Forget ball drops and champagnes. Thai people really know how to ring in the new year: with a water fight! During the Songkran festival (the last one was April 13 to 15, 2013), Thai people roamed the street with water buckets and water guns filled with ice cold water to drench friends and foes alike.
Ex-pat Willy Thuan of Phuket 101 has great photos of the festivities, including this one above where the policeman seemed to enjoy being the target, for once:
Everybody will join the Songkran festivities, kids, teens mostly, but also adults and tourists, divided in two camps: the 'Strategically Ambushed' by the road side with plenty of water ammunition, and the 'Mobile Units' in the back of pick up trucks. Shops and supermarket make fortunes selling all kinds of colorful and humongous water guns. But the best weapon remains the good old plastic bowl and a big tank of icy cold water!
Cops doing traffic and security on the road are always the favourite targets for everyone, but they are used to this and keep a smile all day or even play along.