NCPO shelves 350 billion baht water projects for reconsideration

[fvw53]

Good, for the NPCO, this is another glaring example of corrupt PTP planning.

Accounts please books please, note all you few Pro gov posters. I believe the second biggest meant corrupt project. Audit please water board.

No, you get this wrong. There was no floods last year, so there will never be any floods again. This is not about corruption, its about short sighted people forgetting someone elses wet feet when they themselfs had dry feet.

There are probably some water projects that do need to be done, but with the corrupt PTP way of doing things, the good general wants to put a stop to all, pending further considerations. I doubt that this general has his head in the sand.

I would love to see him put together an international team to come to Thailand and make an honest assessment of the of the water problem.

If memory serves me rite The Dutch volunteered to help with water management and were told no Thailand had it's own experts (people who know how to do what the Politian's say)

Again giving Thaksin credit he had asked experts from Israel in and had them make suggestions. Israel has lots of experience with irrigation.

Of course his next party ignored them as they were not big money corruption ideas. I am far away from a Thaksin lover but he did have a good idea. He just ignored it when he realized there was no money in it for him.

The amount of crap the new government has to straighten out is monumental. Let us hope they can set up an electoral system that will supply an honest government.

I am going to push the ridicules here and say an informed electorate.

This Forum mentions the Israeli's as experts in irrigation and there should be no doubt about this...however Thailand needs experts in managing water floods and here the Dutch are no doubt the world leaders (I believe 25 pct of their country is below sea level). My nephew is an engineer working for one of the largest (Dutch) engineering companies in the world...and this company never pays bribes....because it is against Dutch law.

Probably this is the reason that in some countries the South Koreans are succeeding where the Dutch cannot.

[Phatcharanan]

Good, I hope to see Bangkok under water in the next few years.

You need counselling.

[BillyBobThai]

They should take advantage of Bangkok's history and re-create a new Venice type of a city with an eye towards the tourist. The same could be said of New Orleans.

[Pimay1]

No doubt the ecological systems in Thailand and the environmentalists are breathing a collective sigh of relief.

I bet Plodprasop Suraswadi is not calling the environmentalists garbage now either!

I expect Plodprasop could be using his free time now to enhance his culinary skills preparing for a career as a professional chef specializing in lion, tiger, elephant and giraffe meat.

[rebelplatoon]

I cannot reveil all on the subject, but the utmost corrupt project ever at the cost of the poor Thai people that would still not be helped. Just ask yourselves why the Dutch, clearly best at waterworks and used by any sensible government, who made a FREE plan how to deal with it, were not given the project (eventhough they were in the bidding with a conglomerate using Thai companies with Dutch help). Because they could not/ would not pay the huge amount under the table.

Btw: the skimmed money was not even supposed to be paid to Government officials, but to the man in Dubai!

It wouldn t fit under any table I know.

[lomatopo]

In other news, NCPO mandates that every citizen learn to swim.

[Chris Lawrence]

So projects in the planing stages for many, many, many years, including during Khun Pramote's tenure as head of the Royal Irrigation Department, are all shelved after what, a week of review?

Crazy stuff.

Well they are shelved pending review. The article says that they need to submit info on Monday. It seems more likely that they are being suspended until they can sort out which ones are for real and which ones were designed for pocket money. So, no water projects until they can show that individual projects are useful (and presumably worth the cost and budgeted properly). Seems like a responsible approach.

The best I can do by Monday would be to send a stuffed brown envelope? But don't tell anyone

[Chris Lawrence]

A lot of water mitigation experts on TV?

[Emster23]

Thailand does need some water management work, I think we can agree on that. I recall a few years ago some billions were spent supposedly for flood prevention etc. I think perhaps 5-10% of budget actually went for flood prevention. I guess they like the "trickle down" theory?

[rebelplatoon]

So projects in the planing stages for many, many, many years, including during Khun Pramote's tenure as head of the Royal Irrigation Department, are all shelved after what, a week of review?

Crazy stuff.

Don't know where you get the many, many years bit.

If you were to read the OP you will see that this is about the projects proposed under the 350 billion scheme.

This scheme only came about after the 2011 floods.

Rightly so that they should be shelved till proper evaluation is done for there were and are many who have expressed grave doubts about their effectiveness and the harm they will do to not only the environment but to peoples lives.

There is also the aspect of the blatant misuse of the consultation process (environmental and health) where only those invited to attend were allowed in to the supposed consultation meetings in many cases keeping those who would be worst affected out and giving them no say.

It was also reported that at some of these meetings the 'invited guests' were paid a travel allowance to attend.

Making sure that the correct YES vote was given by those in attendance.

Correct, exactly what happened. And the free (Dutch government sponsored) plan for the waterworks was conveniently swiped under the carpet before the meetings.

This was a preliminary plan which would have normally cost millions (of Euros).

[pmugghc]

No doubt the ecological systems in Thailand and the environmentalists are breathing a collective sigh of relief.

I bet Plodprasop Suraswadi is not calling the environmentalists garbage now either!

I expect Plodprasop could be using his free time now to enhance his culinary skills preparing for a career as a professional chef specializing in lion, tiger, elephant and giraffe meat.

Maybe he's trying to become an agent for a boat company so for a fee he'd get more boats to push out the water from the river?

Like someone else said, sometimes I worry about this country.

[searcherkind666]

Great move , this new temp government is starting to look like they know what there doing but the people need to vote for a new prime minister in do course .

[Doc46]

Good, for the NPCO, this is another glaring example of corrupt PTP planning.

Accounts please books please, note all you few Pro gov posters. I believe the second biggest meant corrupt project. Audit please water board.

No, you get this wrong. There was no floods last year, so there will never be any floods again. This is not about corruption, its about short sighted people forgetting someone elses wet feet when they themselfs had dry feet.

There always will be floods you can't control nature, some years will be bad some years will be okay.

[ratcatcher]

Great move , this new temp government is starting to look like they know what there doing but the people need to vote for a new prime minister in do course .

"...the people need to vote for a new prime minister in do course . "

Thailand hes been saved from going over a financial cliff of disaster at the 11th hour and 59th minute thanks to General Prayuth. He has estimated the country will be ready for elections in about 15 months. There is much work to do to try and find out where the massive amounts of corruption have occurred and at what cost and to initiate the huge infrastructure projects this country needs to get it back (no pun) on track. Hopefully this should be done in a transparent manner.

BTW the people don't vote for a Prime Minister, they vote for a party. The last party (the PTP was more like an orgy).

General Prayuth is working for and has been guided by His Majesty the King. The PTP was working for and was guided by Thaksin Shinawatra. The times they are a changin'.

[ratcatcher]

Great move , this new temp government is starting to look like they know what there doing but the people need to vote for a new prime minister in do course .

"...the people need to vote for a new prime minister in do course . "

Thailand hes been saved from going over a financial cliff of disaster at the 11th hour and 59th minute thanks to General Prayuth. He has estimated the country will be ready for elections in about 15 months. There is much work to do to try and find out where the massive amounts of corruption have occurred and at what cost and to initiate the huge infrastructure projects this country needs to get it back (no pun) on track. Hopefully this should be done in a transparent manner.

BTW the people don't vote for a Prime Minister, they vote for a party. The last party (the PTP was more like an orgy).

General Prayuth is working for the country and the Thai people and has been guided by His Majesty the King. The PTP was working for and was guided by Thaksin Shinawatra. The times they are a changin'.

Edited June 9, 2014 by ratcatcher