PM Yingluck Promises No Severe Flooding In Thailand In 2012

[webfact]

PM Yingluck promised no severe flooding in Thailand in 2012

CHAINAT, 13 June 2012 (NNT) – The prime minister has assured the public that the government will not allow the repeat of last year’s flood crisis in 2012.

During the 4-day official trip to inspect state-initiated flood prevention projects, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said that the water resource management policy in 2012 will focus on achieving a balance between water retention and demand for water.

She reiterated that water stored at all dams will be kept at an appropriate level, while staying prompt for possible adjustment, when needed.

The PM stated that the government has abolished the strict storage of water, just like the country has witnessed last year.

Meanwhile, the Premier commented that recent flooding has been sudden but the government will do its best to prevent prolonged inundation witnessed last year.

PM Yingluck also stated that government assistance has been promptly delivered to those in need in flooded Sukhothai through the provincial governor while the damaged sluice gate has been repaired and the inspection has been performed at all levees.

-- NNT 2012-06-13

[gemini81]

"Yingluk promises"...that makes me worry! Right from the trap of the master of broken promises. She better put some sugar on her toes to make it taste sweeter when she has to stick her foot in her mouth again.

BTW: Since when does she have advanced knowledge of flooding/drainage systems, to just waltz around with the naked eye and determine ("inspect") what/what not can withstand the wrath of mother nature and poor management? I guess if you wear your Mulberries, you are now qualified for any position since you look in-trend and wealthy.

[OzMick]

By the end of the year, I expect a huge debate over the meaning of the word "severe". If you think I am being alarmist, remember "severe" has twice as many letters as "and".

I say 1.5m of flood is not severe. My girlfriend will say "Glub, glub,glub."

[DaamNaam]

What an absurd promise to make. She can predict the weather now. That should secure the superstitious Isaan voters.

[MunterHunter]

Maybe that's how her family/party plans to make everyone rich in 6mths? She will be predicting the Lottery numbers for people next... she has about as much chance of getting the Lotto numbers right as she has in predicting what Mother Nature will do next.

[Skywalker69]

I would like to know her IQ

[slapout]

The girls in Nana, Soi Cowboy, etc do not have a thing on this girl

[Reasonableman]

So far, not so good.

[spiritrace]

She has an inside line to the Rain Gods. Haven't you noticed that they outlawed ALL RAIN DANCING?

[Tywais]

Wonder what that flooding I saw my wife watching on Thai TV last night was, a test run?

[Keesters]

It all depends on what you mean by

severe

As usual a word you can use to wriggle your way out of trouble....."Oh I meant over (put the largest future flood level here) meters is severe. We didn't reach that level so I was right."

[dude007]

"Yingluk promises"...that makes me worry! Right from the trap of the master of broken promises. She better put some sugar on her toes to make it taste sweeter when she has to stick her foot in her mouth again.

BTW: Since when does she have advanced knowledge of flooding/drainage systems, to just waltz around with the naked eye and determine ("inspect") what/what not can withstand the wrath of mother nature and poor management? I guess if you wear your Mulberries, you are now qualified for any position since you look in-trend and wealthy.

absolutely well said! What makes this novice in fancy Burberry outfit suddenly a water manager-expert and flood mitigation expert? By saying so she admits that the major reason of the past floods stemmed from her incompetency and the sluggishness of the government. By the way, nothing substantial has been done in this past dry season to better evacuate the flood waters to the sea. Retention areas are no match for the huge quantities of water being released from the dams or coming from heavy and sustained rainfall. Some dikes may protect the industrial estates, I admit, but further there is nothing, absolutely nothing that will be different from last year! Perhaps a no-repeat of the stupid decisions (water release from the major dams) that were taken and that's all... The ridiculous and costly dredging works will improve water evacuation by 1 or 2 % ; nothing more! What Thailand needs is a huge shortcut channel, half the size of the Chao Phraya to evacuate these flood waters (at a rate of minimum 2,500 m3/sec). All the rest is lost money and lost opportunity.

Edited June 13, 2012 by dude007

[JohnAllan]

That's the theory. Let's see if it actually happens in practice.

And let's hope she keeps her Burberrys firmly on her feet this time.

[smutcakes]

To be fair, other than the headline saying she 'promised', there are no direct quotes from her saying this, which you would expect if she actually did say that. What it says in the article is that the Governement are doing this and trying to do that and will do there best to minimize any flooding which is pretty much all you can do when you could have unprecedented levels of rainfall or any other natural event which is outside of human control.

If she really did promise that there would be no severe flooding, she needs to have her head checked, otherwise i just think that is a sensationalist headline.

[EarthAlien]

How fickle is the short term memory.

Less than a year ago she was saying that she had no control over the forces of nature and was as much a hapless victim of circumstances as everyone else (that was when it was clear that the forces of nature were relentless).

Now she's making a promise "The prime minister has assured the public that the government will not allow the repeat of last year’s flood crisis in 2012."

(we should not that at this stage such a "promise" is easier to make given the liklihood of a less intense downpour,... of course any promise could be swiftly amended should weather conditions turn nasty once again).

[jonclark]

Lots of negative post her regarding her comments, but what is she meant to say? "There will be floods", "I can't say of there will or won't be floods." " We hope the measures taken will avoid or mitigate the severity of possible floods" Any of these comments would also result in similar negative comments, really is a case of dammed if you do or dammed if you don't. (no water pun intended).

She is a bimbo who became PM because of her surname we all know that, so lets be realistic in our (low) expectations.

[luckyman]

More and more she is beginning to sound like G.W. Bush.

[cms22]

I can't believe how many people on TV read a headline from a very dubious-quality newspaper and believe that the word "promised" actually corresponds with what was said.

[phiphidon]

I would like to know her IQ

IQ, I'm not sure, but she can probably express herself using more than 5 - 10 word sentences in her own language.

[chainarong]

And the tea leaves in my cup this morning say ??? let us Phrae.

[LuckyLew]

Do not worry

If there are severe floods, she will use her other favorite line

"It is just a figment of your imagination"

Same same as rising cost of goods

[tragickingdom]

Who is Yingluck? God?

Nobody can promise tin will not be raining for the next three weeks. if she can make such promises she can receive a job offer from the US embassy to serve in their army of missionaries.

[Skywalker69]

I would like to know her IQ

IQ, I'm not sure, but she can probably express herself using more than 5 - 10 word sentences in her own language.

Evidence please.

[brianlg]

HI to all my friends in LOS ...

During my 13 week stay in TH last year at my home near NAKHON SAWAN ... we were flooded in for 11 weeks. We were "reliably" informed to expect only a few centimetres of inundation.

For 8 of those 11 weeks we experienced flooding up to 1 metre deep inside our house AND around 1.2 metres deep outside. BUT we survived as did many others ...

HOWEVER many of my Thai neighbours across the other side of our road experienced MORE than 3 metres of flooding [up to their house roofline in fact] and lost almost all their possessions and furniture ...

SO I guess our illustrious PM must have her own version/meaning of "SEVERE" ???

Perhaps "moderately severe"; "majorly severe"; and/or "catastrophically severe" ???

[Skywalker69]

I would like to know her IQ

IQ, I'm not sure, but she can probably express herself using more than 5 - 10 word sentences in her own language.

Evidence please.

I can assure you that i can express my self using more than 5-10 words in my own language.

[phiphidon]

Who is Yingluck? God?

Nobody can promise tin will not be raining for the next three weeks. if she can make such promises she can receive a job offer from the US embassy to serve in their army of missionaries.

Perhaps if you and the yingluck bashing bandwagon of several of the posters above read the OP clearly you will know what she meant:

"The prime minister has assured the public that the government will not allow the repeat of last year’s flood crisis in 2012".

She hasn't said there will be no floods or flooding, she is saying it will not be a crisis like last year because different measures are in place or being put into place to minimise the effects of the floods or flooding this year.

But that's not what you want to hear is it?

[Skywalker69]

I would like to know her IQ

IQ, I'm not sure, but she can probably express herself using more than 5 - 10 word sentences in her own language.

Evidence please.

I can assure you that i can express my self using more than 5-10 words in my own language.

[skorchio]

Very silly to issue statements like this. If it rains like hell, there will be flooding, and there is no way anyone can stop it. The topography of the Chao Phraya flood plain make it, and BKK, prone to flooding. This vulnerability has been worsened over the years by relentless development. The El Nino La Nina oscillation in the Pacific has been increasing in intensity this decade (global warming etc...another story), so I really would expect that weather will become more volatile. Drought and floods, extremes will become the norm. Good words Yingbaby!!!

[daninthai]

Why can't we get a good look at all the emails from PTP members? Where are 'Anonymous' when you want them? Imagine what we could learn from getting copies of Thaksin's emails.

[Mosha]

So how do you qualify severe? Just a few days ago, around parts of Ranong province, evacuations were ordered. Or is that just a minor inconvenience?