Drunk drivers in Thailand facing morgue work

The Thai government has recently approved an unusual punishment for drunk drivers.

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The Bangkok Post reports that those convicted of the offense could be sentenced to time at a hospital morgue.

Community Affairs and Community Service Division, the agency overseeing these punitive community service activities, decided to propose this more extreme option after typical assignments like clearing roads did not seem to be effective.

Nonjit Natepukka, a senior official is quoted in the Telegraph as saying, "We think the intensity that comes from working in a morgue will help give those doing community service a clearer picture of what happens after accidents caused by drink driving."

This action comes just before the start of the country's Songkran new year's festival where people are known to drink heavily.

The Telegraph notes that, according to statistics from the World Health Organization, 26 percent of the traffic fatalities in Thailand are linked to drunk driving.