Thailand accused of dragging feet over bird flu

BANGKOK: -- Thailand has failed to learn critical lessons from its last major bird flu crisis, politicians and health officials warned amid allegations that secrecy and inaction were putting more lives at risk.

Bird flu killed 16 people in Vietnam and eight in Thailand this year and led to the slaughter of millions of birds across Asia.

Thai chicken farms were declared bird-flu free in May but the government this month conceded the deadly virus had struck again at a poultry farm north of the capital. It was accused of waiting almost two weeks to go public with the news.

Since then the government has confirmed fresh outbreaks in 15 provinces, which critics say might have been prevented by a swifter response.

"They should have announced it immediately after the new outbreaks were discovered," Thai senator Kraisak Choonhavan told AFP, adding a failure to do so had put the public at risk.

"They are too concerned about exports when the market will find out anyway," said Kraisak, who heads Thailand's senate committee on foreign affairs.

Thailand's poultry exports -- the world's fourth largest -- earned 1.2 billion dollars last year.

"Many people are fed up with the ineffective way the government is handling this bird flu crisis to covertly protect the country's image," said Kraisak.

The government was widely criticised in January for allegedly covering up an outbreak for months by insisting it was chicken cholera.

Thailand only admitted to the outbreak after two boys in provinces east of Bangkok contracted the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza.

Since the latest outbreaks were announced earlier this month Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has sought to play down the crisis, saying outbreaks were appearing only sporadically across the country's 76 provinces.

However Thai share prices closed down 0.62 per cent Monday partly over concerns over the fresh outbreaks of bird flu, according to dealers.

Government spokesman Jakrapob Penkair has insisted the go-softly approach was not about protecting exports or the country's image.

"We don't release information with a lot of publicity because we don't want the public to be overly panicked," Jakrapob told AFP.

"But we are handling the bird flu situation having learned from our previous experience in handling the outbreak," he said.

So far the government's main bid to tackle the fresh outbreaks has been to announce a committee that will look into the matter.

"(The government has) agreed to set up a committee comprised of experts and academics and over the coming months we will do a project about bird flu and get an overview of what we know and what we don't know," said livestock department director general Yukol Limlamthong.

--AFP 2004-07-20

And the games begin again...Back to Tofu

The trouble is that I cannot make cakes with tofu,

I need eggs!!

So WHEN are they gonna learn that the "SAVE FACE" thing doesn't work ?????

unbelievable....

The government was widely criticised in January for allegedly covering up an outbreak for months by insisting it was chicken cholera.

and we knows mr T's attention span will not encompass this.

"why is everyone always picking on me"- Bloodhound Gang

cause you don't make descisions without wondering about your fee - the monster

So far the government's main bid to tackle the fresh outbreaks has been to announce a committee that will look into the matter.

and we will release informatioon to the public when we have sorted out who is on the committee.

do a project about bird flu and get an overview of what we know and what we don't know," said livestock department director general Yukol Limlamthong.

I don't know where I parked my new mercedes - the one with the fighting cocks I bought from ayuttaya this weekend.

Bird Flu in Thailand,surely not again.....

Is Der UberWaiter still eating chicken?

ASIC