Yingluck awaits details of legal action, urges unity
Play
Says her tears show solidarity, not weakness
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday she was waiting for details of legal action to be taken by a Chulalongkorn University academic against the government over its alleged mishandling of the flooding crisis.
“I have worked to the best of my ability, but this is a natural disaster. Please also look at other countries. Nobody can stop a great flood like this. I beg for your sympathy and courage to support our officials to fight the flooding,” Yingluck said.
Academic Narong Petprasert said earlier that he would sue the government and concerned agencies to pay compensation to the public, notably the poor, as the authorities had not only failed to solve flood-related problems, but actually made things worse for people.
“I have consulted with lawyers and found there are some points that could be raised relating to compensation,” he said.
“We are now collecting names of victims of the flooding and exploring which individuals and agencies should be held responsible for the disaster.”
The Cabinet, Agriculture Ministry, Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) were possible targets of legal action, the academic said.
Asked if his move is a part of a plan to discredit Yingluck’s government, Narong said he was not targeting the government specifically, and sought compensation from all responsible agencies, including the opposition Demo-crat Party-run BMA.
The academic said the government’s planned compensation of Bt5,000 per household is not sufficient.
“Look, some people have put all their savings into buying houses that are now entirely inundated. Many low-income people who earn only Bt100-Bt200 a day have already lost all of their earnings due to the floods,” he said.
Yingluck and her government have come under serious pressure from the opposition and from middle class residents of Bangkok to step down to take responsibility for their perceived failure to handle the disaster properly.
The prime minister said she would not give in and would stay the course, since she was elected by popular vote.
“I welcome all opinions, recommendations and suggestions. We will do everything we can; if there is any suggestion we have not implemented, we will study it,” she said.
Asked if she would resign to take responsibility for the government’s alleged failures, Yingluck said she was elected to work for the country and to serve the people. Anything she can do for the people to relieve their suffering, she will do, she said.
Yingluck yesterday took a bus trip with Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit to visit flood victims in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district. Many residents shouted out messages of support for her and encouraged her to fight and stay on. They held up posters reading “Prime Minister Fights” to encourage her.
Yingluck also cooked meals for people who fled their homes for shelters.
On the bus, Yingluck told reporters she was not experienced in political game-playing, and had entered politics simply because she wanted to work for the people.
“I am speaking sincerely, and I hope that there would be sincerity in Thailand,” she said.
The government needed cooperation from all parties including the opposition Democrat Party to cope with the problem, she said.
“We should not express our ego too much or have bias against each other. Whatever we do, we must all work for the people.
“I cannot achieve anything alone. I cannot close and open the sluice gates by myself. I need cooperation. I am not an expert in managing water, but I have not been left to work alone,” she said.
“Of course, we have had problems and we admit that we have problems, so why don’t we help each other to build confidence among foreigners in our capacity to solve the problems?” she said.
Asked whether the tears she shed in public earlier were a sign that a woman prime minister cannot handle such problems, Yingluck said she cried out of empathy for the people’s suffering, not out of weakness.
