Anyone who has ever been caught short in Bangkok knows what a lottery it can be to find a decent public toilet. Big shopping centres are usually a safe bet. Five-star hotels are a sure thing. But when nature calls with a vengeance, one must make do with the amenities at hand, and they are often far from hygienic.
The good news is that things are likely to improve, now that Bangkok is about to host the second World Toilet Expo & Forum. It (ahem) runs from November 16 to 18 at the Impact Exhibition and Convention Centre - a facility that, for three days at least, is sure to boast the most impeccably polished privies in town.
In the lead-up to the expo, Health Department officials have been loitering around public conveniences the length and breadth of the country with singular dedication. According to Sopon Mekthana, deputy chief of the Health Department, the expo has provided an impetus all over the country for those who operate public toilets to clean up their act.
'The expo has already resulted in a significant improvement in public toilet conditions in provincial areas,' Dr Sopon said. 'In Nakhon Ratchasima [200km north of Bangkok], for example, before the contest, only 0.54 per cent of petrol stations had public toilets that met the department's standard. Now that has increased to 15.4 per cent.'
Clean-toilet awards to be bestowed at the expo will cover loos at tourist attractions, food shops, petrol stations, schools, government offices, religious places, district offices, bus stations and public parks.
A delegation of more than 400 local public health officers is expected to attend, and hundreds more delegates from overseas have also signed up. They can expect 'an insight into the development of toilets in Thailand, starting with the history and cultural background of toilets in Thai society, the present state of public toilets and future plans'. Presumably this will cover one of Thailand's most valuable gifts to the world - that little, hand-held water gun that incalculably reduces the angst an empty paper dispenser can provoke.
