Thai Opposition To Impeach Ministers, Mps For Flood Mismanagement.

[animatic]

After following the numerous stories here and elsewhere on the current flood disaster, it seems to me that that most observers have overlooked a key fact behind this crisis.

The Department for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) has already been in existence since 2002 and, over 9 years, has received a budget of roughly 15.3 billion Baht. This begs the question, for me at least, what have they been doing all this time?

Well, please follow the link and take at look at the presentation - dated 2010 - which provides a interesting summary of the department's organisation, structure and so called activities. Please also remember that the The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act was passed into law in 2007, long before this recent change of government.

http://www.adrc.asia.../nam2011_cr.pdf

I see that the annual budget allocation and the department activities are not substantiated or explained in detail. Training is mentioned, but as to what kind, for who, at what level and under whose auspices doesn't warrant even the briefest detail.

But we do get some concrete information: 50,000 villages at risk from some kind of disaster throughout Thailand, 4000 DDPM staff spread across central, regional, provisional and local offices, and a 24/ 7 disaster emergency operation center in all provinces.

So, rather than only pursue this government for mismagement, shouldn't we also be looking at something more fundamental; the incompetence, irresponsibility and unaccountability of the DDPM civil servants and officials and all governments since 2002.

Everything about playing catchup on existing disasters and surprisingly little on 'prevention'.

[zydeco]

Forget impeachment. Revive the use the decimation.

Decimation means to reduce by 10% . I think they need to go deeper than than. :jap:

That is the archaic usage.

Usage note

The earliest English sense of decimate is "to select by lot and execute every tenth soldier of (a unit)."

The extended sense" destroy a great number or proportion of" developed in the 19th century : Cholera decimated the urban population.

Because the etymological sense of one-tenth remains to some extent, decimate is not ordinarily used with exact fractions or percentages: Drought has destroyed (not decimated ) nearly 80 percent of the cattle.

Actually, I was referring to the Roman practice of inflicting decimation on cowardly legions. Nobody in Thai government ever suffers any consequences for their decisions. That needs to change. Draw lots and let one out of 10 face decimation. I will pay good money to attend.

[hammered]

The main problem the opposition have with this approach is that they are kinda honour bound to impeach old CTP Theera as the most obvious target first and old Banharn wont like that and the opposition cant form a government ever again without Banharn and as he is a slippery old so and so the elite like old Bnaharn and his party too. And yet failure to impeach Theera will make the whole thing look completely ridiculous and the red shirts will get out and seize the high ground.

So will the Dems screw Theera and upset the little eel or will they find a bizarre reason not to do so that nobody will buy?

[animatic]

The main problem the opposition have with this approach is that they are kinda honour bound to impeach old CTP Theera as the most obvious target first and old Banharn wont like that and the opposition cant form a government ever again without Banharn and as he is a slippery old so and so the elite like old Bnaharn and his party too. And yet failure to impeach Theera will make the whole thing look completely ridiculous and the red shirts will get out and seize the high ground.

So will the Dems screw Theera and upset the little eel or will they find a bizarre reason not to do so that nobody will buy?

It's too big, they have to go after him.

Banharn is not the only king maker in Thai politics.