Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Sorry For Wrong Evacuation Order

[webfact]

BMA

Sukhumbhand sorry for wrong evacuation order

The Nation

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra yesterday apologised for mistakenly ordering evacuation in many areas of the mostly dry Phya Thai district on Monday night.

The governor said he read out a document that should have been released by the Phya Thai district office on Friday, when the flood levels in the area were rising because of the brimming Bang Sue Canal.

Sukhumbhand, however, said he was taking full responsibility for the mistake and would not blame any other official.

"I have asked all district chiefs to check all the paperwork thoroughly before forwarding it to the central [bangkok Metropolitan Administration] office. The problem rests mainly on the work mechanism. I don't want to blame anybody in particular," he said.

Asked whether the mistake would affect BMA's public image, he said:

"This was the first, and anybody can make mistakes. It is the people who should decide whether they trust the BMA.

"It was not damaging anyway. It's just a misunderstanding," he reiterated.

Meanwhile, Chatuchak district chief Issarames Khachanukool said the breaking down of big-bag barriers near Don Mueang Airport by angry residents had not affected the places under his jurisdiction, though he was monitoring the situation more closely.

In related news, though flooding in Lat Phrao Intersection had dropped by half from 60 centimetres, small vehicles were still avoiding the area.

In eastern Bangkok, Krungthep Kreetha Road flood levels rose to 50cm and areas along the Lam Salee Canal are under 20cm of water.

Several sections of Srinakarin Road, from Soi Onnut to Pattanakarn, are under 30cm of water, while the area near Seacon Square is under 10cm of water.

-- The Nation 2011-11-16

[jayboy]

So are we going to see the Governor and BMA being sued or even criticised for incompetence? Didn't think so.

My own view is that this kind of incident is almost inevitable but it does show the double standards being applied by the Government's critics.

[bkkjames]

So still waiting for his removal by chalerm???

Quick quick, he admitted he made a mistake

[whybother]

So are we going to see the Governor and BMA being sued or even criticised for incompetence? Didn't think so.

My own view is that this kind of incident is almost inevitable but it does show the double standards being applied by the Government's critics.

A slight difference is him explaining the mistake and taking full responsibility, rather than talking about "good intentions" as another leader did.

[jayboy]

A slight difference is him explaining the mistake and taking full responsibility, rather than talking about "good intentions" as another leader did.

So slight as to be almost invisible.In any event a cock up is a cock up whatever the excuses given.The point is that from the shrill critics of the government there is almost complete silence on Sukhumbhand's error.I'm not particularly critical because I know it's almost impossible to get every decision right in a crisis like this.It's not credible however to believe the government's obsessive critics aren't practising double standards.I'm not incidentally talking about normal constructive criticsm or even outright complaining.It's a hard time for many people and the government's communication effort has been shoddy.

[Thaddeus]

So are we going to see the Governor and BMA being sued or even criticised for incompetence? Didn't think so.

My own view is that this kind of incident is almost inevitable but it does show the double standards being applied by the Government's critics.

A slight difference is him explaining the mistake and taking full responsibility, rather than talking about "good intentions" as another leader did.

There is a slightly bigger difference however.......

"Stay where you are, everything is fine, there will be no flood here"

Who was trolling out that crap almost daily, have they apologised for that yet.

[ETatBKK]

certainly it was a mistake, but to the point that people aren't pack the surviving pack and run.

I am still being stupid, the BMA evacuation order is not equal to 'run now, no people all houses all building'. the evacuation order seems to be an voluntary act. in Japan, evacuation order is 'within 15 minutes, one person one bag leave this area and goto a point of assembly, this is an order'.

very smart though, a gentle apology on a subject people even won't take it serious.

[Payboy]

Strange timing of that false alarm - same time as the big bag barrier was breached in Don Muang. Just another scare-mongering and rabble-rousing tactic which backfired?

Edited November 16, 2011 by Payboy

[DocN]

Said it before, say it again: this guy is not a iota better than the rest of the headless chicken. Let's go on with the pi@@ing- game. Now both sides had one false alarm, several contradicting statements on "how long, how deep, what day"....

Or as Bono said: "Off with the horns, on with the show!"

[kurnell]

I'm staggered that the idiot gave an apology.

[Captain Haddock]

You cannot compare the noble Jedi with a plastic boy band. Sheesh. Everyone knows who is more real. Come on.

[DocN]

You cannot compare the noble Jedi with a plastic boy band. Sheesh. Everyone knows who is more real. Come on.

Sorry, I was looking for that quote from Othello...but being German, I didn't want to fregg up, by translating it wrong.

You are right, of course!

Far more credible his quote is, far greater wisdom he shows!

[Thaddeus]

You cannot compare the noble Jedi with a plastic boy band. Sheesh. Everyone knows who is more real. Come on.

Sorry, I was looking for that quote from Othello...

"If after every tempest come such calms,

May the winds blow till they have waken'd death!"

or

"These aren't the big bags you are looking for"

[hellodolly]

So are we going to see the Governor and BMA being sued or even criticised for incompetence? Didn't think so.

My own view is that this kind of incident is almost inevitable but it does show the double standards being applied by the Government's critics.

They are using the lessons the government gave them.

[DocN]

You cannot compare the noble Jedi with a plastic boy band. Sheesh. Everyone knows who is more real. Come on.

Sorry, I was looking for that quote from Othello...

"If after every tempest come such calms,

May the winds blow till they have waken'd death!"

or

"These aren't the big bags you are looking for"

No- the one were he tells her, that it would have been better, if she remained silent!

[AleG]

So are we going to see the Governor and BMA being sued or even criticised for incompetence? Didn't think so.

My own view is that this kind of incident is almost inevitable but it does show the double standards being applied by the Government's critics.

I think there is a significant difference in degree from a cock up about an evacuation order by the Governor and a continuous string of cock ups, allegations of fraud and dereliction of duty from government agencies over a period of three months that have resulted in hundreds of lives lost and billions in damage.

To make an analogy, a firecracker and an H-Bomb are both explosive devices, but equating them in any other form is just silly.

[animatic]

One mistake, caused by 'the fog of war', quickly admitted to and apologized for.

Not exactly a deal breaker. His track record of correct statements well outweighs this one gaffe.

And more importantly he manned up immediately and did something VERY un-Thai, he quickly took responsibility himself, without waiting to see if the storm will pass, and when it won't, making mea culpa with a bigwig forcing him from behind to hide said bigwigs own incompetence's.

For the government to take him on for this, is to hold their whole record up for scrutiny also. They will not come up roses in the comparison.

Edited November 16, 2011 by animatic

[DocN]

One mistake, caused by 'the fog of war', quickly admitted to and apologized for.

Not exactly a deal breaker. His track record of correct statements well outweighs this one gaffe.

And more importantly he manned up immediately and did something VERY un-Thai, he quickly took responsibility himself, without waiting to see if the storm will pass, and when it won't, making mea culpa with a bigwig forcing him from behind to hide said bigwigs own incompetence's.

For the government to take him on for this, is to hold their whole record up for scrutiny also. They will not come up roses in the comparison.

Yeah right! "His track record of correct statements well outweighs this one gaffe." Except for...it doesn't! I always wonder why it is that YS is STILL being hammered for wearing Burberry (?) boots, when people are so easy to forget, that this govenor contradicted himself on so many occasions. And everybody who is praising him for keeping his promise to keep Bangkok dry...please give me a definition of "Bangkok".

If that definition is "Silom and Sukhumvit", I will start celebrating him as Gotham's white knight!

[animatic]

It isn't about her boots.

[Thaddeus]

It isn't about her boobs.

Corrected that for you my friend ..... Tit.

[sparebox2]

One mistake, caused by 'the fog of war', quickly admitted to and apologized for.

Not exactly a deal breaker. His track record of correct statements well outweighs this one gaffe.

And more importantly he manned up immediately and did something VERY un-Thai, he quickly took responsibility himself, without waiting to see if the storm will pass, and when it won't, making mea culpa with a bigwig forcing him from behind to hide said bigwigs own incompetence's.

For the government to take him on for this, is to hold their whole record up for scrutiny also. They will not come up roses in the comparison.

Yeah right! "His track record of correct statements well outweighs this one gaffe." Except for...it doesn't! I always wonder why it is that YS is STILL being hammered for wearing Burberry (?) boots, when people are so easy to forget, that this govenor contradicted himself on so many occasions. And everybody who is praising him for keeping his promise to keep Bangkok dry...please give me a definition of "Bangkok".

If that definition is "Silom and Sukhumvit", I will start celebrating him as Gotham's white knight!

I think it is because this guy can do no wrong.

Give him a chance please. Don't give her.

[anterian]

Discussion on this governor's character resemble the discussion on another thread about global warming, either you believe it or you don't. So likewise this governor is either a good guy or a total w*nker. Personally I just think he is a loudmouth trying to score brownie points with the economjic overlords of Bangkok.