Record Floods Test New Thailand Prime Minister

[webfact]

Record floods test new Thailand prime minister

Supunnabul Suwannakij,Suttinee Yuvejwattana, Bloomberg News

Bangkok: -- Thailand's worst floods in at least 50 years may slow economic growth and cause $1.6 billion of damage, posing the first leadership test for Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra since she took office two months ago.

The deluge swept across the country from late July, killing 237 people, displacing 2.6 million others and damaging almost 10 percent of rice farms in the biggest exporter of the grain, data from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives show.

Economic losses from the floods and weakening overseas demand for Thailand's electronics, textiles and agricultural goods may complicate Yingluck's efforts to meet a pledge to raise the minimum wage. Flood damage may reach $1.6 billion, the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce estimates, stiffening resistance to mandated pay increases.

Yingluck's government has deployed about 10,000 soldiers to aid flood victims and extended rice-price guarantees to shield rural incomes, while the finance ministry last week cut its 2011 growth forecast to a range of 3.8 percent to 4.3 percent, from 4 percent to 5 percent. [more]

Full story: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/10/05/MNMJ1LDNNK.DTL

-- sfgate.com 2011-10-07

[Cayenne]

I remember this campaign poster a few months ago:

For those of you who can't read Thai, it says, "Goodbye Floods!" And yet another campaign promise bites the dust.

[h90]

I remember this campaign poster a few months ago:

For those of you who can't read Thai, it says, "Goodbye Floods!" And yet another campaign promise bites the dust.

"These floods are only made by dark forces of elites which can't be named, so they can keep their money alone and don't need to share it with".....I am sure, not long and we'll hear something like that.

[OzMick]

Don't worry about the damage to the rice farms - they're making up the difference by importing from Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Viet Nam.

In fact, I expect the next year we will see a bigger rice crop than anybody ever imagined!

[bluebluewater]

For those of you who can't read Thai, it says, "Goodbye Floods!" And yet another campaign promise bites the dust.

Not fair at all as you know. This administration is two months in office and yet you would suggest that they could have prevented what is occuring today? I'm not a fan of them, don't get me wrong, but to prevent what is occuring today needed to be undertaken 20 years ago.As soon as these waters recede I hope the administration does begin a serious effort to fix the vast problems with water and flow mechinics. As a sporting man I would be betting against it however.

[apetley]

For those of you who can't read Thai, it says, "Goodbye Floods!" And yet another campaign promise bites the dust.

Not fair at all as you know. This administration is two months in office and yet you would suggest that they could have prevented what is occuring today? I'm not a fan of them, don't get me wrong, but to prevent what is occuring today needed to be undertaken 20 years ago.As soon as these waters recede I hope the administration does begin a serious effort to fix the vast problems with water and flow mechinics. As a sporting man I would be betting against it however.

I'd say it's perfectly fair to lambast a quite frankly bizarre election promise.

[Nickymaster]

For those of you who can't read Thai, it says, "Goodbye Floods!" And yet another campaign promise bites the dust.

Not fair at all as you know. This administration is two months in office and yet you would suggest that they could have prevented what is occuring today? I'm not a fan of them, don't get me wrong, but to prevent what is occuring today needed to be undertaken 20 years ago.As soon as these waters recede I hope the administration does begin a serious effort to fix the vast problems with water and flow mechinics. As a sporting man I would be betting against it however.

We all know that you cannot solve this flooding problem within 2 months. You are right. If it takes 20 years to solve this kind of flooding, why can this government then say "goodbye floods"??

I assume they promised that flooding would be solved within 4 years. So in fact they were lying because it is also impossible to solve within 4 years. As you mentioned it might take 20 years.

Edited October 7, 2011 by Nickymaster

[cup-O-coffee]

Stupid is as stupid does!

Thailand's worst floods in at least 50 years...

50 years!

For 50 years, people continue to live in the same places and do nothing when the weather allows.

For 50 years, no dikes, levies, aqueducts, etc. have been built.

For 50 years, government officials (including former PM's) and aid services, etc. put this on the back burner as if it the last time.

I could go on and on for another 50 years; because that is exactly how long this will continue to go on.

I have no sympathy, no regret, and certainly no desire to assist individuals who choose to sit in the fire pit and cry when the fire begins to burn their body.

To the evidently idiotic author of this article; this is not a test. This has nothing to do with her abilities. This entire thing is a disaster that was in the making for well beyond 50 years.

How stupid is it to pack sand bags when it is too late, and the house is flooded, and then to act as if there isn't a care in the world when the streets dry up?

Every person affected by this is to blame. I can state 50 years of reasons that all boil down to simply doing nothing when the doing can be done.

Another reason why the saying rings true; "In Thailand, there is no emergency or crisis until it happens! If there is no emergency or crisis, then there must not be one!"

Stop blaming the government for every little stupid thing that breeds as a result pure laziness and ignorance.

Just my view and opinion.

[Cayenne]

For those of you who can't read Thai, it says, "Goodbye Floods!" And yet another campaign promise bites the dust.

Not fair at all as you know. This administration is two months in office and yet you would suggest that they could have prevented what is occuring today? I'm not a fan of them, don't get me wrong, but to prevent what is occuring today needed to be undertaken 20 years ago.As soon as these waters recede I hope the administration does begin a serious effort to fix the vast problems with water and flow mechinics. As a sporting man I would be betting against it however.

The issue here lies with accountability, which this government hasn't demonstrated any yet. If I had promised during my election campaign that I would completely eradicate all poverty and by some miracle I was elected, shouldn't I be held accountable for my words? Of course, being a politician I could weasel my way out of this be saying that I didn't say "when" I would eradicate all poverty and that any reasonable person will know it will take decades from now and under so and so conditions blah, blah, blah. But how would that reflect on the people who voted for me?

Any way, going back to the point of the original post- once PTP did put down flood eradication as a major campaign promise (important enough to warrant its own poster as I attached), they should've responded earlier as the experts in the other article pointed out. Instead, when the floods first hit last month they didn't take it too seriously and went playing footy with Hun Sen's boys.

[bluebluewater]

I'd say it's perfectly fair to lambast a quite frankly bizarre election promise.

Indeed, almost as bizarre as expecting this administration to take 20 years (at least ) of work and do it in just a couple of months. But you go ahead and bash them all you want as you are no doubt a voter who had his say. Not to mention you've got the poster to prove it!

Disappointment . . get use to it

[hyperdimension]

Abhisit was criticized for his and his government's handling of the floods whilst he was Prime Minister. Now are Yingluck and Pheu Thai doing any better? Are people realizing that Abhisit wasn't so bad after all?

[rubl]

I'd say it's perfectly fair to lambast a quite frankly bizarre election promise.

Indeed, almost as bizarre as expecting this administration to take 20 years (at least ) of work and do it in just a couple of months. But you go ahead and bash them all you want as you are no doubt a voter who had his say. Not to mention you've got the poster to prove it!

Disappointment . . get use to it

Yes, let's put things in perspective.

From about two weeks ago. THB 40 billion for a long-term solution, with anything like THB 350 - 410 billion in ONE YEAR for the 'rice price pledging scheme'.

"Bangkok (The Nation/ANN) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Monday said the government would likely need to spend more than 40 billion baht (US$1.3 billion) on integrated water management, which should prevent extensive flooding in the future.

"It will be a long-term solution," she said."

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/us-1-3-bn-needed-longterm-flood-solution-084002628.html

[AleG]

...

I have no sympathy, no regret, and certainly no desire to assist individuals who choose to sit in the fire pit and cry when the fire begins to burn their body.

...

Don't sell yourself so short, I've noticed you showing a lot of sympathy and support for other people that chose to put themselves in harms way.

[rubl]

I'd say it's perfectly fair to lambast a quite frankly bizarre election promise.

Indeed, almost as bizarre as expecting this administration to take 20 years (at least ) of work and do it in just a couple of months. But you go ahead and bash them all you want as you are no doubt a voter who had his say. Not to mention you've got the poster to prove it!

Disappointment . . get use to it

Yes, let's put things in perspective.

From about two weeks ago. THB 40 billion for a long-term solution, with anything like THB 350 - 410 billion in ONE YEAR for the 'rice price pledging scheme'.

"Bangkok (The Nation/ANN) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Monday said the government would likely need to spend more than 40 billion baht (US$1.3 billion) on integrated water management, which should prevent extensive flooding in the future.

"It will be a long-term solution," she said."

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/us-1-3-bn-needed-longterm-flood-solution-084002628.html

Terribly sorry, my excuses, I was a bit hasty. The THB 350 - 410 billion is not for a single year in the rice price pledging scheme. It's for an almost FIVE MONTH period:

"The government has said it will spend as much as 410 billion baht on the program between Oct. 7 and Feb. 29. It may buy about 15 million tons of unmilled rice, Kittiratt said."

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-10-06/thailand-s-rice-buying-plan-will-spur-economy-yingluck-says.html

[hanuman1]

I remember this campaign poster a few months ago:

For those of you who can't read Thai, it says, "Goodbye Floods!" And yet another campaign promise bites the dust.

How come your command of written Thai is impressive enough to translate the first sentence, but not the rest?

For those of you who can't read Thai, and also prefer not to be given incomplete translations where it suits the translator's political bent to do so, the rest alludes to the building of flood defenses nationwide, which has often been known in other countries as being a process that takes time. Still, keep scoring the cheap political points. That's what this forum seems to be for, after all.

There are other points on which to attack the current government that could hold more water, but this kind of thing just makes you look desperate. It also provides groundless fodder for other died-in-the-wool anti-government posters to get their rocks off to (which I believe was the intent behind the post), as well as cheapen your own overall credibility when it comes to criticizing your favorite bugbear.

Edited October 7, 2011 by hanuman1

[garrya]

I remember this campaign poster a few months ago:

For those of you who can't read Thai, it says, "Goodbye Floods!" And yet another campaign promise bites the dust.

So what is the conclusion? Don't give your vote to one's not being able to build thousands of kilometres of flood barriers in 2 months. And please, read the rest of it

[cup-O-coffee]

Abhisit was criticized for his and his government's handling of the floods whilst he was Prime Minister. Now are Yingluck and Pheu Thai doing any better? Are people realizing that Abhisit wasn't so bad after all?

Doesn't the article state "worst in 50 years"? Hasn't Yingluck stated "long term solution"? What part of long term solution does anyone not understand? It is kind of clear isn't it... to the average person who has lived here and seen their living room submerged annually (and for 50 years they continue to annually play paddy fingers when the sun comes out later), and seen the illegal developing of swamps and flood plains, without any kind of water run-off installations.

Isn't that a superlative; "worst in 50 years"? That means not any time during those 50 years, so you would have to suggest a PM outside of those last 50 years to bring into comparison with Ying Luck, am I correct?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qFLnwiP7jQ

Abhisit is out of the equation! Ying Luck and Pheu Thai are facing this, yet people fail to bring into the equation that not only are they facing it, but the Thai people as well; all of them. "Ask not what your country can do..." is the quotation of the day. Get off your ass and and lay the sand bags BEFORE the water gets to the chicken pen. Don't sit around waiting for other people.

I believe your comparative comment about Abhisit and YL is a bit digressive, perhaps.

If government formed a football club, they'd get their bums punished by every opponent, because each player on the pitch would be running around or standing around doing their own thing instead of listening to the coach! They would make visits to their own goal end to observe the football in their goal, and make reports about it, and form committees to do research on why the football keeps getting into their goal.

And the native fans would sit in the stands and blindly cheer them on, as if they were really accomplishing something.

...More than 50 years of stupidity. Not you. Them.

Edited October 8, 2011 by cup-O-coffee

[rubl]

I'd say it's perfectly fair to lambast a quite frankly bizarre election promise.

Indeed, almost as bizarre as expecting this administration to take 20 years (at least ) of work and do it in just a couple of months. But you go ahead and bash them all you want as you are no doubt a voter who had his say. Not to mention you've got the poster to prove it!

Disappointment . . get use to it

Yes, let's put things in perspective.

From about two weeks ago. THB 40 billion for a long-term solution, with anything like THB 350 - 410 billion in ONE YEAR for the 'rice price pledging scheme'.

"Bangkok (The Nation/ANN) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Monday said the government would likely need to spend more than 40 billion baht (US$1.3 billion) on integrated water management, which should prevent extensive flooding in the future.

"It will be a long-term solution," she said."

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/us-1-3-bn-needed-longterm-flood-solution-084002628.html

Terribly sorry, my excuses, I was a bit hasty. The THB 350 - 410 billion is not for a single year in the rice price pledging scheme. It's for an almost FIVE MONTH period:

"The government has said it will spend as much as 410 billion baht on the program between Oct. 7 and Feb. 29. It may buy about 15 million tons of unmilled rice, Kittiratt said."

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-10-06/thailand-s-rice-buying-plan-will-spur-economy-yingluck-says.html

As some have it here, flood prevention takes time and being Dutch I can only confirm. Still pledging THB 350 - 410 billion for a controversial FIVE months rice pledging scheme (which started yesterday) and saying THB 40 billion to prevent flooding as a long-term solution, seems to indicate where the priorities lay

[phiphidon]

I'd say it's perfectly fair to lambast a quite frankly bizarre election promise.

Indeed, almost as bizarre as expecting this administration to take 20 years (at least ) of work and do it in just a couple of months. But you go ahead and bash them all you want as you are no doubt a voter who had his say. Not to mention you've got the poster to prove it!

Disappointment . . get use to it

Yes, let's put things in perspective.

From about two weeks ago. THB 40 billion for a long-term solution, with anything like THB 350 - 410 billion in ONE YEAR for the 'rice price pledging scheme'.

"Bangkok (The Nation/ANN) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Monday said the government would likely need to spend more than 40 billion baht (US$1.3 billion) on integrated water management, which should prevent extensive flooding in the future.

"It will be a long-term solution," she said."

http://sg.news.yahoo...-084002628.html

Terribly sorry, my excuses, I was a bit hasty. The THB 350 - 410 billion is not for a single year in the rice price pledging scheme. It's for an almost FIVE MONTH period:

"The government has said it will spend as much as 410 billion baht on the program between Oct. 7 and Feb. 29. It may buy about 15 million tons of unmilled rice, Kittiratt said."

http://www.businessw...gluck-says.html

Well done putting Yinglucks proposed spend on integrated water management in perspective with the rice pledging scheme. Now you've scored your political points would you like to think back to Abhisits 47.5 billion spend last year on flood prevention and compensation and consider what that was spent on, considering the situation as it is now.

Maybe 40 Billion Baht spent in an efficient way (and not handed out to your Interior Ministry coalition partners to play with) will make some difference in the future, even if it spent on maintaining pumps that don't break down just when you need them or dredging local klongs, and that's just for Bangkoks benefit. For the benefit of the country as a whole perhaps it would have been more wise to carefully scrutinise the 1.43 Trillion Baht spend under the stimulus package Thai Khem Kaeng SP2.

It's easy to come up with negatives, just for once wouldn't it be good for people to get together and applaud a different viewpoint - perhaps this time, someone will make a difference and look to the future and go some way to looking for a solution.

[rubl]

Yes, let's put things in perspective.

From about two weeks ago. THB 40 billion for a long-term solution, with anything like THB 350 - 410 billion in ONE YEAR for the 'rice price pledging scheme'.

"Bangkok (The Nation/ANN) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Monday said the government would likely need to spend more than 40 billion baht (US$1.3 billion) on integrated water management, which should prevent extensive flooding in the future.

"It will be a long-term solution," she said."

http://sg.news.yahoo...-084002628.html

Terribly sorry, my excuses, I was a bit hasty. The THB 350 - 410 billion is not for a single year in the rice price pledging scheme. It's for an almost FIVE MONTH period:

"The government has said it will spend as much as 410 billion baht on the program between Oct. 7 and Feb. 29. It may buy about 15 million tons of unmilled rice, Kittiratt said."

http://www.businessw...gluck-says.html

Well done putting Yinglucks proposed spend on integrated water management in perspective with the rice pledging scheme. Now you've scored your political points would you like to think back to Abhisits 47.5 billion spend last year on flood prevention and compensation and consider what that was spent on, considering the situation as it is now.

Maybe 40 Billion Baht spent in an efficient way (and not handed out to your Interior Ministry coalition partners to play with) will make some difference in the future, even if it spent on maintaining pumps that don't break down just when you need them or dredging local klongs, and that's just for Bangkoks benefit. For the benefit of the country as a whole perhaps it would have been more wise to carefully scrutinise the 1.43 Trillion Baht spend under the stimulus package Thai Khem Kaeng SP2.

It's easy to come up with negatives, just for once wouldn't it be good for people to get together and applaud a different viewpoint - perhaps this time, someone will make a difference and look to the future and go some way to looking for a solution.

OP: "flood test new Thai Prime Minister".

It is correct to say that over the past decade the flooding problem has not received the attention is deserves. Mostly it's reacting rather than preventing. Encroachment of river banks and forests has not been halted or undone.

It is only normal to blame the government, who else is there to blame. To be seen allocating 350 to 410 billion baht to a controversial scheme at a time where 57 provinces have flooding problems seems a priority wrongly set. If this government thinks (as expressed by the PM) that more than 40 billion baht is needed on integrated water management, which should prevent extensive flooding in the future, surely a small cut in the rice price pledging would be of great help?

Remember this one from Ms. Titima, who also likes to throw around figures without proof?

http://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news.php?id=255409050004

[SICHONSTEVE]

Don't worry about the damage to the rice farms - they're making up the difference by importing from Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Viet Nam.

In fact, I expect the next year we will see a bigger rice crop than anybody ever imagined!

Poorer quality rice as well!!!! A case of "never mind the quality see how many Baht I'm now getting" !!!!

[Cayenne]

How come your command of written Thai is impressive enough to translate the first sentence, but not the rest?

For those of you who can't read Thai, and also prefer not to be given incomplete translations where it suits the translator's political bent to do so, the rest alludes to the building of flood defenses nationwide, which has often been known in other countries as being a process that takes time. Still, keep scoring the cheap political points. That's what this forum seems to be for, after all.

Oh come, there's no need to get so bitter. My point was that after making that very distinct campaign promise, did the government announce the building of the flood defenses when they announced their budgets and policies in August? The floods didn't just hit this month but started since the beginning of last month and they should've taken it more seriously then; instead they went out playing football with Hun Sen, amend the charter to bring Thaksin back, etc. and this is why we are getting deer-caught-in-the-headlight responses now like the PM blundering on national radio by asking people to grow the wrong type of grass, the Science and Technology Minister asking 1000 boats to push water out, etc. This is what I am criticizing the government for and as a taxpayer it is my right as well.

There are other points on which to attack the current government that could hold more water, but this kind of thing just makes you look desperate. It also provides groundless fodder for other died-in-the-wool anti-government posters to get their rocks off to (which I believe was the intent behind the post), as well as cheapen your own overall credibility when it comes to criticizing your favorite bugbear.

Ironic choice of words when you said points which "hold more water" and yes you are right there are other points critical of the government which other posters on TV have covered in other posts already; my post focused on criticizing their lack of plan and slow action in dealing with the floods despite the campaign promise so you need to clarify why this "cheapens" my overall credibility otherwise you will just end up sounding like a pro-government supporter desperate for ways to defend their government's actions.

P.S.- and I believe you meant "dyed-in-the-wool" despite your perhaps subconscious wish that every anti-government poster here on TV "died-in-the-wool"