Punyakorn, April 2023
Geonoise (Thailand) Co., Ltd
The previous week is a week of celebration in Thailand for the Thai New Year or also known as “Songkran Days”. The celebration usually lasts for three days from 13 -15 April every year. This celebration is also well known for the way people celebrate by adapting the traditional activity to a water festival or water fights. This year is also a little bit special after the government put on a break during the COVID-19 situation. There is much positive feedback from the people that finally things tend to turn back to the normal conditions that they can celebrate, and many festivals are now allowed again.
There are many well-known areas or streets where most Thai and foreigners go to enjoy the festival and the water fights, but some might not be so convenient to travel across the city there. That’s when people need to find their way of celebrating!
Many clips on the internet show how people are having fun at their own houses, most people will have a small water station in front of their home where their neighbors can join when they are passing by. Some might make it bigger and more fun, having loudspeakers and playing some partying music.
However, this might be the start of the complaints….
What makes party music might be a disturbance more than a fun to the neighbor?
Party music is made to make people feel fun and enjoying. That is why most party music contains a lot of heavy beats and low bass sounds. These sounds are called ‘low frequency’ in a more engineering way. Normally we are not good at hearing these low frequency, but our ears are smart, it detects these low frequency a lot better when the sound is loud enough and when it plays in beat (or called ‘impulse’ by engineers). These low frequencies are also good at traveling long distances and having big waveform, this makes low frequency can pass through a wall without taking so much effort!
What should we do to prevent complaints?
If you’re planning to have a party again next year with some music in the backyard, you might try to keep the volume a bit lower and not boost the bass of your speakers. Second, be careful about your party time, after 10 pm is commonly known as nighttime when people need to rest, they are more sensitive to noise during this time. There are laws and regulations from the government protecting people’s health, so the laws are more sensitive during this time of day as well. Third, a small party room in your home is also a good idea! These days there are several companies that can help you with the design of a soundproof room with a good sound system.
What should I do if my neighbors are making noise?
Keep in mind that the laws are protecting you! You might try to contact the police officer in your area and not engage the neighbor by yourself. The police can help stop the noisy activity. Another regulation is by the Department of Public Health of Thailand, contact your local authorities to stop the disturbance activity. The laws protect your right to have good health and proper rest.
Thai Ministry of Justice provided an infographic for the related laws that emitting loud noise and creating disturbance can lead to a fine from 1,000 baht – 10,000 baht or imprison not exceeding 1 month (depending on the law section).
Follow this link: https://www.moj.go.th/view/75639
Prevent noise in the long run: interested in improving your home acoustic insulation?
You may need a professional acoustic consultant to find the most effective way, especially when you are dealing with low-frequency noise. This noise is really good at traveling through structure, normal designs or materials might not work at their best performance without proper acoustic designs.
Celebrating Songkran in Thailand next year?
Feels the fun and enjoy the festival for three days long here in Thailand.
But after this, you might want to keep in mind and care for others who might not celebrate the festival as well.
Happy Songkran Days!
References
Department of Health, Ministry of Pubic Health (2560). พระราชบัญญัติการสาธารณสุข พ.ศ. 2535 หมวด 5.
กฎหมายน่ารู้ ตอนที่ 388 : เพื่อนบ้านทำเสียงดังเดือดร้อนรำคาญ เสี่ยงคุก 1 เดือน ปรับ 1 หมื่น. (2022, September 28). Retrieved from MINISTRY OF JUSTICE OF THAILAND: https://www.moj.go.th/view/75639