Police Monitor 10 Areas For Signs Of Flood-Related Unrest: Bangkok

[Bowery99]

Why bother, I want to know, how long have you been flooded? The flood would change your perspective. I can tell from your responses you are in a dry place.

Really to be so defensing of keeping the center of BKK dry is just mind boggling to me. I wouldn't mind if they put big bags around the sides of khlongs so they would hold more water and aid in the drainage, but as I said before when I left the city in the beginning of November, we drove by khlongs in the Suk/Victory Monument areas that looked very low. There is no answer to why they couldn't just make some of the water go out through the city. It is nothing short of buffaloshit and not defense-able.

Zydeco I am with you after almost 5 years and wanting to make a life of it here, I too am looking elsewhere, my Thai wife is agreeing and wanting to go....

I don't remember that screen name of the person with the 8 month pregnant wife but DUDE! get your wife out of there, <deleted> are you thinking? Mine is 5 months in and we left as soon as it was up to our knees. Do you realize what that water is? What is in it? what effects it could have on the growing fetus? I don't know exactly and either do you, which is why you should error on the side of caution. Don't be a fool, if you don't have the cash or something borrow it, get out of there! Please.

I don't blame the ppl inside the dry areas for being dry, I put the blame right where it belongs, to the inefficient and corrupt system they have instituted here, both technologically and morally. I understand that there are some areas that they were just not willing to let get wet. The real problem I have with the way the water was and is handled, that they are handling it like traffic cops at an intersection. These people wait 5-20 mins on this road while these other people don't wait as this road is a bit busier. Instead of putting timed traffic lights up (and putting a lot of police out of traffic work and into actual policing functions and saving a boat load of money with a minor investment in technology) the people in the 20 minute line wait while the cop with his hand on the button has to run out to the can. TIT just doesn't express or make it any better and a lot of Thais are feed up with it too.

The problem is life is cheap here and cheap lives don't matter, humanism which is so Buddhist is just an after thought to those in power. Luck is considered a better and more reliable thing to wish for here than a decent, just government and system.

This flood has given new meaning to the old term "the have's and the have not's".

[robblok]

@whybother

I like how you addressed my points (no flame) but its a bit hard for me to awnser now.

Ok first of there is a canal Through western BKK direct to the sea it borders Nothaburi. They shut it down. Nothaburi does not have canals doing that. This is an example how they save Western Bkk but keep it here longer. Its not like Nothaburi could pump it out.

The compensation, we share the same view and actually that is the whole point. I can understand saving something at the expense of an other as long as the former is really compensated. I am pretty sure that a next time there will be more clashes and sooner too. Making sure no dams can be made. (don't think its good but its reality)

I am not so sure Bkk would be under 2 meters maybe real local. Anyway they have that here too.

And pardon my then / than, this is not my first language. The fact is that if the factories could have started producing faster more money would be saved. It might even outweigh the profits of inner Bkk i really think not much money is made in the city. First of land is too expensive there to really produce anything and offices can be moved up and usually dont have much expensive stuff there. So the whole economic disaster thing is far fetched in IMHO. Anyway as i said before just pay the sufferers off who retain the water for inner Bkk and then something like this needs not only be discussed. (unless they plan to keep the water there for months on end)

[whybother]

Why bother, I want to know, how long have you been flooded? The flood would change your perspective. I can tell from your responses you are in a dry place.

Really to be so defensing of keeping the center of BKK dry is just mind boggling to me. I wouldn't mind if they put big bags around the sides of khlongs so they would hold more water and aid in the drainage, but as I said before when I left the city in the beginning of November, we drove by khlongs in the Suk/Victory Monument areas that looked very low. There is no answer to why they couldn't just make some of the water go out through the city. It is nothing short of buffaloshit and not defense-able.

<snip>

I have stated clearly previously that I haven't been flooded.

No one has convinced me how flooding a few more million people, and damaging trillions of baht of infrastructure will benefit anyone.

It might mean that people are flooded have a few less centimetres of water, or flooding reduced by a week or two. But the positives don't even begin to match the downsides that there would be to the whole country.

[whybother]

@whybother

I like how you addressed my points (no flame) but its a bit hard for me to awnser now.

Ok first of there is a canal Through western BKK direct to the sea it borders Nothaburi. They shut it down. Nothaburi does not have canals doing that. This is an example how they save Western Bkk but keep it here longer. Its not like Nothaburi could pump it out.

The compensation, we share the same view and actually that is the whole point. I can understand saving something at the expense of an other as long as the former is really compensated. I am pretty sure that a next time there will be more clashes and sooner too. Making sure no dams can be made. (don't think its good but its reality)

I am not so sure Bkk would be under 2 meters maybe real local. Anyway they have that here too.

And pardon my then / than, this is not my first language. The fact is that if the factories could have started producing faster more money would be saved. It might even outweigh the profits of inner Bkk i really think not much money is made in the city. First of land is too expensive there to really produce anything and offices can be moved up and usually dont have much expensive stuff there. So the whole economic disaster thing is far fetched in IMHO. Anyway as i said before just pay the sufferers off who retain the water for inner Bkk and then something like this needs not only be discussed. (unless they plan to keep the water there for months on end)

I'm sure the water could have been managed better, but if you look at particular cases where water was let / did get through and the flooding it caused or threatened to cause and you can see how difficult it is to manage. Don Mueang is a good example of "local" 2 metres. There are plenty of areas downstream from there that would have seen the same fate.

The factories may have been able to start producing faster, but they wouldn't have had the resources that they currently have if a large portion of Bangkok was flooded as well. The businesses in Bangkok can now start getting back to work straight away. They have been affected because of other businesses or because of their staff. What would happen if the electrical and plant systems in medium and high rise buildings had been damaged? It would take months to sort all of that out, and that would affect people living in apartments and working in offices. Not to mention that long term damage that would be done if the MRT got flooded.

"Then / Than" ... pet peeve. Nothing personal. Check my signature.

[gregb]

All of these sentiments are well and good, but somehow I don't think the "drys" can sympathize enough with the "wets" to understand why abused people feel they must retaliate in order to get the wealthy and powerful to sit up and take notice. I've been under 2+ meters of water since the 3rd week of October. I'm tired of being a refugee. Yes, I agree with everyone that the marginal cost of keeping my house flooded costs less than the marginal cost of flooding the rest of Bangkok.

But this misses the point. The personal cost to me of keeping my house flooded is MUCH greater than the personal cost to me of flooding yours. This is the same logic everyone starts to use after a while when they have been abused and are becoming angry.

If the "drys" want to address this problem, rather than denigrating the "wets" who have been suffering for months for their benefit, they instead need to mitigate the anger and resentment that is building up. The "drys" need to recognize their suffering for the benefit of the "drys", thank them for their service, and pay them appropriate compensation. And it needs to be done NOW. The problems that are coming up right now are obvious, and the solution is obvious as well.

Greed is the only reason the police need to watch these areas for unrest. Sadly, greed is all too prevalent in this country, and not only by the politicians.

[zydeco]

@whybother

I like how you addressed my points (no flame) but its a bit hard for me to awnser now.

Ok first of there is a canal Through western BKK direct to the sea it borders Nothaburi. They shut it down. Nothaburi does not have canals doing that. This is an example how they save Western Bkk but keep it here longer. Its not like Nothaburi could pump it out.

The compensation, we share the same view and actually that is the whole point. I can understand saving something at the expense of an other as long as the former is really compensated. I am pretty sure that a next time there will be more clashes and sooner too. Making sure no dams can be made. (don't think its good but its reality)

I am not so sure Bkk would be under 2 meters maybe real local. Anyway they have that here too.

And pardon my then / than, this is not my first language. The fact is that if the factories could have started producing faster more money would be saved. It might even outweigh the profits of inner Bkk i really think not much money is made in the city. First of land is too expensive there to really produce anything and offices can be moved up and usually dont have much expensive stuff there. So the whole economic disaster thing is far fetched in IMHO. Anyway as i said before just pay the sufferers off who retain the water for inner Bkk and then something like this needs not only be discussed. (unless they plan to keep the water there for months on end)

rob,

Just to be clear. Nobody protected Western Bangkok. My house has been under water since 28 October.