Thread: The politics behind Thailand's floods

Bangkok Post : Another cunning Plodprasop plan

ABOUT Politics

Another cunning Plodprasop plan

Unperturbed by last week's criticisms, 'The Novice' hatches another controversial flood-related idea - Veteran politician Sudarat insists her flood relief efforts are not at the behest of Thaksin - As the govt battles to keep central Bangkok dry, Uthen tries to hold back the tide of criticism

• Published: 22/10/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Science and Technology Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi was on the receiving end last week when he triggered panic with his premature televised announcement urging people in Pathum Thani and upper Bangkok to evacuate due to an approaching flood.


Plodprasop: Bamboo brainwave.

He is known for shooting from the hip and stoking controversies, but nervous residents saw red when the announcement turned out to be a false alarm.

Mr Plodprasop left a top-level meeting at the national centre for flood relief to deliver the evacuation order which backfired on him.

An opinion survey has revealed few people believe information coming out of the centre.

Mr Plodprasop has earned himself the nickname 'Plod Prasopkarn' (Plodprasop the Novice) for lacking experience in assessing the gravity of the flood crisis. Yet he is no stranger to controversy.

Many years ago while he directed the Fisheries Department, Mr Plodprasop led a hunting squad to shoot crocodiles which had escaped from farms during floods.

The shooting spree sparked an uproar from conservationists.

Later, the National Anti-Corruption Commission accused Mr Plodprasop, also a former Royal Forest Department chief, of malfeasance over the export of 100 Bengal tigers to a Chinese zoo.

Last week, Mr Plodprasop was widely regarded as the boy who cried wolf over the flood announcement. This week, however, his warning looks prophetic.

The Nava Nakorn Industrial Estate has been overwhelmed by water. Days before, the minister had warned residents in the estate to move to higher ground.

A government source said Mr Plodprasop insisted authorities must be truthful about the flood situation.

Mr Plodprasop has reliable, inside information on the water problems supplied by people who used to work under him at the Agriculture Ministry and the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry.

These include officials stationed in the field.

After the false alarm last week, Mr Plodprasop's profile at the national relief centre has been rather low.

But he has reaffirmed to authorities that they must keep people updated on the floods.

In a new brainwave, Mr Plodprasop, also the Pheu Thai Party deputy leader, has proposed bamboo rafts be provided to flood victims. Wild bamboo would have to be cut from the forests, probably by National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department staff.

The department's chief is said to be at odds with the idea, the source said.

However, Mr Plodprasop is not backing down on his plan and has ordered officials to find as much bamboo as possible to make the rafts.

Sudarat show spurs comeback rumour

The appearance of Sudarat Keyuraphan at the Flood Relief Operations Command (Froc) has many thinking that she may be making an early comeback from five years of political inactivity.

With a long list of ministerial credentials to her name, the former stalwart of the defunct Thai Rak Thai Party popped in at Froc this week, to the surprise of some political observers.

It was the first time she has been seen mingling with ministers on official duty.


Sudarat: Not interfering.

She commanded the full attention of cabinet members at the Froc meeting on Wednesday.

Khunying Sudarat is held in esteem by many politicians in the ruling party on account of her political prowess. When she speaks, even Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra listens.

Khunying Sudarat is serving a five-year political ban along with 110 other prominent Thai Rak Thai executives for colluding in electoral fraud.

The former Bangkok MP has served in cabinet posts such as deputy interior minister, transport minister, public health minister and agriculture minister. Her ban expires next year.

She has managed to convince the Royal Irrigation Department to heighten the flood barriers to the north of Bangkok and follow recommendations by His Majesty the King to channel the excess water from Rangsit out through the eastern side of Bangkok.

The water will eventually be emptied into the Gulf of Thailand through Chachoengsao province. The diversion of water will keep the inner city and commercial districts free from the deluge.

Khunying Sudarat has been named an adviser to Froc and she is respected by the centre director Pracha Promnok, also a deputy prime minister, and Commerce Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong.

Mr Kittiratt knows which industrial estates lie in the path of the deluge. He is in charge of conveying flood preparation plans to investors in a bid to prevent a repeat of the flood-triggered devastation at industrial estates in Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani which have fallen one after another in the past few weeks.

Khunying Sudarat has denied she stepped into Froc on the orders of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

He is apparently displeased with Ms Yingluck's management of the flood problems and has enlisted the help of banned politicians from his old party to give the government a hand.

Khunying Sudarat said she took part in the Froc meeting as a Thai who was concerned for the country's welfare.

She made her appearance at Froc only recently because she did not want to be seen as interfering in the government's work.

Water warrior tackles poor PR

The popularity of the Pheu Thai Party-led government has declined on the back of the country's worst flooding in decades.

It knows a change of strategy is needed to address public concerns that it has not done enough to help flood victims, and appears to be lacking focus even as northern floodwaters bear down on Bangkok.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra recently established a water diversion committee, chaired by Uthen Chartpinyo, aimed at diverting runoff from Raphipat canal in Rangsit to the Gulf of Thailand via eastern provinces.

However, the party hopes the outspoken Mr Uthen can do much more _ to find a culprit for the floods before they do the government's reputation any more harm.

The party hopes Mr Uthen can address the party's reputation for poor management of the crisis.

The new ''water warrior'' entered the political arena as a member of the Palang Dharma Party and is close to Sudarat Keyuraphan, former executive of the dissolved Thai Rak Thai Party.

She recently made her first appearance at the relief centre to help the government's flood relief operation.

Mr Uthen has also taken part in drafting policy for the Pheu Thai Party.

With his outspoken character, he is seen as a key person to counter the criticisms of the opposition Democrat Party, which has blasted the government's flood relief effort.

First among his targets was Bangkok governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra, a Democrat.

''The governor should stop drinking wine and go see the facts. The flood problem needs people who are smart enough to understand what water is all about,'' he told reporters during a recent visit to Samut Prakan province, where he once stood for the Democrats.

He is striking back at the Democrat Party for its attacks on the government's performance in dealing with the floods.

The government believes the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, run by MR Sukhumbhand, has obstructed its efforts to deal with the crisis.

It says the BMA refused to open its sluice gates to allow the water from the north to pass through Bangkok and out to the sea. This is a key reason why the floods are prolonged in the Central Plains and northern Bangkok, it says.

''Only insane people believe they can stand up to water. Nobody can win against nature. The best way to survive the crisis is allowing water to travel out to the sea,'' Mr Uthen said, referring to the Bangkok governor's stance that dykes in northern Bangkok should be reinforced to block the runoff.

The government and opposition alike are looking for a culprit. The Pheu Thai Party can't shoulder alone the blame for alleged poor water management which has caused hundreds of billions of baht in losses.

The Democrat Party has many middle-class supporters, unlike the Pheu Thai Party which finds most of its support among the poor.

Saving Bangkok, where many middle class and rich voters live, even as poor people in the provinces are suffering, does not make the government look good. The challenge for the government is how to quickly make the provinces dry.

In the meantime, it has drafted in Mr Uthen to score a few points against the opposition, which should be a helpful diversion if nothing else.

Bangkok Post : Karun threatens legal action over reports he destroyed dyke

Karun threatens legal action over reports he destroyed dyke

• Published: 22/10/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Pheu Thai MP for Bangkok Karun Hosakul has refuted a claim by the Pak Kret district chief that he led Don Muang residents to destroy a dyke to block overflow from the Khlong Prapa canal early yesterday morning.


A backhoe is used to build an earth dyke along Khlong Prapa Canal from Sri Samarn intersection to Wat Si Kan Bridge in Don Muang district while residents from Don Muang and Nonthaburi’s Pak Kret district look on. Earlier, two groups of residents along the canal argued over the construction of the dyke to block overflow from the canal. PATTANAPONG HIRUNARD

Mr Karun, also known as Keng Don Muang, threatened to file a complaint against Pak Kret district chief Wisit Puang-phet for alleged malfeasance under the Criminal Code's Section 157 unless Mr Wisit withdraws his remark.

The government MP said yesterday he believed Mr Wisit had received incorrect information in reports that he had led a group of residents from his Don Muang constituency to destroy an earthen dyke along the Khlong Prapa canal on the Pak Kret side, causing the waterway to overflow on to a street, affecting residents.

"The Pak Kret district chief's remark shows he lacks maturity," said Mr Karun.

"He should not be the district chief.

"His thoughtless remark has hurt both my image and that of Don Muang residents.

"We have been cast in a negative light in this affair."

Earlier the same day, Mr Wisit claimed during a press interview that Mr Karun was to be blamed for leading a group of Don Muang residents to destroy the dyke at Sri Samarn intersection around 2am yesterday.

He said he had reported the incident to Nonthaburi governor Wichian Phuttiwinyu.

On Thursday, a dispute arose between two groups of residents along Khlong Prapa canal at Sri Samarn intersection.

Authorities were using a backhoe to build a dyke to block water from overflowing from the canal on to a street.

Don Muang residents on the other side of the canal, fearing the dyke would cause heavy flooding in their area, took control of the backhoe.

Mr Karun, Pheu Thai MP for Nonthaburi Montri Tangcharoenthavorn, and Mr Wisit rushed to the scene to mediate in talks between the residents.

It was agreed the Pak Kret district authorities would send half their 10 backhoes to help build a dyke along the canal in the Don Muang area and the other five backhoes would be used to build a dyke in Pak Kret.

However, the earth-based dyke on the Pak Kret side was found destroyed yesterday.

Bangkok Post : Biggest challenge yet to come

IN Print

Biggest challenge yet to come

• Published: 22/10/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Post Today interviewed Science and Technology Plodprasop Suraswadi about the government's flood management efforts at the Flood Relief Operations Command.


A man at his flooded house facing Wat Arun temple, along the Chao Phraya River.

What is the situation?

About 20 billion cubic metres has fallen this rainy season, and [by Wednesday] the government was able to drain about 8 billion cubic metres into the sea.

At least 10 billion cubic metres have yet to be drained.

It s not true to say, as the Irrigation Department chief did recently, that the biggest mass of water has already passed Bangkok.

There is still a huge mass of floodwater in the fields of several provinces including 3.9 billion cubic metres in Nakhon Sawan and 4 billion cubic metres in Ayutthaya. So it can be said that about 10 billion cubic metres of flood water is still threatening Bangkok.

This so-called floodwater in the fields _ when will it reach Bangkok?

The floodwater in the fields will certainly come, but not in a mad rush. We have never faced such a huge mass of floodwater in the fields. This is the main reason for the miscalculation and adversely affects the government's action plans.

Floodwater in the fields does not inundate all areas at the same time or at the same level.

In hindsight, the government's flood management should have been carried out much better than it was.

The first mistake was the retention of too much water in Bhumiphol and Sirikit dams.


A gas delivery man attempting to make a delivery on Ngam Wong Wan Road in Bangkok.

The water level in both dams this year was higher than usual, yet the Irrigation Department decided in June not to release much water, allegedly to keep water for second-crop rice cultivation and to prevent drought in the summer. When too much rain started flowing in, they had to release large amounts of water.

The second factor was the rainy season came one and a half month earlier than normal.

The third factor was this year's rainy season has lasted a long time. It has rained practically every day, filling up reservoirs, dams, and fields more or less at the same time.

The amount of rainfall this year is about 30-45% greater than the annual average.

The first mistake was we did not release enough water from the two major dams. The second mistake was when the huge amount of water which was released reached Chai Nat.

We had not anticipated that so much rain would have fallen over the past two weeks.

If we had known it would rain so heavily, we would have directed the waterflow to the west of the Chao Phraya River via Pholthep water gate.

When we did decide to do that, it was too late, as there was too much water to both the north and south of Chai Nat.

We should have directed the waterflow to the west to Suphan Buri more, as it was still relatively dry, but we could not.

I would not like to say why [political heavyweight Banharn Silapa-archa _ who represents the province _ is also adviser to the Charthaipattana Party, which supervises the Irrigation Department.]

The only option for us now is to direct the water to the east of Bangkok along several canals.

This was difficult as none of the canals had been dredged before.

We have now finished dredging, which should help propel the water to the sea at the rate of 30 million cubic metres a day, using 99 water pumps.

Right now the government can propel the water into the sea through all channels at the rate of about 400-500 million cubic metres a day.

There are still 10 billion cubic metres, which will take about 20 more days to drain.

Some might ask why the rate of waterflow into the sea is not more efficient.

It is not anyone's fault because the irrigation system is designed to irrigate water for slow release for farming and consumption, not designed to propel waterflow into the sea to prevent floods.

We must devise a system for efficient waterflow to supplement the irrigation system.

How much danger is the floodwater in the fields?

It just keeps coming down. In my opinion, inner Bangkok should be safe as we have an extensive drainage system with water pumps to drain excess water out quickly.

The most affected areas are the west and east of Bangkok which are already suffering, including Lat Krabang, Rangsit, Min Buri, and Klong Sam Wa.

I mentioned these areas last week but I was criticised for broadcasting the message before consulting others, but I thought it would be useful.

How much will outer Bangkok suffer?

It depends on each area's topology. If it is a low-lying area, the water can be 1-2 metres deep.

If it is higher, the water may be only 50cm deep.

People living in outer Bangkok, to the west and east, must accept the fact they live in low-lying areas with no protection.

They will have to live with floodwater for some time, and move their belongings to higher ground.

Bangkok is likely to have floods for about 2-4 weeks.

We know we can propel the water to the sea at the rate of 400-500 million cubic metres a day using pumps and boats propelling water at the river delta.

How fast is water rising?

The water is rising about 2-3 centimetres a day. As more and more barriers are erected, the water is driven into the fields and canals.

What is the best short-term measure?

We must protect the most important areas so that people can live. The longer-term plans can wait.

Inner Bangkok is safe, but where?

The inner area surrounded by flood prevention barriers.

What data are relied upon for decision-making?

The irrigation department has data concerning the main rivers and water gates. They know how much water passes through Nakhon Sawan, Chai Nat.

I have additional information from satellite pictures about the spread of floodwater in the fields which can be calculated into water volume.

If the two sets of data are collated, we have the full picture.

Is the Irrigation Department's data accurate?

I don't blame the department because they are used to irrigation only, not expediting flood waterflow.

They need to adjust. In future we must stress both irrigation and waterflow propulsion.

How to warn Bangkok people?

We must tell Bangkok residents in depth about water volume, direction, how long it will last.

But reporters are interested only in whether it is necessary to evacuate or not. They are interested in the end result, not why or how.

Who makes a decision at the Froc, the prime minister?

It is a joint decision after considering all information. However, sometimes there is no time for careful decisions as the water moves so fast.

Is there still any unpredictable factor?

I don't think so. Rain will shift to the south. If there is more rain, it is karma.

How does the centre coordinate with the BMA?

We exchange data at a certain level. One must accept there is some politics involved even though we don't want that to happen because it would mean that waterflow management is not smooth. We cannot make decisions simply, such as when and where to open and shut the sluice gates.

A country divided

The damages continue to climb and if the floods are not managed properly the country will suffer irreparable harm, notes Nakarn Laohavilai, Post Today editor.

The measurable damage includes that inflicted on material assets such as homes, farmlands, and industrial estates.

The unmeasurable damage includes the psychological wounds inflicted upon flood victims.

Residents in adjoining communities who once lived peacefully together are now engaged in disputes concerning sluice gates, and flood barriers.

Those who suffer from floods wonder why flood barriers are erected so other folks can stay dry.

Provinces are also pitted against provinces. Many people wonder why certain provinces stay dry while others nearby have to suffer floods for months.

The government came up with the Bang Rakam Model for tackling the floods, which failed to work.

When the situation grew dire, it belatedly established the Flood Relief Operations Command to tackle the floods and coordinate relief, consigning the so-called Bang Rakam Model to the rubbish bin.

Overseas investors who have invested in factories at industrial estates suffered when all five industrial estates in Ayutthaya and one in Pathum Thani were inundated.

Apart from the damage to machinery and products, they have to wait for the floods to subside before they can restart production, which could take as long as six months, resulting in losses of several billion dollars.

If the prime minister cannot assure foreign investors that she has a plan to prevent such disasters from happening again, it is unlikely they will stay in Thailand.

Hundreds of thousands of workers depend on these investors for their jobs.

Traffic a nightmare

Normally it takes about 10-15 minutes to travel from Chaeng Wattana expressway entry towards the toll gate at Ngam Wong Wan. On Thursday afternoon it took one hour and five minutes as there were thousands of cars double parking or even triple parking on the expressway to escape possible flooding in Bangkok, says a Bangkok Post reporter living in Pak Kret.

The bad signs began when the entry ramp at Muang Thong Thani _ which normally has two lanes with margin on both sides _ was nearly blocked when three lanes were occupied by parked cars leaving only a small, narrow lane for vehicles to reach the second-stage expressway.

Both sides of the elevated expressway were full of parked cars, leaving two to three lanes for traffic. Drivers had to be careful not to hit the parked cars or people walking on the expressway.

The traffic grew heavier and heavier until the reporter approached Nam Wong Wan toll gate where he found cars double-parking or even triple-parking on the expressway. The reporter finally reached the toll gate, then travelled to the Bangkok Post building at Klong Toey, which took only 20 minutes.

If this is to be taken as factual it explains the situation well.It seems there has not been any over riding authority pre the floods and during.Reminds me of the baseball hats with two peaks and front and back embroidered, Follow Me I am your leader.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

The appearance of Sudarat Keyuraphan at the Flood Relief Operations Command (Froc) has many thinking that she may be making an early comeback from five years of political inactivity.

She gave a pretty interesting and enlightening update on the battle to save Bangkok taking place along Klong Prapa yesterday on the 6pm news. She said that in the worst case scenario, the total loss of containment along Klong Prapa, there would be 2 or 3 days warning for inner city Bangkok residents to prepare for localized flooding but in no way would it be a Hollywood style calamity.

I would appreciate members Having an in-depth read of post #518 on the thread "Yingluck to meet Governors................" and your comments.

I'm gone for the rest of the day.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Mr Karun, also known as Keng Don Muang, threatened to file a complaint against Pak Kret district chief Wisit Puang-phet for alleged malfeasance under the Criminal Code's Section 157 unless Mr Wisit withdraws his remark.

Also lives in my Muban.

Originally Posted by Calgary

I would appreciate members Having an in-depth read of post #518 on the thread "Yingluck to meet Governors................" and your comments. I'm gone for the rest of the day.

Far fucking out get lost.

So, will Banharn respond to the implication? This, in any other society, would be dynamite.

Politics, vacant hingsight, extremely bad management and planning [for decades], cronyism...

And of course, the usual sprinkling of corruption.

Originally Posted by aging one

Far fucking out get lost.

Originally Posted by Rural Surin

Politics, vacant hingsight, extremely bad management and planning [for decades], cronyism...

And of course, the usual sprinkling of corruption.

Now, as Bangkok Post states, it is Yinglucks fault. As the tsunami was Thaksins fault

Asia Sentinel - Thai Floods' Political Damage

Thai Floods' Political Damage

Written by Richard S. Ehrlich
Friday, 21 October 2011


It didn't work

Yingluck’s popularity may be washing away

Although Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is being criticized for her failures in tackling Bangkok’s massive floods, three months of thunderstorms and decades of poor preparation are mostly to blame.

Certainly, however, the floods, the worst in five decades, have dissolved the heavily scripted can-do image created by Yingluck’s brother, the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. It may have been a tactical error to surround Bangkok with makeshift floodwalls in the vain attempt to divert millions of cubic meters of water outside the perimeter, seeking to save middle-class urbanites who voted in large numbers for the Democrat Party in elections earlier this year. The premier and her Pheu Thai Party government were inundating the rural poor who delivered the Thaksin-backed government to power in July national elections. Opponents are expected to use the management of floods and the resulting losses against the government in future elections. Government officials have repeatedly offered contradictory statements, assuring people that they were safe, and then advising them to flee for their lives.

Yingluck didn’t help her image when she earlier visited victims who were struggling to survive after Thailand's destroyed their meager livelihoods. She wore colorful plaid, luxury brand Burberry rain boots -- reportedly priced at about US$225 in America -- and posted the photo on her Facebook page, attracting critics and defenders arguing about her behavior. Her personal wealth was recently declared at US$18 million.


The failed tactic of turning Bangkok into a virtual island – the floodgates were opened on Oct.20 when the battle was lost -- was designed to protect it from a relentless flow of brown fluid, strewn with garbage and chemicals, all flushing alongside the capital and dumping into the nearby Gulf of Thailand.

It hasn’t worked. Yingluck announced on Oct. 20 that Bangkok could not be entirely protected after its extensive eastern suburbs were sacrificed to the floods to relieve incoming water pressure on the city’s northern flank.

"Flood waters are coming from every direction and we cannot control them because it's a huge amount of water," Yingluck said in a televised address. "We will try to warn people," so they can evacuate, she said. "This problem is very overwhelming. It is a national crisis, so I hope to get cooperation from everybody."

It is estimated by officials that 450 million cubic meters of water are rushing into the Gulf of Thailand every day although the accumulated runoff is expected to continue to rise. It is expected that it will take 40 days for the waters to subside.

The floods, which swamped a third of the country, so far have killed 320 people, put foreign factories out of commission and rendered thousands of people homeless,

Despite what is regarded by critics as her poor management of the monsoon-swollen rivers, Yingluck is not solely to blame. She heads a lackluster cabinet mostly picked by her brother, and a coalition of squabbling parties. She also faces her worst political enemy, the Democrat Party, which dominates Bangkok's local administration including the governor, who took a central role in trying to protect the capital and has also come under criticism.

The crisis may also partly rehabilitate the Thai army among some Thais, however, because troops were widely seen working in deep water to erect barriers, rescue stranded people, and perform other difficult tasks.
The military’s image was badly damaged by its role in brutal suppression of Red Shirt demonstrators – who backed Pheu Thai in the election.

But the extensive destruction is mostly due to the fact that successive governments, headed by various political parties, have neglected to build enough canals, dikes and sluices across the country, and failed to sufficiently dredge rivers and create other ways for annual rains to drain, despite warnings from environmentalists.

Bangkok is a busy river port alongside the Chao Phraya River, with an average elevation of six feet above sea level, making its streets a frequent target for floods.

"People just outside the capital were asking why they should not pull down barriers that kept much of Bangkok dry," The Nation newspaper reported. More rain drenched Bangkok on Oct. 20 as the capital's 12 million people braced for the possibility that other neighborhoods could be suddenly inundated from the north.

Pheu Thai isn’t the first government to divert incoming water away from Bangkok. Previous governments have done it, -- including last year, causing a similar outcry from people who watched helplessly as their property was deliberately inundated to protect the capital.

Previous governments also allowed cities, industrial zones, highways and other infrastructure to be constructed where floods naturally drain, blocking the water so it spilled onto heavily populated areas. Decades of extensive deforestation have stripped the countryside of natural cover, and dams allegedly have been mismanaged.

Multinationals have been lured to Thailand to profit from low wages and other cheap costs, but their factories and warehouses have been devastated in the current floods because they are located in the Chao Phraya River Basin. Shocked investors have watched as swirling liquid drowned several sprawling, investor-friendly, low-lying "industrial parks" after breaching insufficient barriers. In some of the industrial areas, the water is three meters deep. More than 14,000 factories have been wrecked by floods across 20 provinces, displacing more than 660,000 workers, according to the Labor Welfare Department's director-general, Arthit Ismo.

The worst-affected industrial zones are 80 km. north of Bangkok, where three rivers converge at the ancient capital of Ayutthaya. Multinationals which suspended or slowed operations due to the floods in Ayutthaya include Canon, Ford, Honda, Isuzu, Nikon, Seagate Technology, Sony, Toyota and Western Digital.

"The company now expects that the flooding of its Thailand facilities, combined with flood damage to the company's supply chain in Thailand, will have significant impact on the company's overall operations and its ability to meet customer demand for its products in the December quarter," California-based Western Digital said in a statement on Oct. 17.

"I think this is the biggest loss for Japan's overseas investment," Japan's ambassador to Thailand, Seiji Kokima, was quoted as saying.

Thailand's main Suvarnabhumi International Airport is vulnerable because it is on Bangkok's eastern outskirts and built on swampland. Life in much of Bangkok's dry areas has meanwhile remained mostly normal, with people shopping in lavish malls, dining out, and going to work while worriedly stocking up on essential items.

Originally Posted by nostromo

Originally Posted by Rural Surin

Politics, vacant hingsight, extremely bad management and planning [for decades], cronyism...

And of course, the usual sprinkling of corruption.

Now, as Bangkok Post states, it is Yinglucks fault. As the tsunami was Thaksins fault

The problems go back much farther than these years....
Perhaps it's political....yet, it's more cultural. The obessive insistence to build and and build and build upon a natural landscape that can't handle it.

The bottom line towards continued worsened flooding: No one seems to want to address the rhymes and reasons. Turning our backs on the real causes.

Yingluck’s Katrina | Foreign Policy Blogs

Yingluck’s Katrina

by Tim LaRocco | on October 22nd, 2011



There was never a better case study of how not to conduct public policy during an environmental disaster than the way President George W. Bush and his supporting group of miscast advisors handled Hurricane Katrina in 2005. However, after coming to grips with the situation in Thailand and how the administration of newly elected Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has handled the calamitous floods affecting the country, I’m prepared to say that Bush now has company in such an indecorous club.

Yingluck soared to the nation’s Premiership on a tidal wave (pardon the rather inappropriate pun) of support from the poor, rural majority in Thailand in elections held this past July. The country’s lower class, despondent after the overthrow of Yingluck’s older brother Thaksin in 2006 which was orchestrated by the country’s elite, channeled their discontent into a more avid participation in the democratic process. Protests and demonstrations were held in the streets, and the final culmination resulted in a resounding electoral victory. One would think that such staunch support would be reciprocated by elected officials careful not to alienate their strong, political base.

But then the floods came, and to quote the headline of a story run by The Economist in their latest issue, the results of the environmental devastation have quite literally swept away Yingluck’s government in Bangkok. The worst hit regions of Thailand are, naturally, the poor, rural hills in the north of the country; flooding in the cities of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai are reported to be very severe. Crops – agriculture being the livelihood of many of the citizens in the north of the country – have been ruined. 10% of Thailand’s rice exports have been destroyed, and the commodity climbed to a three year high last week as a result.

The Diplomat’s Luke Hunt cogently explains Yingluck’s central dilemma.

Each year in Thailand the monsoon comes, and each year the government in Bangkok must decide how far it’s prepared to flood the countryside in order to protect the capital, its people and business interests from rising waters. Normally damage is minimal, but this year was different.
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No sooner had newly-elected Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra settled into her job than the worst flooding in 60 years struck parts of the country. Yingluck’s mandate had been to resolve the differences between the urban middle classes and their country cousins who backed her.
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However, the surging floods posed an unwanted political dilemma – unleash water from the sluices, sandbag the capital and steer the flow across precious farmland, or allow the water to run its natural course through the waterways of Bangkok, resulting in the obvious devastation of homes and business.

In an effort to protect the capital, Yingluck made the decision to channel the water to surrounding areas, leaving vast stretches of farmland inhabited by poor farmers unprotected. That effort was ultimately a failure, and parts of Bangkok are now being strategically flooded in an attempt to drain some of the water. The economic costs to the city and the country have not been quantified yet, but it is estimated the damage will be in the billions.

No one can prevent acts of nature. We can, however, resolve to be better prepared to deal with them. Yingluck is new on the job, but her response to this calamity will likely shape her legacy. George W. Bush could not stop a hurricane from hitting New Orleans, but he could have sent the National Guard in to evacuate and restore order in the city in consultation with state and local governments. He could have appointed someone with a background in crisis management to run FEMA.

Unfortunately, Yingluck’s decisions have left a lot to be desired as well. Lands have been flooded, crops destroyed, livelihoods ruined, businesses suffering. Moreover, it now seems that it was all for naught as Bangkok, the central metropolis of Southeast Asia, will be hit anyway. If Yingluck’s electoral mandate was to give back to the have-nots and endeavor to reconcile the growing class divide afflicting the country, she will now have to ratchet up her effort for such a lofty ambition even more.

Bangkok Post : Website staff, Froc clash

Website staff, Froc clash

• Published: 23/10/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Staff of the website thaiflood.com have withdrawn from the Don Mueang flood relief centre amid conflicts with the government's Flood Relief Operations Command (Froc).

Thaiflood.com staff yesterday packed their belongings and moved out from Don Mueang airport, where they had been based for two weeks.

Poramate Minsiri, founder of the website and the #thaiflood Twitter hash tag, said it was pointless for his group to continue working with Froc, as the government limited the group's access to vital information.

He accused the government's flood command of "not welcoming participation by civil groups".

Mr Poramate claimed Froc had tried to censor information on Thaiflood.com before it went live.

The command was not happy with a recent flood warning relayed by the website and so issued a requirement for Thaiflood.com to submit any information to Froc before making it public.

"I told them I can't do it that way. In a crisis, people are waiting for information for their own survival," said Mr Poramate.

He said he had noticed a lack of unity within Froc's management and accused the command of not providing the public with adequate information so that they could prepare to deal with the flood situation.

Thaiflood has now moved to a new office at the Cyber World building on Ratchadaphisek Road.

"Once the natural flooding was coupled with non-systematic management, it resulted in a national disaster," Mr Poramate said.

He said Thaiflood.com set up in Don Mueang airport after receiving an invitation from the government. It had received good cooperation from relevant agencies during its first week of operations, he said.

Thaiflood.com then proposed a group representative to help the government map out its flood response operation, but Froc rejected the offer. He claimed Froc only wanted the website to serve as its public relations arm rather than as a practical ally.

Froc spokesman Wim Rungwattanajinda yesterday insisted the government welcomed participation from civil groups.

However, Froc also had to make sure announcements would not panic the public.

Sukhumbhand defiantly “protects” Bangkok



It had been thought that Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra had agreed to open the city’s water gates to allow flood waters to drain through the city to the sea. However, The Nation reports that:

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra yesterday denied that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) had opened watergates fully to allow flood water to flow through the capital to the sea.

In response to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s move to use the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act 2007 and order for the BMA to open watergates so that flood water can be let through to the sea, Sukhumbhand said the government had not notified the BMA to open watergates 100 per cent but had let the agency exercise its own judgement.

It seems that the princely governor has other priorities:

The governor cancelled an appointment and went straight to Siriraj Hospital [where the king has been for months and months] when he was told that some leaks were found at the hospital and water had been retained in some spots.

In the Bangkok Post, Seree Supharatid, director of the Disaster Warning Centre at Rangsit University, commented on the failure/refusal to open the water gates:

… unless the BMA completely opens its inner sluice gates to relieve pressure along key outer canals, flooding could break out across the capital. Khlong Rangsit is simply unable to cope with the water coming into the city from Ayutthaya, he said.

“If the BMA does not open all the sluice gates, the water will simply overflow Khlong Rangsit, affecting Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, Don Muang, Lak Si, Thung Song Hong all the way to Bang Khen,” he said. “To the east at Khlong Hok Wa, so long as the water cannot flow naturally, it may overwhelm the city flood barrier to flood Kaset-Nawamin, Rarm Intra and Lat Phrao.”

Dr Seree predicted widespread flooding within the next four to five days, as water from Nonthaburi’s Sai Noi and Bang Bua Thong districts race through Taling Chan on the Thon Buri side of the city.

Sukhumbhand appears to consider that island Bangkok is his fiefdom and the rest of the country can be hung out to dry (once the water recedes).

With yellow shirts and the Democrat Party baying for political blood, and much of the mainstream media also piling in, this is now very much a political flood. They will see Sukhumbhand as their hero and will blame the hated Puea Thai government for whatever they do, good or bad. On the issues of justice in flooding, see Thitinan Pongsudhirak in The Guardian.

Thanks to a reader for this link to an interactive map on the flooding around Bangkok and the central plain.

Floods major test for Thailand's novice PM - Emirates 24/7

Floods major test for Thailand's novice PM

By AFP
Published Sunday, October 23, 2011

Thailand's worst floods in decades are a baptism of fire for Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, observers say, as the political novice struggles to get a grip on a disaster that could define her career.

The 44-year-old former businesswoman, tapped by her fugitive brother Thaksin Shinawatra to run for office in his place, has been thrust to the forefront of a crisis that has killed hundreds of people and now threatens the capital.

At times the mother-of-one has showed signs of strain, appearing teary-eyed at news conferences and describing the crisis as overwhelming, while her political enemies have sought to use the occasion to undermine her popularity.

Her administration has been accused of initially responding too slowly and giving confusing information, although the strongest criticism has so far been directed at other officials rather than Yingluck herself.

"Yingluck has not lacked leadership," said Paul Chambers, a Thailand expert at the University of Chiang Mai in the north of the country.

"However, given that she is already saddled with the feeling among many that she is a mere proxy with no political experience, it makes it hard for her to suddenly earn her worth in these difficult flood-water times," he told AFP.

Experts say the seeds of the crisis were sown before Yingluck took office, as officials retained too much water in reservoirs, while the premier has had to deal with sometimes intransigent bureaucrats and Bangkok authorities.

The telegenic former president of a Thai real estate firm was swept to power on the back of the vast popularity of her brother Thaksin -- who was ousted in a 2006 coup -- among poor Thais, particularly in rural areas.

Now it is the very people who voted for her who are suffering the most as the government focuses its efforts on protecting the wealthy capital, the traditional heartland of the rival Democrat Party.

At first Yingluck, who has vowed a CEO-style premiership, appeared hesitant about how to deal with the deepening crisis, repeatedly reassuring people in Bangkok that the capital was safe as the waters drew closer.

Nonetheless she earned public admiration by spending her weekends visiting flood-stricken areas and posing for photographs with flood victims during the early days of the crisis.

Not all of the images have been PR coups, however -- one picture of her wearing rubber boots made by the Burberry luxury brand sparked a flurry of Internet chatter, not all of it favourable.

An initial strategy of blocking the floods upcountry failed and, in probably her most difficult decision yet, Yingluck on Thursday ordered the capital's floodgates to be opened to drain water through its canals.

"Yingluck has done her best but it has been insufficient. She has needed to be more decisive at times, but she is learning now," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.

"Now you see more coordination than before -- she seems more in charge now," he added. "This crisis is going to define her premiership."

The disaster has already taken a heavy toll on the economy and the vital tourism sector, still recovering from deadly political unrest last year, and Yingluck warned Saturday flooding would last for four to six more weeks.

There have been signs of tensions between the prime minister and Bangkok governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra, a rival Democrat, who has asked voters to ignore information from the central government and listen to him only.

Underscoring her growing frustration with the governor, Yingluck on Friday asserted her authority by invoking a disaster law to take nationwide control of the emergency response.

"In this particular case, my sense is that she acts as a CEO delegating responsibilities to the various ministries and politicians," said Pichai Chuengsuksawadi, editor-in-chief of the Bangkok Post, an English-language daily.

"She's not a politician and politicians know how to manage and have a track record of influence over government officials."

If we are talking politics elected governments rarely care about its people until voting time. Seen as nothing more than useful idiots at the best of times. How will this affect her is anyones guess, but it will certainly be used against her that's for sure.

ABAC poll shows Thai majority is worried about political conflicts during flooding : National News Bureau of Thailand

ABAC poll shows Thai majority is worried about political conflicts during flooding

BANGKOK, 23 October 2011 (NNT) – ABAC poll showed that the majority of Thai citizens is worried about political conflicts during the plight of flooding while they demand cooperation from all sides to solve the problem.

According to Director of the ABAC Poll Research Center Dr Noppol Kanika, the survey titled 'Lessons learned from the deluge crisis in Thailand' among 1,305 samples of Bangkok residents during 15-22 October 2011. Results show that the majority of 66.3% have learned how to adapt themselves to handle flood situation, 67.2% see the need to spend more money during the situatiom and 55.9% have to spend much more money during the post-flood time.

Projecting on the income in 3 months ahead, 53.8% of the respondents are convinced that their incomes will remain the same while 31.4% believe that their incomes will decrease. As for the most concerned matter among the public, 83.6% cited the political conflicts during the flooding while 81.1% wanted to see the cooperation between Pheu Thai Party and Bangkok Governor.

Moreover, the survey found that 48.9% of the respondents estimated that the flooding crisis would be resolved within one month. 95.5% of them said that the post-flood rehabilitation steps would range from renovation of houses, city and community clean-up, workplace, career support to infrastructure development.

Suan Dusit Poll: Political conflict makes flood operation difficult : National News Bureau of Thailand

Suan Dusit Poll: Political conflict makes flood operation difficult

BANGKOK, 23 October 2011 (NNT) – The majority of Bangkok-dwellers believe that a political conflict has made the ongoing flood crisis more difficult to handle, according to a recent poll by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University.

Almost 77 percent of the respondents have a feeling that the Pheu Thai Party core members and the Bangkok governor only give their priority to their own political territories, resulting in the lack of systematic solutions. As much as 67 percent believe that the political intervention will eventually put the popularity of the politicians involved in jeopardy. About 70 percent blame the political conflict for making the matter worse.

In the view of the respondents, the agencies undertaking the royal projects are the most trustworthy with 31.04 percent, followed by academics with 30.11 percent.

Thaiflood separated itself from FROC : National News Bureau of Thailand

Thaiflood separated itself from FROC

BANGKOK, 23 October 2011 (NNT)-The founder of the Thaiflood website, Pramet Minsiri, yesterday announced the separation of the site from the government run Flood Relief Operation Center, citing the conflict in their stances.

The website, an organized effort by the civic sector, had stood side by side with the center since the beginning of the crisis. However, Mr. Pramet claimed that the two entities had developed several conflicts involving information and cooperation to the point that they could no longer work together.

He strongly criticized the center’s works, citing that it needed to be well organized and ignore political influences in order to be able to achieve its ultimate objective of preventing flood or inform the public of it as soon as possible.

The Thaiflood website founder gave an example of such works, saying that the evacuation plan need to have more details, such as evacuation destination, adding that without one, announcing an evacuation would only cause panic.

Mr. Pramet explained that the decision came after he received a call from a government official ‘asking’ him to send the information to the FROC before releasing it to the public. Thailflood refused to comply with the demand as previously the information took too long to reach the public to be useful.

The current flood crisis: Lessons learned - The Nation

regional perspective

The current flood crisis: Lessons learned

Kavi Chongkittavorn October 24, 2011 6:02 am


Albeit continued positive media spins on the Yingluck government dealing with the flood calamities, it has been crystal clear from the outset that the government is its own arch enemy.

Psychological walls of fear and mistrust are stronger than the make-shift barriers and sandbags abound in central Thailand these days.

The recalcitrance to declare the state of emergency over the inundated areas in the early stage was a huge blunder because it could have mitigated some the serious overflows of huge-volume freshwater that now inundated Ayutthaya and other areas surrounding Bangkok and lessened human toll and properties of some 2.4 million people in 28 of 77 provinces. The disaster is so gigantic that all stakeholders must be mobilized and worked together. But the fear that the military would use the opportunity to further consolidate their power and growing role in the wider Thai polity prevented the government to use the emergency decree that would allow better coordination and policy execution of all agencies.

Instead, on Friday Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra invoked the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act which put her on the top of commanding chain in all nation-wide relief efforts, supplanting all other government agencies including the special administrative zones. Earlier the opposition and leading business communities have urged the government to declare the state of emergency to increase the efficiency of relief efforts. In more ways than one, her action was a bit late as floodtide has hit the out-lying area of the Bangkok Metropolitan. In fact, a better dialogue and reduced self-esteemed could be a better mechanism in reducing the fault lines of law enforcement and find common approaches - a win-win situation.

Until last weekend, the government treated the matter in a very partisan way, as if the Pheu Thai had the magic power to cope with the massive flood. The Flood Relief Operation Command was rudderless and failed to gain trust as released information were not accurate and timely. What were said and being implemented were completely different for peoples in affected areas to act promptly. With different concerns and interest, each community and individual has to protect its own. Therefore, it caused great despairs and pain - the collective panics that the country had never confronted before. Truth be told, the government was a bit over confident that it would be able to handle and got away with long lists of planned compensation, failure to realize the full extent of the floodtide that followed and swamped all industrial estates in their wakes. Nearly 650,000 workers were affected by shut-down of more 1,700 factories which owned and operated by foreign investors.

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra added salts into the wounds when he continued to ridicule the military's public role when soldiers could help with the relief operation. The ongoing attempt to amend regulations of the Defence Ministry Act - a check and balance mechanism to ensure transparency and meddling from politicians put in place in 2007 - also dampened any perceived cooperation. His condescending attitude immediately placed his sister in a dilemma whether to seek full-scale assistance from the military. That helped explain why the military were also a bit awkward in providing a full-scale assistance. Doing too little or too much could be criticized and caused unease especially with the current Pheu Thai leaders.

Indeed, the government and military could have done a better job if they have established a mutual trust. In the Philippines, for instance, the army is the key organization to handle natural disaster because they are better equipped and organized. Although Thailand and the Philippines military have a similar reputation when politics is involved, the Filipino politicians are more pragmatic and do allow their soldiers to have a larger role in relief operation. In fact, back in the mid 1990's, the Thai Defence Ministry planned to set up a disaster relief center but the idea failed to take off the ground even though there were urgent needs after major flood ravaged the south in 1983, followed by Bangkok's flood in 1995 and Gay monsoon in 1998.

It was in 2002 that the same idea was realized as the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation but came under the control of Ministry of Interior with a budget of nearly Bt3 billion in 2010. The sluggish response was due to the concerned agencies' unpreparedness and lacking of preventive approaches. The Thai officials prefer to provide day-to-day assistance and relief operations, which has been the focal point as reported in the media daily. In fact, some provinces affected by the flood including those untouched region, have already squandered their annual disaster prevention budget given by Ministry of Interior as bonus and incentives at both provincial and district levels.

In coming days, the government must now come up with a long term rehabilitation plan because the flood will stay for sometimes and damages to the economy is far greater that any political upheaval or disaster the country has ever encountered. From 2002-2010, more than 1,000 people were killed by tropical storms during rainy season which cost the country more than Bt40 billion. However, this time the economic loss could exceed Bt120 billion and will take years to recovery, if at all. With the populist policies run at full throttles, the government has yet to spell out a clear path how it can pursue these multi-layer goals of fulfilling money-giving schemes backing the popular sentiments it won in January. Already, the country's economic future looks grim with a reduced growth rate of nearly 1.7 per cent from the forecast of between 3.5 to 4.5 per cent earlier stated by the Ministry of Finance.

Finally, Yingluck has to stop acting that she knows what she is talking about - something which her supporters often mistakenly described as the display of her leadership. Indeed, this crisis has given her, the country and its people an opportunity to open a new dialogue - a catalyst of sort - that is not based on color idiosyncrasy or political shenanigans. Somehow, she has not yet realized this golden window. If she is serious to show leadership it is pivotal to get the people from all walks of life to sit down and work out a long term plan of national preparedness because the floodtide will not go away as it will come back over and over again.

Since we cannot change the infrastructures of urban areas and those ugly landscapes, the country really needs a better disaster management system, which must include both man-made and natural disasters. Most importantly, this catastrophe shows that the public in general do not understand the nature of disasters and relief efforts very well. Increasing awareness and education for the public is a must. So is the community-based organizations and their volunteers must be trained to cope with disasters of all forms.

If she can pull this off, it will be to her credit and leadership's quality. Not the kind of stuffs, one sees with eye-popping on TV every day.

^

Originally Posted by [B

The current flood crisis: Lessons learned[/b] - The Nation

Wow, how to put it.

I am overwhelmed with cynicism and at a loss to give it adequate expression.

Suffice it to say an article from THE NATION on lessons learned from the current crisis is........................Like I say, I am at a loss to give words to my cynicism.

Albeit continued positive media spins on the Yingluck government dealing with the flood calamities, it has been crystal clear from the outset that the government is its own arch enemy

I cannot bring myself to go past this first sentence.

I am to believe black is white and red is blue and...............

Anyway, you guys read this stuff.

I cannot bring myself to do that.