In the end, repeated apologies by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul were insufficient.
Angry residents affected by the floods in Bangkok confronted the visiting Prime Minister for two nights. By Tuesday night, Anutin resorted to a controversial tactic in a bid to appease some flood-affected locals: he handed out 1,000-baht banknotes from his own pocket — 20,000 baht in total. The moment was captured on video, went viral, and was widely reported.
The incident took place late Tuesday night at Baan Eua-Arthorn Permsin in Bangkok’s Sai Mai district.
Anutin also instructed all cabinet ministers to suspend foreign travel for the duration of the emergency flood response. He also cancelled his own scheduled foreign trips for the next two to three weeks to remain in Thailand and oversee operations directly.
But by Wednesday, Anutin asked local reporters to stop asking him about persistent questions and criticisms over the government’s flood-handling measures (or lack thereof). Apparently, he wants to move on prematurely.
Handing out cash from his own pocket was a bad political move that will not solve any problems in a significant way.
The Toll
Since the flooding began, 700,000 people have been affected across more than 300,000 households, according to Bangkok Deputy Governor Tavida Kamolvej on Monday. On Wednesday, government spokesman Ekkapob Pianpises said 40 people had died nationwide, citing the Public Health Ministry. Four of those deaths were in Bangkok, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
Flooding has been reported in 42 districts, with eight still affected as of Wednesday: Lat Krabang, Bang Kapi, Min Buri, Saphan Sung, Suan Luang, Bueng Kum, Khlong Sam Wa, and Sai Mai.
As for total economic losses, the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce estimated them at 12.3 billion baht overall. Estimates ranged from 5.9 billion to 20.6 billion baht, depending on recovery speed.
The Voices
On Sunday afternoon, the second day of the downpour, I visited flood-affected areas in Bang Kapi, watching dozens of people wading through waist-deep floodwater to buy food and necessities.
I asked one flood victim whether he had any requests for the government; he said he only wished the government had given them clearer warnings earlier.
On Wednesday night, Residents in Ayutthaya were calling for earlier flood warnings as levels rose rapidly.
The Failures
Anutin has failed. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt was overconfident late last week and has also failed. The Meteorological Department has also failed to ensure that proper and timely warnings were issued.
Thai society needs a government that is competent, ever-prepared, communicates flood warnings clearly, and responds quickly to flooding — not a prime minister handing out 1,000 baht notes from his own pocket to a few residents who have been suffering through five days of flooding, seemingly to ease public anger towards the government.
As Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul told Thai Airways executives over the baggage backlog at Suvarnabhumi Airport: if you are not ready to do the job competently, you should consider stepping down. The same could be said about Anutin, Chadchart, and the bigwigs at the Meteorological Department.
The History
The Meteorological Department, in particular, has a checkered record of giving inadequate warnings — or even giving no warning at all for fear of backlash if the situation turned out not to be as severe as predicted.
Back in 2004, I played an investigative role in exposing the department’s failure when it prioritised commercial interests over public safety during the 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Writing for The Nation newspaper at the time, I discovered that senior Meteorological Department officials had convened an emergency meeting shortly after the initial earthquake off Sumatra was detected — well before the tsunami struck Thailand’s coast.
A key source within the department disclosed to me that officials deliberately refrained from issuing a warning or calling for evacuations out of fear of disrupting the peak Christmas tourist season. Hotel occupancy was near 100% at the time, and officials worried about financial and reputational liability if a warning turned out to be a false alarm.
After the report was published, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra ordered an independent fact-finding panel to investigate the Meteorological Department’s failures.
Smith Dharmasaroja, a former head of the department who had spent years publicly warning of Thailand’s tsunami vulnerability, was brought back by Thaksin to head the task force and lead the development of Thailand’s national early-warning system. But the report prepared by the task force headed by Smith was never made public. Smith told me it was never even written, because officials feared that foreign tourists killed by the tsunami would sue the Thai government for huge compensation.
The Lesson
These events illustrated how administrative hesitation, bureaucratic fear of backlash, and economic considerations led directly to the failure to issue a timely alert, leaving thousands of residents and tourists unprepared when the waves struck.
More than two decades later, I wonder how many thousands of vehicles would have been spared from being submerged, and how much damage and pain reduced, if the Meteorological Department, the government, and the Bangkok governor had been more competent.
And it is not over. Just today, another deluge hit Bangkok. Dams nearing capacity have been forced to release more water downstream. All over Thailand, citizens still wait for timely warnings.