sleep inducing droning of the monks chanting, in a massive Thai temple complex. Then it was the short walk to the actual crematorium. And that was basically it.

[Big Boy]

That sounds similar to most funerals anywhere in Thailand, but what about the 100 day party? That is when things tend to go loopy.

[HHTel]

They have a 100 day party after a birth. I'm told that it's a celebration that the child is still alive.
So the 100 day event after a death. Is that to confirm that they're still dead!!!

[Big Boy]

No idea - always too noisy to hear an explanation.

[migrant]

We live off soi 6 near Makro but well away from Phetkasem. About once every 3 months we get a muted noise from a Temple but inside the house you can't hear a thing.

The noisiest (?) thing we contend with are dogs and they're not too bad.

[Big Boy]

I think most noise eventually becomes background noise. Noise that we can hear from my house, just off Soi 94 includes (in order of closeness):

• Pigeons cooing as they make love on our roof.

• Neighbour's dogs barking 24/7

• Local school tanoy system.

• Local temple sing along.

• Baan Khun Por.

• Emergency vehicle sirens - Soi 88

• Trains passing through Hua Hin

• Hua Hin Railway Station tanoy system

Believe it or not, most of the above just fades into background noise, and I have to specifically listen for it. Wind direction can be an influencing factor.

[caller]

That sounds similar to most funerals anywhere in Thailand, but what about the 100 day party? That is when things tend to go loopy.

I attended one after Pams brother died in an accident. It was held at the home / business the deceased shared with his wife, in the centre of Khon Kaen. It started with a ceremony attended by monks, held in the front parlour. Then later, food that had been prepared earlier, was displayed and set up to be handed out to passers by and the poor. After that was all gone, all the attendees, including many from the bike club he helped create and ran, gradually dispersed.