Bangkok Administration has no law on paying compensation, official says

[webfact]

BMA has no law on paying compensation, official says
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- There is no city regulation or law to support payment of compensation to a man who sustained a wound requiring 100 stitches after falling down a water-drainage pipe in Ratchadaphisek Soi 26 last month, the permanent secretary of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Peerapong Saicheu, said yesterday.

Responding to news that the injured man, Wachira Sawasdi, was trying to raise funds via social media to sue the city, Peerapong said city officials had provided him a sum of financial aid - raised personally among the officials themselves - and promised to cover his medical bills.

So if the man wanted more compensation - reportedly 10 times what he was given - then he had the right to file a lawsuit. Peerapong said city workers also had repaired the pipe to prevent any accident in the future.

He said the governor had approved an emergency budget of Bt5 million per district office to handle these kinds of problems. In this case the pipe was fixed right after the accident.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/BMA-has-no-law-on-paying-compensation-official-say-30275899.html

-- The Nation 2015-12-30

[daoyai]

The idea is make the fix before the incident, ..... oh, never thought of that.

[waldroj]

Reactive, rather than proactive is the norm here - must be a cultural thing.

As for not accepting responsibility, well that's just shocking (as this light pole on Soi Phaholyothin 2 would suggest).

[kingalfred]

Its a gamble with your safety walking Bangkok Footpaths. From drains to potholes to Motorbikes and vendors.

[Thian]

Those rotting grids are everywhere waiting for accidents to happen. Same as those open wires, it's the norm in Thailand to leave it like that.

Maybe we should organise a tour for wealthy farang so they can come see this, they will laugh so much that Thailand becomes the Land of Smiles again.

[Oziex1]

"He said the governor had approved an emergency budget of Bt5 million per district office to handle these kinds of problems. In this case the pipe was fixed right after the accident."

I note that often they turn to emergency money, what happened to the original money in the yearly budgets??

[oneday]

This is often the only way governments wake up to their responsibilities. If they get their pants sued off and lose lots of money then that will get their attention. It is a very disappointing to see that a government has to be sued to do the right thing...to take responsibility.

[Thian]

This is often the only way governments wake up to their responsibilities. If they get their pants sued off and lose lots of money then that will get their attention. It is a very disappointing to see that a government has to be sued to do the right thing...to take responsibility.

In Thailand it works to film these cases and show it on Youtube to the rest of the world.

There are many tourists who like to see this before booking their holidays.

Bangkok has these rotten grids on the sidewalks, markets, open electricity everywhere, dirty stray dogs all over the place, huge rats, stinky sidewalks who smell like the garbagetruck lives there, low trafficsigns with very sharp metal points, low umbrellas with pins sticking out, holes in the pavement everywhere.

You have to look up, down, in front of you and behind you while walking the streets in BKK.

[realenglish1]

This is often the only way governments wake up to their responsibilities. If they get their pants sued off and lose lots of money then that will get their attention. It is a very disappointing to see that a government has to be sued to do the right thing...to take responsibility.

Almost every government around the world needs to be sued in a similar situation before take responsibility Where were you born ?

[Jonmarleesco]

There's such a thing as liability insurance. That'll cost money, though, won't it? Presumably seems cheaper to pay a few hundred baht after each event and hope those injured are only the typically put-upon and non-confrontational Thais. Pity for the BMA, then, that those are becoming fewer in number.

[Ulic]

There is no law saying we have to pay, so we will not pay.

[rubl]

So no city law. How about the national law? How about asking the Ombudsman to look into this?

[NCC1701A]

Reactive, rather than proactive is the norm here - must be a cultural thing.

As for not accepting responsibility, well that's just shocking (as this light pole on Soi Phaholyothin 2 would suggest).

OMG you found a garbage container in Thailand!

Quick give me the location, my pockets are full.

[Thian]

How can Thailand call for wealthy tourists if the streets are very dangerous and nobody is responsible?

The officials paid it out of their own pockets, why is that? So they felt guilty at least.

If this happens to me my insurance will pay the Bungumrad and send lawyers to BMA to pay all bills. Of course it will be in the newspapers in Europe.

Also when i broke through the wooden deck in a resort on Samui they acted like it was my own problem. It was the deck behind the frontdoor of my rented bungalow.

[jamesbrock]

what happened to the original money in the yearly budgets??

The officials paid it out of their own pockets, why is that?

I might be way off here, but perhaps the original money and the money in the officials' pockets is the same money?