Misterwhisper

On one side of the barrier the water is 4 foot deep.

On the other side of the barrier it is dry.

I can't help but think it would be fairer and have less economic impact for the water to be 1 foot deep everywhere.

With water 1 foot deep life can go on as usual for everyone,

But the rich like the poor to suffer the most in Thailand.

I fully agree. It would have been better to open sluice gates from the very beginning in order to allow the water to flow into the sea, even if major parts of Bangkok would have become inundated. The flooding could have been kept in check, reaching perhaps 30 cm in places instead of the 1 or 1.5 metres or more as it does now. Bangkok can deal with 30 cm of water even during a prolonged period. And if those fine khunyings with their stiff hairdos feel impeded during their weekly trip to Emporium, so be it. Not everybody in inner Bangkok is insanely rich and drives a BMW, of course, but it wouldn't have hurt if we all would have shared the burden. It's still dry as a bone at my place (Ramkhamhaeng), although I am used to flooding even after a heavy rainstorm. What an irony.

here is a great video of flooding in BKK circa 1942.

That is an amazing video. Even MPs arrived by boat - and smiled.

I wonder why Jutaporn has not been indicted on accessory charges. These reds were only following his orders as one of the red leaders. During one of his democracy speeches which can be seen on Youtube he said "If you seize power from us, then we'll burn the whole country down. Burn it, burn everything, my brothers — Guarantee: Bangkok will turn into a sea of flames. Those of you who live in the country, it's OK if you cannot join us. If anything happens, just gather at your provincial or city halls. No need to wait for the order. Burn your city halls down to the ground."

Well said. That's one of the reasons why Jatuporn was in such a rush to push for elections, so he could hide behind his parliamentary immunity once again. That also was the reason why he lamented while in jail that he should be allowed to vote, that it was his right as a citizen (although 'normal' people serving terms in Thailand generally lose that right). Without the right to vote he could not have stood as an election candidate.

You might think that out of all of this a real leader for the Thai people would emerge - the PM herself, a cabinet minister, a mayor, a governor perhaps - someone, anyone - but I don't think it is going to happen.

Hm, and I thought there already was a "true leader of the Thai people". He's currently sitting bone dry in Dubai.

Still bone dry in my area and even according to a inundation model published today all I can expect is 10-21 centimetres. That won't even reach up to the first step of my main entrance.

That's all fine and dandy but everything is inter-connected and you can't servuive very long in your house/condo if the corner 7 is out of food/water, the gas shop is closed because it can get delivery of canisters and you can't cook anything, if many restaurants are flooded or closed again because they can get deliveries of raw materials through the water or the factories producing or the distribution centers sending stuff to retailers are flooded. What happens if you can't get money from ATMs if they are out of money because the re-fill trucks can't get to them or the electricity is out or wherever they print/store new currency is flooded. What happens if enough oil refineries production is interrupted and gasoline/diesel becomes in short supply...again, no deliveries of anything to stores/restos and you yourself can't refill your car and little taxi/motocye services to get to a store/resto or even to the airport to evacuate.

I ALWAYS have enough non-perishable food and water (even beer and wine) in the house to last me a couple of weeks, if not longer, flooding or not. It's called 'housekeeping'. And if I can't get out of the house, I won't need any cash either. If electricity is cut, I have plenty of batteries to run camping lights. Oh, and I have candles and matches, too. I don't own any factory, so I won't be too distressed if no 'raw materials' come through.

Panicking is the worst possible reaction and best left to 'lemmings'.

Please tell me, friend, what is your point?

And it's still bone dry here.

News in this country change as quickly as the flood water levels. Just a couple, three weeks ago it was blared out that under no cicumstances would tourism to this enchanting country suffer in any way.

But what do we expect from officials whose predictions have so far proved utterly erroneous and who have led the public by the nose for weeks on end?

Is that the same PM who only a couple of weeks ago let it be known through several of her highly-qualified ministers that Bangkok would be completely safe?

But now Big Brother has allegedly purchased God knows how many thousands of pumps from Korea (North? South?), so those floods better arrive soon!

Still bone dry in my area and even according to a inundation model published today all I can expect is 10-21 centimetres. That won't even reach up to the first step of my main entrance.

Save yourselves! Panic-buy! Evacuate head over heels!

How enchanting.

What makes coping with the deluge even more difficult is the ineptitude - along with the insanely conflicting reporting - that has been displayed by several government ministers over the past couple of weeks, although government agencies like the Irrigation Department and the Meteorological Department as well as numerous academics already had warned as far back as June/July that a crisis was looming due to the unusually heavy monsoon. But instead of acting quickly and devising precautionary measures ('better be safe than sorry'), the government was still pre-occupied with clamping down on illegal gmabling dens, lobbying foreign governments to issue visas to a certain fugitive, finding ways to bringing him back by any means, and finding a 'suitable' candidate to replace the chief of police.

We haven't heard a single word from Chalerm Yubamrung in recent weeks, although he usually is the loudest bayer of them all. He is probably still busy with raiding gambling dens and busting drug dealers - although he might have to leave his Jaguar at home and instead travel by flatbottom boat.

We also haven't heard anything from the 'gray eminence' in Dubai, mostly because - lo and behold! - he has recently declared for the umpteenth time (the 486th time, if I've counted it right) that he is going to finally, finally, finally going to give up his political ambitions. Now? He's giving it up NOW? NOW, when his advice could actually have some merit? Oh, well...

The only thing we DID hear was the soar voice of Agitator No. 1, Jatuporn Promphan, who, as usual, was lightning-fast to declare (in all earnestnesss and without any sarcastic undertones) that the entire flooding mess was actually the work of the Yellowshirts and the Democrats and the Army, who had all conspired to bring about the deluge and hinder mitigation efforts with the sole aim of ousting the current government. Unfortunately, Thanyarat Psychiatric Hospital is reportedly underwater, otherwise he could be delegated a nice, comfy, padded cell there.

And by the way: My area is still bone dry. That's why I am not going to ramble on.

Good luck, Thailand.

Would this include Ratchada? I need to know please thanks.

Is Ratchadapisek Road 'near the Chao Phraya river'? Please read the OP again.

With three quarters of the country's industrial estates already being underwater, I don't see how foreign investor confidence could be eroded any further.

Instead, a SOE already should have been declared WEEKS AGO. But all we got was uncoordinated contingency efforts, stupid "mitigation plans" by certain ministers (1,000 boats in the Chao Phraya to 'push' water out to sea...) and the creation too late of FROC, a body in which the left hand obviously doesn't know what the right hand is doing. Now, if all of that hasn't shaken foreign investor confidence, what actually is?

He is just a twit, for only a twit could come up with such a pulled-by-the-hair, ludicrous, utterly surreal accusation that anyone (whatever 'colour' or political agenda they may follow) has "caused" the flooding.

Or have I missed something? Is he actually claiming that "certain parties" may have deliberately opened the flood walls, deliberately withheld emergency assistance and rescue operations? Even that thought would be insane.

It's high time for this man to be committed to a closed psychiatric institution, really.

Which ministry usually manage this kind of natural disaster ?

Interior , Sicence & Technology or which ministries ?

The Ministry of Incompetence and Ineptitude, perhaps?

Tsingtao beer enjoys a great reputation among the Thai people for its century-old traditions of beer making

Really??

Yes, that line raised my eyebrows as well. Of course, Tsingtao Beer is available at every mom-and-pop corner shop even in the deepest province - NOT. That explains the excellent reputation it must without doubt enjoy among the "Thai people". Just ask any taxi driver or office worker what they think of Tsingtao Beer...

There are two main issues playing together here: 1) Too many people are meddling, contradicting each other in the process and thus causing the handling of the crisis to be less effective than it could be; 2) the chain of command is very rigid. The real experts out in the field cannot act without being ordered by their supervising ministers, most of whom are utterly misplaced in their respective portfolios and have actually little or no relevant knowledge about their duties, because they got their posts as a political reward and not because they're the best people for the job.

Misterwhisper I had to read your post several times to determine if you were talking about Thailand or Australia - having given you the benifit of the doubt since this is a Thai forum the answer being Thailand but believe me what you have said sounds very much like the Australian Government in action or better still inaction.

In Australia we suffer floods followed by bushfires and there are always the armchair pundits who with 20/20 hindsight put forward their magical solutions where were they 3 months ago (wet season is not a new thing) with their advice on Prepare Prepare!! Probably off solving other world problems in hindsight of course. I often think if only my father had had me gelded at birth (Enunickised) I would not have wasted my life chasing women but would be an unhappy old millionaire! (foresight/hindsight) what wonderful gifts they could be in the right quarters.

I have no doubt that you have similar issues in Oz. Your explanations were clear and reasonable enough. But you're right, my ramblings referred to Thailand, of course, because that is where I live. I also could write about issues in Mozambique or Paraguay, but that wouldn't be relevant, would it. Point is that a good many ministers in any country are absolutely incompetent in their assigned portfolios.

There are two main issues playing together here: 1) Too many people are meddling, contradicting each other in the process and thus causing the handling of the crisis to be less effective than it could be; 2) the chain of command is very rigid. The real experts out in the field cannot act without being ordered by their supervising ministers, most of whom are utterly misplaced in their respective portfolios and have actually little or no relevant knowledge about their duties, because they got their posts as a political reward and not because they're the best people for the job.

PM caught crying due to stress from flooding crisis

Awesome post

"... and my brother isn't picking up the phone. What to do, what to do?!"

The lesson that Carlsberg has learned is never to trust a Chinese Thai business partner. After all they were screwed and robbed by Charoen from Beer Chang.

I gave a "subtle" hint in my own post, you named the "culprit" spot on. Chang is the direct result of Charoenphokphand screwing the Danes big time. Chang is basically just an altered version of Carlsberg, brewed with a bit more alcohol content by volume and made a little sweeter to suit local tastes. After the Danes had paid for practically all the infrastructure and got the marketing going the Thai-Chinese partners thought it was no longer necessary for them to pay the agreed royalties. They continued brewing Carlsberg on their own for a while after the split, but then Carlsberg went to court. I don't know the outcome, but it seems Charoen was ordered to stop marketing the beer under the Carslberg brand name, so they simply re-branded it into Chang and altered its taste somewhat. End of story - and another foreign company burned badly for trusting local business conglomerates too much.

Not wishing to be a picker of nits, BUT, I think you may have your Charoens crossed.

Charoenpokhpand Group owned by the Dhanin Cheravanont family, which in turn owns True Corp & 7/11 etc is a massive agribusiness.

Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, one of,if not the, richest men in Thailand, is the owner of Thai Bev the maker of, among many other brands, Chang Beer.

It is this Charoen that I believe the previous poster was referring to, since they had a business arrangement with the Danish brewery Carlsberg in the late 1990's which brought Carlsberg to Thailand.

Subsequent disagreements caused the birth of Chang beer and the demise of Carlsberg..

Interestingly the Bhirombhakdi family owns Boon Rawd, the brewer, for many generations, of Singha Beer.

Cheers ratcatcher

You are right, ratcatcher, and I stand corrected. I meant the Thai Bev Charoen, of course. Got confused with so many 'Charoen' around.

The lesson that Carlsberg has learned is never to trust a Chinese Thai business partner. After all they were screwed and robbed by Charoen from Beer Chang.

I gave a "subtle" hint in my own post, you named the "culprit" spot on. Chang is the direct result of Charoenphokphand screwing the Danes big time. Chang is basically just an altered version of Carlsberg, brewed with a bit more alcohol content by volume and made a little sweeter to suit local tastes. After the Danes had paid for practically all the infrastructure and got the marketing going the Thai-Chinese partners thought it was no longer necessary for them to pay the agreed royalties. They continued brewing Carlsberg on their own for a while after the split, but then Carlsberg went to court. I don't know the outcome, but it seems Charoen was ordered to stop marketing the beer under the Carslberg brand name, so they simply re-branded it into Chang and altered its taste somewhat. End of story - and another foreign company burned badly for trusting local business conglomerates too much.

The beer brand is still IMPORTED, as the brewery is located in Vietnam. It is NOT a locally produced beer. The report also makes it look like this would be Carlsberg's debut in LOS. Not so. Carlsberg had established a brewery right here in Thailand well over a decade ago with a Thai joint venture partner, one of the most prominent breweries in the country. Carlsberg beer caught on nicely with consumers back then and became immensely popular. Needless to say that this success was soon afterwards (and as usual) reason enough for the local joint venture partner to dupe the Danish company out of business, causing it to lose millions of dollars in investment. THAT is the real story here, not that it is now possible to buy imported bottles of Carlsberg. The press release is entirely misleading. By the way: ever wondered how "Beer Chang" came into being? Think...

My oh my, people are reacting like the capital is going to be submerged under 5 metres of flood water for weeks on end. If you cannot hold out for a couple of days with the supplies you should have in your household anyway, then you're definitely a poor housekeeper. And if the Biblical flood doesn't hit your area, you're going to sit on a stockpile of food that will last until end of the year. I have never really understood that sort of lemming-like panic buying. Has anyone started chopping down the mango trees in their garden and started to build an ark, too...?

"In the late afternoon, the governor organised a religious ceremony and asked holy beings to push water into other areas.No matter if people believe in these things or not, I do not care. If it makes everything better, I will do it," he said."And if it doesn't make everything better, he'll at least have someone (something?) to blame it on.

"The Senate speaker disclosed that he received a letter from the the Cabinet's secretary-general saying that the prime minister did not come to clarify to the inquiry because the matter involves national security and should not be discussed at this time."

If it involves "national security", why oh why is the PTP government still pursuing that royal pardon full steam? Of course we know why... Mr. T needs to come home scot-free and take over the reins.

At least one senator looked through the charade, thankfully:

"Appointed senator Kamnoon Sitthisaman questioned how the matter would involve national security as claimed by the premier, and said he will continue to raise the issue of the inquiry at future meetings."

Go on, Mr. Kamnoon. Don't let up.

And once again PM Yingluck "dodged" an important inquiry, successfully evading potentially uncomfortable questions. She really excels at "dodging" and has shown it on more than one occasion.

In this case, perhaps the landline to Dubai was bad or the satellite reception interrupted due to the stormy weather, so she couldn't receive instructions on how to mislead the inquiry and decided to "dodge" it.

It's all "facade". If only it wouldn't be so glaringly obvious.

I take it you know who non-elected Senator Kamnoon Sitthisaman is and his political affiliation?

Yes, I do. Yet his questioning why the pardon issue infringes on national security is nevertheless legitimate, especially under the aspect that PTP is actively pursuing it. Why do that while at the same time flogging the "national security" horse and dodging a senatorial inquiry?

"The Senate speaker disclosed that he received a letter from the the Cabinet's secretary-general saying that the prime minister did not come to clarify to the inquiry because the matter involves national security and should not be discussed at this time."

If it involves "national security", why oh why is the PTP government still pursuing that royal pardon full steam? Of course we know why... Mr. T needs to come home scot-free and take over the reins.

At least one senator looked through the charade, thankfully:

"Appointed senator Kamnoon Sitthisaman questioned how the matter would involve national security as claimed by the premier, and said he will continue to raise the issue of the inquiry at future meetings."

Go on, Mr. Kamnoon. Don't let up.

And once again PM Yingluck "dodged" an important inquiry, successfully evading potentially uncomfortable questions. She really excels at "dodging" and has shown it on more than one occasion.

In this case, perhaps the landline to Dubai was bad or the satellite reception interrupted due to the stormy weather, so she couldn't receive instructions on how to mislead the inquiry and decided to "dodge" it.

It's all "facade". If only it wouldn't be so glaringly obvious.

If you want to make a blind man see, sponsor him a trip to Thailand.

As far as I know (and I could be wrong), the Thais have never invaded another country and/or committed genocide.

Perhaps that is part of the reason why they don't understand how horrifying it is to countries that have experienced it?

I don't think it makes much difference anyway.... Europe and America have learned little from the World Wars and still have a sizable minority (if not majority) that have a grudge against any minority in their country.

Thailand (Siam) Attacked Cambodia when the Thai king demanded they hand over their white elephant. Siem Reap means the 'Flat Defeat of Siam' or something like that. There was probably more to it, but that was one story I picked up.

In 1828 the Siamese invaded Laos and laid Vientiane in ash and ruins, because the Lao king refused to pay tribute to the Siamese king. The Siamese also pilfered the much-revered "Jade Buddha" from Vientiane's Wat Sisaket, which now is kept as a national symbol in Bangkok's Wat Phra Keo (adjacent to the Grand Palace).