Japanese Advisers Keen To Help Thai Govt: Flood

[webfact]

JICA WATER MANAGEMENT EXPERTS

Flat terrain slowing down drainage

KHANITTHA THEPPAJON

THE NATION

Japanese advisers say they are keen to help government after Thai assistance following tsunami earlier this year

Experts from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) yesterday suggested the Thai government find more methods to drain off floodwater. The region's not-very-steep topography was resulting in slow water drainage, meaning the flood level would remain stable for two to three weeks.

Japanese ambassador to Thailand Seiji Kojima yesterday brought JICA experts on water management, waterworks and flood prevention in airports and subway stations to meet with Justice Minister Pracha Promnok, the Flood Relief Operations Command (FROC) director. Thai and Japanese media were excluded as the experts presented their findings about the Thai flood situation since October 20.

After the meeting, Pracha said the centre would arrange for the Thai floodwater team to consult with the JICA drainage experts. Seiji said through a translator the Japanese government was ready to help Thailand in return for the Kingdom's kindness and aid to the Japanese people during the recent tsunami there.

JICA senior adviser for water drainage Kimio Takeya said Thailand's economic development - such as the industrial estates in the Chao Phraya River basin, developed after the Japanese model in 1999 - had advanced faster than the water drainage system.

He was careful, however, not to say the industrial estates were blocking waterways. He said industrial estates in Japan dug wells to retain water before it poured into the estates.

For future flood-tackling, it was necessary for people, communities and state agencies to brainstorm for solutions, he said.

Asked if there were more ways to quickly drain water from flooded areas, Takeya said he believed the government would find an answer, although Thailand's terrain |wasn't steep and floodwaters would drain slowly and the flooding |condition could remain for |another two to three weeks.

An informed source reported that the JICA presentation to Pracha included comments on: flood prevention at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, which the experts saw as "good"; and flood prevention at subway stations, where they expressed concern over many flood-risk spots such as the entrances and ventilation channels.

The experts' recent visit to the BMCL found the company had good flood-prevention measures in place with 1m-3.2m high floodwalls. However they worried that if floodwaters rose over four metres the subway system would be affected.

-- The Nation 2011-11-01

[Buchholz]

Thai and Japanese media were excluded as the experts presented their findings about the Thai flood situation

It would seem the government has forgotten its avowed commitment to transparency...

Thai PM Yingluck: FROC Never Conceals Info From Public

[whybother]

Experts from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) yesterday suggested the Thai government find more methods to drain off floodwater. The region's not-very-steep topography was resulting in slow water drainage, meaning the flood level would remain stable for two to three weeks.

Are those 1,000 boats still "pushing water out"?

[siampolee]

Perhaps the advice was along the lines of, "'Save our investments and of course our loans to you as well." The advice to cut channels through roads was indeed for the total benefit of industrial concerns, not the Thai people.

Interesting to note the comments regarding industrial estate expansion and the unspoken comment "no drainage facilities were put into place ." Well well well.

To my mind a wonderful piece of window dressing by the money merchants in attempts to disguise the truth behind their proposed action in saving and indeed securing their investments at the expense of the Thai people,

Also note their predictions concerning the time period of the flooding remaining stable for the next two to three weeks.

So it seems as if the actual drainage time is going to be in a month or so, thus normality ,or what normality may pass for at the time will be around early to mid December at the earliest

Is not that time period rather at odds with the forecasts made by the Yingluck puppet government

No wonder the press was excluded, indeed the truth is a bitter pill to administer to the Thai people.

Methinks. " The medicine will kill the patient."

Seems as if it is not only the puppet master in Dubai that is controlling the matter Tokyo seems to be getting into the act as well now.

Could well explain the efforts made to secure that visa for the puppet master.

Forward planning comes to mind.

Indeed, "truth be known," a Machiavellian scene is slowly unfolding before our eyes.

Edited November 1, 2011 by siampolee

[LuckyLew]

Of course that want to protect their investments

but then again their investments create countless thousands of jobs

So what you might call self serving is not really self serving

If their take their money elsewhere, who will employ the factory workers??

[Lifer]

Of course that want to protect their investments

but then again their investments create countless thousands of jobs

So what you might call self serving is not really self serving

If their take their money elsewhere, who will employ the factory workers??

Absolutely right! I have no idea where some of the ill conceive criticism of every thing comes from. Nobody thinks past the end of their nose. Honda and other factories benefit from being here, but so do the Thai people. Replacement parts for all the damaged Hondas, due to the flooding, will be needed by all Thais with cars, etc.

The ordinary Thais working in these factories to feed their families will need their jobs back as soon as possible.

[siampolee]

Promotions offered to investors by the BOI are categorized as either tax incentives, or non-tax privileges. Corporate income tax and import tariff incentives are offered to businesses whose activities fall under the BOI’s priority industries, or who operate in Export Processing Zones (EPZ). Non-tax privileges including guarantees, protection, permissions and services, which are offered to all BOI-Promoted projects. EPZ’s fall within Thailand’s network of Industrial Estates, which offer incentives to foreign and domestic businesses who operate within the designated estate area.

http://www.thailand.com

There are a darn sight more "ordinary Thai's," who do not work in these plants nor their satellite industries, their welfare is as important as any other group. The local home grown business person receives none of the above

I wonder if any of you have an awareness of life outside of the city and the numerous small business concerns that operate in the countryside ? (much as they do in any other country)

The local home grown small business person contributes as much to the Thai economy and money earned stays in Thailand profits are not shipped off to foreign countries.

The people who work in the agricultural sector many of whom have lost all this years varied crop face ruination , no Japanese help for those poor souls is there?

Rebuilding is across the board. It is not the right of a privileged few local or foreign entities who have benefited from tax breaks and investment allowances and the relaxation of controls etc to dictate to the general population or this so called government what they ( the investors) want to the detriment of the general population .

I know of a number of small business people who as a result of this flooding have lost all going to the bank to request help only to be refused point blank, government aid if it ever arrives will be paltry for them.

Why don't, why can't the big investors also include the little people in their grandiose plans?

[Buchholz]

Of course that want to protect their investments

but then again their investments create countless thousands of jobs

So what you might call self serving is not really self serving

If their take their money elsewhere, who will employ the factory workers??

Absolutely right! I have no idea where some of the ill conceive criticism of every thing comes from. Nobody thinks past the end of their nose. Honda and other factories benefit from being here, but so do the Thai people. Replacement parts for all the damaged Hondas, due to the flooding, will be needed by all Thais with cars, etc.

The ordinary Thais working in these factories to feed their families will need their jobs back as soon as possible.

The criticism comes from the ill conceived notions the government has done to deal with the flooding, eg. untold resources devoted to having boats push water out of the river with their propellers. That sort of action by the government does nothing in achieving the re-opening of the Japanese car and industrial factories, which, I would venture to guess, most people do want.

Transparency (as exemplified by its absence on this topic) and well thought out actions by the government is what is needed to resolving this.

.

Edited November 1, 2011 by Buchholz

[whybother]

Promotions offered to investors by the BOI are categorized as either tax incentives, or non-tax privileges. Corporate income tax and import tariff incentives are offered to businesses whose activities fall under the BOI's priority industries, or who operate in Export Processing Zones (EPZ). Non-tax privileges including guarantees, protection, permissions and services, which are offered to all BOI-Promoted projects. EPZ's fall within Thailand's network of Industrial Estates, which offer incentives to foreign and domestic businesses who operate within the designated estate area.

http://www.thailand.com

There are a darn sight more "ordinary Thai's," who do not work in these plants nor their satellite industries, their welfare is as important as any other group. The local home grown business person receives none of the above

I wonder if any of you have an awareness of life outside of the city and the numerous small business concerns that operate in the countryside ? (much as they do in any other country)

The local home grown small business person contributes as much to the Thai economy and money earned stays in Thailand profits are not shipped off to foreign countries.

The people who work in the agricultural sector many of whom have lost all this years varied crop face ruination , no Japanese help for those poor souls is there?

Rebuilding is across the board. It is not the right of a privileged few local or foreign entities who have benefited from tax breaks and investment allowances and the relaxation of controls etc to dictate to the general population or this so called government what they ( the investors) want to the detriment of the general population .

I know of a number of small business people who as a result of this flooding have lost all going to the bank to request help only to be refused point blank, government aid if it ever arrives will be paltry for them.

Why don't, why can't the big investors also include the little people in their grandiose plans?

Most small business would go down the drain without the people employed by the big businesses spending money.

[siampolee]

Most small business would go down the drain without the people employed by the big businesses spending money.

Above should read.

'' Most small business concerns have gone down the drain due to the flooding and frenzy to protect the privileged investors which in many cases failed miserably due to the poor infrastructure and forward planning at those industrial estates.''

Two members of my family have lost everything and surprise surprise their activities were not connected to the industrial estates nor the employees of companies in those estates. at all..

Those big business concerns do not fuel the spending power of the majority of Thai people.

Edited November 1, 2011 by siampolee

[whybother]

Those big business concerns do not fuel the spending power of the majority of Thai people.

The big business are only worried about their business, but the government knows that without the big business there will be a lot of unemployed people not spending money in all the small businesses, and also there would be a lot of small businesses that would service or supply the big businesses no longer making any money.

[Morgo]

Experts from Japan (JICA) report that Bangkok is built on flat terrain, slowing down drainage. That's stating the bleeding obvious. Wonder how much they were paid for that advice.

[sirchai]

Experts from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) yesterday suggested the Thai government find more methods to drain off floodwater. The region's not-very-steep topography was resulting in slow water drainage, meaning the flood level would remain stable for two to three weeks.

Are those 1,000 boats still "pushing water out"?

A few of them broke down as usual. But the new technique is to 'pull' the water out, makes more sense to me?

. All boat owners should pull as much as they can...

[sirchai]

Experts from Japan (JICA) report that Bangkok is built on flat terrain, slowing down drainage. That's stating the bleeding obvious. Wonder how much they were paid for that advice.

Isn't her older brother now the adviser for special advises?

[Bagwan]

Experts from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) yesterday suggested the Thai government find more methods to drain off floodwater. The region's not-very-steep topography was resulting in slow water drainage, meaning the flood level would remain stable for two to three weeks.

Are those 1,000 boats still "pushing water out"?

A few of them broke down as usual. But the new technique is to 'pull' the water out, makes more sense to me?

. All boat owners should pull as much as they can...

Seems to me that the the greatest talent that the Government has is 'pulling' itself.

And what of the academics who are never short of a few million words on every subject under the sun? Are they still hard at work considering the threat to the country's morals caused by the tightness of shirts and brevity of skirts worn by dishy female students? I await with barely bated breath that someone will suggest hiring several supertankers, filling them up with flood water and then transporting it several miles out to sea before discharging it. Better still. sell it to one of the southern Saharan countries. That should prove very effective solution for those cursed with Thai type logic.

[aussiebebe]

Those big business concerns do not fuel the spending power of the majority of Thai people.

The big business are only worried about their business, but the government knows that without the big business there will be a lot of unemployed people not spending money in all the small businesses, and also there would be a lot of small businesses that would service or supply the big businesses no longer making any money.

I do agree with you, multinationals operating in Thailand give far greater economic benefit and have far greater empathy for Thai citizens than their shortsighted infrastructure planning belies. One example would be Honda, who have promised to continue paying salaries to their employees. This is in sharp contrast to many Chinese firms (in China) during 2008-9, who commonly practiced an especially brutal form of capitalism when they folded seemingly overnight leaving their suppliers and employees destitute.

[aussiebebe]

Just to add to that, it's reported in the Nation that Honda donated 100,000,000baht to the Red Cross for flood relief and 7,000,000b worth of supplies to the relief effort.

[Payboy]

Experts from Japan (JICA) report that Bangkok is built on flat terrain, slowing down drainage.

Nothing gets past those experts - sharp as tacks they are.

[bkkjames]

As long as they don't work for Tepco....

[jombom]

Yes, Japanese experts are so brilliant, they managed to build the Toyota and Honda plants on a flood plain, which was prone to flooding. But then, their cousins in Japan manged to build 6 nuclear power stations on the coast which was prone to Tsunamis in the past.

Now they tell us Bangkok is built on flat ground. Maybe they don't know it's sinking also.

[khaan]

As long as they don't work for Tepco....

Exactly my thought and I would consider real estate agents to have more credibility than Japanese government advisers after that debacle

[scotto]

Who will fall on their swords first!!

thats what i want to no.

[Crushdepth]

Who will fall on their swords first!!

thats what i want to no.

I have never seen anyone punished for anything in Thailand.

[ResX]

Experts from Japan (JICA) report that Bangkok is built on flat terrain, slowing down drainage. That's stating the bleeding obvious. Wonder how much they were paid for that advice.

I think they should have mentioned something about the operations of flood control dams. They are many dams of this kind in Thailand. It is about time to prepare the comprehensive report cards about what the dams managements have done and not done prior to this terrible mess. It is not about finding faults. It is about managing the future direction of Thailand to deal with even bigger flood event and Thailand will come out of it unhurt.

Later or soon this event will become the thing in the past. But the coming of even bigger flood is the thing in the future.

[Swelters]

It would be hard to imagine a string of responses so full of impotent whining as this one. I suppose that this kind of talk went on during the battle of Britain half century ago but history has kindly erased it. Get off your asses gentlemen and start thinking creatively, and recognize that your particular stakes in Thailand may not and probably should not matter.

Swelters

[ResX]

Let me give a few advices that JICA experts have failed to mention. Obviously FOC. By know the authorities in Thailand should do at least these 8 things. (1) Determine the actual size of the recent flood waters (2) The distribution of flood waters to all sub catchments for the Chao Phraya catchment. (3) Evaluate Average Recurrence Interval (ARI) for the such flood to occur. (4) Estimate the cost due to flood related damages (5) Determine flood control capabilities for all flood control structures and dams in Thailand (6) Determine shortfall capacity of flood control structures and dams (7) Calculate additional cost to make up the shortfall (8) Calculate risk to return ratio.

Like it or not these 7 information have to be answered to ensure flood mitigation and control can be successfully implemented and with least cost. For example, it doesn't make sense to pump in USD 80 billion today for flood control to prevent USD 80 billion damage risk that may occur once in 50 years. It is wiser & cheaper to keep that USD 80 billion today to hedge against future flood related damages. .

Edited November 30, 2011 by ResX