District Officers To Be Heart Of Fight Against Poverty

[george]

District officers to be heart of fight against poverty

BANGKOK: -- Interior Minister Air Chief Marshal Kongsak Wanthana said Sunday he had ordered district officers nationwide to be at the heart of Thailand's fight against poverty.

Regarding the Interior Ministry role in the government's policy to eradicate poverty, ACM Kongsak said district officers nationwide will coordinate with other government agencies to engage the problems which needed to be overcome simultaneously.

He said his ministry would follow guidelines mapped out by the government's poverty eradication centre headed by Gen. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, former deputy prime minister, to solve the problem.

Asked whether it is possible to erase the problem of poverty faced by some two million people within three years as pledged by Gen. Chavalit, ACM Kongsak said it is the government's goal and reasons must be given if implementation fails to meet the target.

He insisted that the problem could not be solved by using money only as it also required both knowledge and cooperation since the objectives were to create sustainable advancement of the country.

The government demonstrated that it was serious about overcoming poverty, when Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, accompanied by several cabinet ministers, spent five days at Roi Et's At Samat district demonstrating how some problems of the poor could be solved.

--TNA 2006-01-29

[george]

Provincial, local leaders gather for poverty summit in Bangkok

BANGKOK: -- The Thai government is moving full steam ahead with its poverty eradication campaign, calling a meeting of local leaders nationwide to acknowledge the policy and its implementation guidelines.

Provincial governors, local community leaders, and civic group representatives from all over the country convened at a Bangkok hotel Monday to be briefed by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Gen.

Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, head of the National Poverty Eradication Centre, on the issues concerning the poverty eradication scheme.

The meeting objective was to assess an overview of the country's poverty problems and brainstorm solutions, said Interior Minister Air Chief Marshal Kongsak Wanthana.

Earlier on Sunday the Interior Ministry held the meeting of all district officers nationwide to deliberate the ministry's role in fighting poverty.

All district heads were ordered to play pivotal roles in co-ordinating with other government agencies in their districts to deal with poverty by following guidelines mapped out by the National Poverty Eradication Centre.

Their performances would be evaluated after three months. District officers whose performances met the target would be rewarded, according to ACM Kongsak.

As the meeting took place, a gathering of 20 people with disabilities (PWDs), demanding that Premier Thaksin provide solutions to the problems they faced as the prime minister used to promise them, including unemployment.

--TNA 2006-01-30

[Jai Dee]

ACM KONGSAK: THE TIMEFRAME GIVEN TO THE DISTRICT OFFICERS TO ERADICATE POVERTY WILL NOT PRESURRIZE THEM

Interior Minister KONGSAK WANTANA (คงศักดิ์ วันทนา) talked about the benefits of publicizing the performances of successful district chiefs in solving poverty issues. He indicated that it would be an example for other district chiefs, and will also create constructive competition among them.

He insisted that the three-month timeframe to the district officers will not pressurize them, and therefore, it does not mean that the poverty issues need to be eradicated within the given time.

Air Chief Marshal KONGSAK said that people’s satisfaction will indicate whether the district chief has carried out good performances. Meanwhile, other measures to evaluate the tasks will be set up later.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 30 January 2006

[george]

Government urges people's participation in anti-poverty campaign

BANGKOK: -- People nationwide will be encouraged to contribute to the government campaign against poverty so that none would remain poor by the year 2008.

In his capacity as director of the National Centre for the Campaign Against Poverty, former prime minister Gen. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh Monday said a road map is being drafted to eradicate poverty throughout Thailand in a three-year timeframe, beginning from this year.

All villagers and members of communities nationwide will be urged to help with the government campaign, which aims to uphold the principles of economic self-sufficiency on a sustainable basis, Gen. Chavalit said.

Nonetheless, the National Centre for the Campaign Against Poverty, which works 24 hours a day, still needs additional funding and faster reimbursement of funds as well as an increase in the number of working personnel at district- and provincial levels while facts and figures pertaining to impoverished individuals are yet to be updated.

Gen. Chavalit said the Interior Ministry, among other government agencies, which has been helping individual villagers fight their poverty, will be doing so in such wider areas as village, district or province, so that the anti-poverty campaign would be eventually successful in the next two years.

--TNA 2006-01-30

[Dah fahrang]

Provincial, local leaders gather for poverty summit in Bangkok

All district heads were ordered to play pivotal roles in co-ordinating with other government agencies in their districts to deal with poverty by following guidelines mapped out by the National Poverty Eradication Centre.

Their performances would be evaluated after three months. District officers whose performances met the target would be rewarded, according to ACM Kongsak.

....now I have stopped 'pissing myself' for just a minute:

District officers whose performances met the target would be rewarded

this will be on top of the reward they will plunder for themselves, working on their now familiar budget method of "One for the District, Two for me" principle!

I live in one of the poverty stricken villages being talked about. I see the District Officer, his runners and cronies driving in new black Toyotas, while the roads decay, the rubbish piles up, the water supply is continually disrupted. And the Government want to transfer all school management to these "reverse" Robbing Hoods.

Dare I speak of the questionable role of pui yai baan's in this process of poverty eradication?

My pui yai baan hates the District officer, and vice versa. Getting in each others' way, and digginig into each others' trough. But, he drives a brand new Toyota Fortuner, when he's not drunk.

Must dash back to the bog now - pissin' me'self again! Never laughed so much in ages.

[astral]

I was under the impression these officers have been fighting poverty for years,

their own..................................

Every assistance they give has to be backed up by "tea money" or nothing

gets done.

[opothai]

this has been going on for years with any monies allocated to the provences with money from the government.

our local moo ban was given 1 million bht to generate work and prosperity to the area,

evrybody voted to invest the money in the reservoir to turn it into a leisure facility. the project was started about 100,000 spent, then it stopped. later he took possesion of the new pick up, every body new he had stolen the money, but nobody would say anything and they just accepted this as normal

[penzman]

District officers to be heart of fight against poverty

BANGKOK: Asked whether it is possible to erase the problem of poverty faced by some two million people within three years as pledged by Gen. Chavalit, ACM Kongsak said it is the government's goal and reasons must be given if implementation fails to meet the target.

--TNA 2006-01-29

You may want to review these figures first ... and revise your definition of poverty.