Electricity line social problems

The following makes me so angry and is potentially one of the reasons why I might leave Thailand. Not there yet though.

One of the houses in my muu in my small village has a big bamboo bush. Some dead ones (lightning, causing my tv to burn up as well) have fallen on the electricity lines leading to my house and two other houses. They cleared part of the wood blocking the road the road, but left some bamboo stems hanging on the electricity wires.

I told my partner that I would speak to the people owing the bamboo, asking them to take it away, because I am afraid the lines will snap, leaving me without even water.
The reaction I got was a surprise : I could not do that because the bamboo was not mine and it was up to the bamboo owners to do something about it. I was not suppose to say anything.
I then said they were “my” electricity lines and we would suffer if the things broke.

But that didn’t convince and I asked other family members. They all said I could not take action, not even ask people.

I feel I have arrived in another world, I find this so totally silly that I don’t know how to deal with it. Run frustrated to a hotel ? Wait until the lines snap and suffer the consequences ? I am lost here.

Anybody has been in a same situation ? Any experience with over-the-top socially non intervening habit ?

I occasionally notice creepers etc growing up and over the lines , both phone and electric and a phone call to the respective company normally gets a man out pretty pronto .Have you tried ringing them ?

No, not yet. Wouldn't they say that it is the responsibility of the owners of the land where the bamboo is on ?

Call the electric company. They will probably send out a team to inspect the power line and remove any branches and bamboo poles that are likely to interfere with the power lines. I have seen them hack off tree limbs even though they were over private land, but don't expect them to clear up afterwards.

The more mess they leave, the better . Maybe next time the owner thinks twice about not taking action.

Anyway, tomorrow I'll call the electric company, see what happens then. Thanks for the input, never had a problem before.

But the most intriguing thing remains the fact that it seems to be socially not allowed to ask the neighbours to remove the wood.

I live in a small village and sometimes i have to tell neigbors about things, ....last week there was a tree falling down from my neigbor and broke the roof of the pools pumphouse. i told them and they send somebody too fix it pronto,,,,and other time they make a fire up to my wall...........i told them that they cant do that cause the wall can broke from the heat........they emediatly take out the fire.....this is only some exampels.... and i think that you could talk too the bambuowner..........whats the problem whit that. They dont lose face if you talk smoth!

Ask the local gumnan(spelling?) to sort it for you,our one is very helpful,sorts everything in a couple of hours.

Is your wife/GF from this village? Sounds like she doesn't know anyone local.

rreddin wrote:Call the electric company. They will probably send out a team to inspect the power line and remove any branches and bamboo poles that are likely to interfere with the power lines. I have seen them hack off tree limbs even though they were over private land, but don't expect them to clear up afterwards.

Correct on every point assuming the power lines are upstream of the meter. From the meter onwards is the consumers problem.

I went to the 'electricity office' this morning and they said they would come around this afternoon. Hopefully with chainsaws etc.
I showed the problems with foto's on my camera.
I have become so Thai in bribing that I feel I ought to give the officer a bottle of whiskey or so

Now I hope my action will not cause to much disturbance... If they cut to much I will be the one to blame.

Most probably they will first advise the property owner to cut them down or else they will do it. Had the same situation at my place. When they came out to hookup electric to my new house, the property next door, which belongs to the in laws, had a beautiful twin palm tree just starting to envelope the electric lines. So they advised them. And so father-in-law said no problem, and arranged for one of his buddies to dig it up at no charge and transplant it on his property. So then he goes out and gets another palm about three feet tall and plants it -- you guessed it -- in the exact same spot under the electric line. So I guess in about ten years I'll be making another call to the electric company.

Well, all the wood has been cleared away and nice idea that the electricity men will respond to calls.

But what doesn't go away is my frustration that nobody takes any responsibilty, the owners of the wood didn't care a **** if three houses would be without electricity and nobody has the will or the courage to to ask somebody to do his cilvilian duty.
And that in a small village !

Sort of the same happended a month ago. A young guy living alone more or less as an outcast, played his music really really loud every day. Not for many hours but long and especially loud enough to get people upset.
Nobody said anything. And then one morning I went up to his cottage and shouted oud loud so he could hear me.
After that moment it has been quiet. Only then many neighbours told me that they hated the noice so much, but nobody had the courage to say anything..

But then, I have heard many stories of a-social behaviour in this forum, so I shouldn't be too surprised.