Governor and protesters lock horns

Sangiam, an official at the PM’s SecretaryGeneral Office, dismissed the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) claim that he used his political official position to open the gate and said that he did it as an affected citizen wishing to help the affected residents. He said his position had no authority or even a desk.

 

Citing the PM’s order number 17/2554 that the premiere instructed BMA Governor to open sluice gates as necessary so people weren’t affected, he said the premiere also verbally instructed Sukhumbhand to open the gate at onemeterwide, but he didn’t do so.

 

Sangiam filed a complaint at the Nimitmai police station, before 4,000 residents of Pathum Thani’s Lam Lukka district submitted a letter to Pracha, who then called Sukhumbhand directly.

 

Residents reportedly heard the governor agreeing to open the sluice gate at onemeterwide, but BMA didn’t do anything, Sangiam said, he thus got the letter in which Pracha asked for BMA cooperation and filed a complaint at the Sai Mai police station before joining others to open the sluice gate. “If the governor thought what I did was wrong, he can sue me. I’m ready to fight on court, as well as floodaffected residents whose belongings were damaged because he didn’t open the sluice gate. We can get police complaints I had filed and sue him too,” he added.

 

Meanwhile the demonstrators, after getting the sluice gate to open at 1.5meterwide since Monday night, continued to camp out for fear BMA would narrow it to onemeterwide. They said the 1.5meterwide opening lowered flood at Pathum Thani’s Thanyaburi, Khlong Luang and Lam Lukka districts. Currently, no FROC or BMA officials talked with them but police were present to keep order.

 

Sukhumbhand yesterday insisted he and Pracha agreed that the law came before the mob rule so he wouldn’t negotiate until the gate opened onemeterwide. Expressing uneasiness that PM’s SecretaryGeneral Office official acted without authorization from superiors, he said there was no order from the premiere or FROC and commented that if Sangiam wanted to be a protest leader he should quit his job with the government. He said he would file a police complaint against Sangiam.

 

BMA spokesman Wasan Meewong said Sangiam should be dealt with by his supervisor FROC and that, if FROC didn’t do anything, it could lead to a copycat using mob rule.

 

Jirachat Chaiwong who previously led Lam Lukka protest demanding for the gate opening at onemeterwide said the group calling for the 1.5meterwide opening wasn’t his and it was led by redshirts, so he couldn’t stop them. He said his group was content with the onemeterwide opening as it lowered flood by 10cm a day.

 

Sai Mai Councillor Rattikan Kaewkerdmee said Sangaim clearly stated if people wanted which sluice gate to open but BMA refused, he would bring them to open it. She urged Sai Mai people not to confront the demonstrators as the group might use violence.

 

Royal Irrigation Department Chalit Damrongsak said officials’ efforts to drain flood in the western side of Chao Phraya River and rehabilitate Nonthaburi’s Bang Bua Thong, Bang Kruay, Bang Yai and Sai Noi districts went well. The Bang Bua Thong Market and Bang Kruay Municipality should be dry in seven days.

 

Bangkok’s VibhavadiRangsit Road should be dried today (Nove 30) and normal traffic resume in a week but the Thonburi side would be flooded until the end of December, National Disaster Warning Centre director Somsak Khaosuwan said.