Oprettet af M55 d. 02-11-2013 03:46
#1
Unlike the UK or US, Thailand operates on a two-tier emergency support system, sending out volunteers, or 'basic teams', to accident or crime scenes first, and only then an advanced life-support ambulance if needed.
These 'basic teams' provide a vital service and account for about 60% of the emergency cases Bangkok's hospitals see every year. Most Thais believe that helping others be it the injured or dead allows one to earn karmic merit.
Here we spend the night with a Noppadon, one of Bangkok's many volunteer body-collectors - also known as bodysnatchers
Oprettet af M55 d. 02-11-2013 03:47
#2
When there is a fatal accident in Bangkok, watch and wait - the bodysnatchers will soon come. Once reviled, they have cleaned up their act and are now the toast of Thai society.
Lacking the social services to provide ambulances, Thailand relies on bodysnatchers to pick up the dead from its streets. They are not rewarded with money, but Karma. As Suthira explains, not only does it make her feel happy to be helping others, but "the good merit returns to our family."
Produced by ABC Australia