Here's another version.
By the way, the truck pictured above is not Gold. It is "Black" as indicated by the Thai writing below the VIGO logo. See my "This Car Is Blue" blog for an explanation.
These morbid/ semi-erotic stickers are the logo of one of Thailand's volunteer road rescue Foundations.
With Thailand's lack of proper emergency rescue services, various volunteer organizations have taken it upon themselves to be the first ones at the scene of an accident, where they drag bodies from the mangled vehicles, plop them in the back of their pick-ups and take them to whichever is more appropriate - the hospital or the morgue, and in some cases, on a date.
Being a rescue volunteer, means keeping a late night vigil, listening to the police radio with your colleagues, and waiting for the next accident to occur. Most are unpaid and do it as a form of merit-making. Others do it to meet hot, dead chicks, as the sticker implies (just kidding).
In the past, the reputation of the volunteers, also know as Angels of Death or Body Snatchers, was less then laudable, with reports of wallets, jewelry, and watches disappearing, corpses being held for ransom and even fights breaking out between two rival foundations trying to stake a claim to the carnage of a bus accident.
For the most part, I believe the quality and professionalism of the volunteer rescue organizations has improved over the years. A number of measures have been taken by the police and the government to legitimize the Foundations, and I think it's safe to say that these days, they form a respectable part of Thai society (aside from the "I'm a Necropheliac" bumper stickers). Not to mention, there is a large population of Thais still driving around (causing even more accidents) thanks to the efforts and sacrifices of these "Angels of Death".
I also found some articles from the BBC along with some pictures if you're interested.
By the BBC's Simon Ingram In Bangkok
In the cramped offices of Bangkok's premier rescue organisation, the crackle of a short-wave radio signals the first emergency of the night. A sick woman needs urgent transfer to hospital. The operator orders a rescue team to the scene.
The Por Tek Tung workers wait for a call-out
In a city virtually bereft of public emergency services, the Por Tek Tung and smaller groups like the Ruam Katanyoo fill the gap. Their converted Toyota pick-ups circle the streets day and night, jostling to be the first to bring assistance to victims of tragedy and violence. Not for nothing are they known as Bangkok's "body-snatchers", so called because of their eagerness to save bodies, and therefore souls, as a way to earn Buddhist credit.
Tonight's dose of misery is particularly heart-rending. On the banks of the Chao Phraya river, grief-struck relatives watch as Por Tek Tung scuba divers recover the bodies of three young schoolgirls drowned in a boating accident.
Routine fare
For veterans like Somsak Boonchu - with 15 years' experience behind him - sudden death in all its many forms is routine fare. Murders, suicides, collapsed buildings - he has witnessed them all. "Some people might be appalled by such work", he admits. "But they forget that we do it for the good of society."
Unsurprisingly it is the lethal mayhem of Bangkok's congested streets that keeps the "body-snatchers" busiest. Hauling mangled corpses from car wrecks, though, is a far cry from the Por Tek Tung's original vocation. These particular services do a good job here. But there's been over time some questions over their financing, and who's actually behind the organisations.
Bangkok resident
The organisation was founded a century ago by Chinese immigrants to provide funeral services for the destitute. Today it runs a hospital and other services from public donations. That apart, very little is known about how these undeniably professional but rarely accountable groups operate. Magazine publisher and long-time Bangkok resident Colin Hastings says the air of mystery surrounding the "body-snatchers" makes many people wonder about their motives.
Financial questions
"These particular services do a good job here. But there's been over time some questions over their financing, and who's actually behind the organisations," says Hastings.
Even so, he acknowledges: "They've always managed to do a very efficient job in getting to the scene quickly and taking initial care of people in dire circumstances."
There is little public emergency help in Bangkok
Worshippers who come to burn incense and make offerings at the Por Tek Tung's temple in central Bangkok are the organisation's main source of income. Pious Buddhists believe that by donating to charities that care for the sick and the dead, they earn spiritual credit for themselves - credit that will serve them in the afterlife. Benefactors tend to give more generously to the group that rescues the most victims - a fact that has led to an unhealthy element of competition between the Por Tek Tung and its rivals. There have been occasions when competing groups have come to blows while trying to rescue the same victim.
Back at headquarters, more emergency calls are coming in; a busy night for the rescue teams lies ahead.
The cynics who accuse the "body-snatchers" of exploiting other people's misfortune for profit may have a point. But it is equally hard to deny that without them, Bangkok's streets would be a far more hazardous place.
Some pictures
Waiting for a call. Looks like they're having an office Christmas party.
At the scene of an accident.
Taking a break between rescues
The Center of the Foundation is a temple in downtown Bangkok where Thais go to donate money and make merit. The Foundation was originally set up to provide coffins and funeral rites to destitute Thais that could not afford a proper ceremony. Over time, it grew to rescue those in road accidents.
Sometime last year, I told Nuch about a dream I had where a ghost came to visit me. The next day she took me to this temple to make a donation, so the ghost could finally be put to rest - or something like that.
Several years ago, there was a famous documentary called Thailand's Body Snatchers. Below is an excerpt from the transcript.
LLOYD: After dark in Bangkok is a time of danger. This thriving metropolis is crowded with a lethal combination of people, bars and cars. Tonight the streets of Thailand's capital have claimed yet another victim, a motorcycle cop wedged beneath an eighteen-wheeler. The rescuers jostling to help are volunteers. What they lack in training they make up for with pure grunt. They are the Body Snatchers of Bangkok.
PHILIP BLENKINSOP: People are going to start noticing the bodies piling up if someone’s not taking them away so I think health wise that someone’s got to do it.
LLOYD: In a country with almost no formal emergency services and two million car accidents a year, the body snatchers fill the gap when tragedy strikes. They rescue the trapped, tend to the injured and minister to the dead.
This is unbelievably gruesome work but these volunteers believe that it’s actually good for their soul, that it helps build karma to protect them in this life and higher status in their next incarnation. Now while that sounds very high-minded, just a few years ago these people were truly reviled in Thai society. They were renowned for dangerous driving, for fighting amongst themselves over bodies and even stealing valuables from the dead – that’s how they got the name “the body snatchers” in the first place.
Then the police launched a crackdown telling them to clean up their act or face being outlawed.
They did just that. Now, they’re a far more professional group attracting working men and women, family groups and even celebrity and movie stars to the ranks of the volunteers.Bin Banloerit and his twin brother Akapan are two of Thailand’s most popular actors. Today they’re guests on a TV talk show called “Back Stabbing Men”.
AKAPAN: [On talk show] You can tell the difference between us by our chins – mine is cut, and his is like a dimple.
LLOYD: Their work in film and television has brought them riches and fame. This is a heavily costumed Bin playing an Indian King in Oliver Stone’s Hollywood blockbuster, "Alexander". [Scene from "Alexander"]
But there’s no shortage of real life drama for these twins. In their time off, the brothers go out body snatching. Wherever there’s death and disaster on the streets of Bangkok, these famed action heroes are right there in the thick of it. It’s a bit like discovering that Russell Crowe moonlights as an ambulance officer.
When other celebrities are heading out to A-list parties, Bin and Akapan are on the lookout for action of a different kind. Their team has just arrived at the scene of a drive-by shooting. Bin gives on the spot reports to local television.
BIN: [To news team at crash site] The victim was shot in the neck. The bullet went through his neck. Looks like one shot at least.
LLOYD: Police are on the scene but the stars of this live TV reality show are the celebrity body snatchers. Also on the team tonight is Kwan, a teen fashion model on her first tour of duty as a volunteer. For her, it is a confronting experience.
KWAN: At first I was wondering how he was, and didn’t want to look at him. Then I looked closer. He was just like us. I feel so sorry for him. If I have time, I would like to keep doing this. It’s better than going shopping. It’s a much better way to spend your time.
LLOYD: The twins send the body off to the morgue and their work is done.
BIN: We like this role better. We are who we are, and we are proud.
AKAPAN: Acting is our job. We have to do that to earn money – but for this, we volunteer. We give our time, our heart, and everything to help society.
LLOYD: The brothers are all too aware that in the public mind, reality and fantasy sometimes blur.
BIN: Many people say we are heroes, both on screen and in real life. When things happen they will think of Bin and Akapan. Bin and Akapan will sure be there.
: And sure enough, they’re called out again, this time to attend to a motor mechanic who dropped dead at work.
BIN: He has been dead for quite some time. About three hours.
LLOYD: The body snatchers have only basic first aid training but the twins have been volunteering for more than twenty years so they’re trusted to carry out preliminary investigations. Again police are in the background, centre stage belongs to the stars.
BIN: From looking at the body, I think he may have had a heart attack, because he is quite plump.
LLOYD: The presence of our celebrities turns other body snatchers into shameless paparazzi. The sight of well-intentioned amateurs contaminating a possible crime scene might well horrify forensics experts. Even the twins admit that they have unusual authority.
BIN: Normally volunteers can’t touch the body. They have to wait for the police. This is the trust we have gained from the public and the police. If we weren’t movie stars we wouldn’t be able to achieve that.
LLOYD: Police haven’t always been so trusting of body snatchers. Bangkok is home to two separate body snatching organisations. Both are not for profit charities set up originally to provide funeral services for the destitute but as Bangkok modernised in the 70’s and 80’s, their role grew and so did their rivalry.Turf wars were common. Photographer Philip Blenkinsop documented this standoff over who’d get the kudos and the karma for looking after the charred corpses left by a fiery bus crash.
PHILIP BLENKINSOP: So this kind of crazy scene in the middle of the street at night, like 50 or 60 people in a circle pointing fingers at each other and it’s all about who’s getting the corpses basically.
LLOYD: Between emergencies, body snatcher units gather at petrol stations around Bangkok to rest and show off their tricked up trucks and vehicles. They might seem like boys with toys, yet most people regard them not so much as road warriors as angels of mercy.
PHILIP BLENKINSOP: It’s a kind of dirty work but someone’s got to do it so they make the best of it. They you know say okay well let’s do this and it’s going to be dirty but they pride themselves on being able to do that, being able to handle it.
LLOYD: Most volunteer body snatchers are working men and women with mundane day jobs like Supaporn Kulpoonsap. She works at a timber shop in Bangkok’s Klong Toey slum area. Her brother Nipon works here too and they’re about as far from fame and celebrity as body snatchers get. >><>For the Kulpoonsap’s, body snatching is a family affair.
SUTHIRA: [Talking to young child] Grandma is going out to work tonight, okay? You stay home, all right? Let’s go.
LLOYD: Tonight almost the whole clan will hit the road in search of carnage. Their adage? The family that body snatchers together, stays together.
SUPAPORN KULPOONSAP: It’s like going out – it’s fun, and at the same time it’s useful. It’s not the same fun as going to a disco.>
LLOYD: Hanging out with the Kulpoonsap’s is certainly no party. At this accident, a young man who wasn’t wearing a helmet has come off his motorbike and died instantly after striking a traffic sign. Despite the gore, this family can’t think of anywhere else they’d rather be on a Saturday night.
NIPON KULPOONSAP: We don’t get our sleep, and don’t get any money from it – but we love this and want to help people who are in trouble.
SUTHIRA: The good merit returns to our family. It brings happiness to our family.
LLOYD: Not all volunteers are as trustworthy as the Kulpoonsaps. The body snatchers suffered a massive blow to their reputation in 1991 when they joined local villagers in looting from corpses and luggage after the crash of an Air Lauda flight. Since then, they faced closer police scrutiny and are now far more disciplined.
AKAPAN: The public are very understanding. When they hear a siren they will look, and give way.
LLOYD: But they still drive like men possessed and maybe they are. The Thais believe that by touching a corpse, you run the risk of a ghost entering your body and then there are the more obvious risks.
BIN: It is not that we aren’t scared. We are. We are concerned that we will become an accident when we rush to help.
LLOYD: But being turned from a body snatcher into a dead body doesn’t much concern these dedicated followers of traffic mayhem.
PHILIP BLENKINSOP: I don’t think these people experience fear at all. I think they just go at it like, and I don’t say this in a demeaning way but like full of that, like children, just totally unaware of the possible consequences of their actions. They’re just caught up it in. They see something and it’s like we have to do it.
LLOYD: For the body snatchers of Bangkok, the road to Nirvana is paved with deadly collisions.
3 comments:
my mum brought one of the car stickers back from thailand to put on my car, I didn't want to put it on till I found out what it was. Now I know, I am even more unsure whether to put it on or not, it might send out the wrong signals LOL.
wow, thanks for explaining that for me. I've been going to Bangkok for years and was curious of the "rescue" stickers on cars and bikes. I didn't have enough language skills to ask the question or understand the answer. Body snatchers, who wudda thunk.
I would like to exchange links with your site bkkguava.blogspot.com
Is this possible?
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