Common news stories

The news remains much the same year after year. The people and places in the news may change rapidly, but the events that we consider to be newsworthy do not. Wars, strikes, scientific discoveries, elections, natural disasters, trade agreements, the deaths of world leaders — all these events and many more will find their way onto the pages of the Bangkok Post no matter what year it may be. And because the Bangkok Post is so consistent in content, you can learn to read it relatively quickly.
In this section, we will help you with several of the most common topics found in the Bangkok Post. We can do this because each topic has certain consistencies. It is likely to have a set of frequently-used vocabulary, for example. Thus, you could expect to see words like flames, gut, and char in a fire story and candidate, poll, and ballot in a story about an election. Most stories typically follow familiar sequences of events. A crime story might go something like this: crime, arrest, trial, verdict (decison) and sentencing (announcement of punishment). And it will take place in familiar settings (the crime scene, a police station, a courtroom, a prison, etc.) and will involve people playing familiar roles (defendants, defence attorneys, prosecutors, judges, etc.).

In this section we have detailed examples of three common topics found in the Bangkok Post: storms, the environment and disputes. But spread throughout the site are many more examples from our Improving Your English with the Bangkok Post programme.

Let’s take one of the clearest examples of a topic with consistent content: a storm. Since we work in Thailand, let’s focus on a tropical storm—like Tropical Storm Gay which hit the southern coast several years ago. Tropical storms generally follow a sequence similar to many other types of storms. Below we will follow this sequence and use some of the vocabulary most likely to be found in each stage of the sequence:

A tropical storm
Storm warningsThanks to modern science, meteorologists are now usually able to predict tropical storms early enough so that people in the storm's path can be warned in advance. If it looks like the storm could be a serious one, people can take precautions like boarding up their houses or evacuating low-lying coastal areas.

The storm hits Severe tropical storms plough through the countryside, leaving a path of devastation in their wakes. Winds lash coastal communities, uprooting trees, ripping off roofs and collapsing buildings in the process. A storm may abate temporarily as it moves inland only to regain its full fury as it hits open water again.

Torrential rains accompanying the storm swell rivers and the surging waters then overflow river banks, submerging the surrounding area, and isolating communities until the flood waters recede.

 

Rescue work begins Rescue workers begin looking for victims as soon as the storm subsides enough to make it safe for them to do so. They comb the debris for survivors, assist the injured and, if necessary, dispose of the bodies of those who perish to prevent epidemics. Emergency hospitals and temporary morgues are set up. Appeals for blood donations are made through the media.

Casualty tolls and damage estimates The first statistics concern the number of dead and injured. In the confused aftermath of a storm, however, the first casualty tolls are usually inaccurate, and it may be days, even weeks before the true figures are known. The same is true of damage estimates.

Future consequences If there has been serious loss of life and property, people naturally turn their attention to how to prevent similar occurrences in the future. While there is little they can do to prevent tropical storms, they can mimimise their effects. Warning systems can be improved, emergency shelters provided, flood walls built or strengthened, pumps installed, storm insurance plans introduced, and, most importantly, people can be educated on how to deal with disasters when they happen.