FROC complaints bring shakeup of handout system
From now on, only government officials at provincial or district level will be issued donated supplies at the government's Flood Relief Operations Centre (FROC) for local distribution.
Volunteers wishing to help flood victims must request and collect the supplies from provincial offices, PM’s Office inspector Chamroen Yuttithamsakul said.
Chamroen was assigned to be in charge of the FROC-donated supply distribution after heavy criticism of the agency’s management.
The donation centre has been moved from FROC headquarters at Don Mueang Airport to the national stadium. The FROC venue was too small to deal with the large amount of donations and visitors.
The media over the past week published pictures of large amounts of donated supplies retained at the FROC depot while flood victims were crying for essentials.
The media also criticised Pheu Thai MP Karun Hosakul who was in charge of releasing the FROC’s donated supplies. FROC spokesman Wim Roongwattanajinda said later Karun was no longer in charge and the operation was under PM’s Office Inspector Chamroen.
The FROC had been accused of selective donation management that favoured the pro-government red shirts and allowed Pheu Thai MPs to promote themselves through the people-donated supplies.
Pheu Thai MP Chalong Riewrang on Tuesday said he wanted to deliver the supplies to troubled people in his constituency but the donated items were reserved for the red shirts, resulting in a shortage of donated goods.
Earlier, Thai Flood, a major civic group of volunteers withdrew from FROC’s operations, citing such discrimination and a lack of information released to the people.
Pheu Thai MP and red shirt leader Natthawut Saikua – speaking at the FROC office at Don Mueng Airport - denied yesterday the red shirts had received privileges with donated flood relief items.
Natthawut said some red shirts had raised funds and donations as well as delivered the kits to the victims themselves and had not collected supplies from the FROC centre. Others had distributed needed items by truck. Chalong might not have clearly understood the red-shirt’s actions.
"Some donated packs were labelled with the name of (Pheu Thai MP) Jatuporn Promphan as the red shirts wanted donations to be made through their leader Jatuporn. We passed on the packs and there was no need to declare for them for political popularity," he said. His group never thought of labelling MPs' names to make people feel like they owed them something.
Natthawut also denied reports that another red-shirt leader Yoswarit Chooklom, assistant to the secretary of the deputy interior minister, abused his power by saying he wanted to get two donated boats and told reporters to carry the boats for him. Natthawut said it must have been a misunderstanding.
