Plodprasop says spat with Banharn cleared up
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Veteran politician warns deputy PM against making public statements
Deputy Prime Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi said yesterday that his disagreement with Chart Thai Pattana Party chief adviser Banharn Silapa-archa, over his handling of the water-management scheme had now been cleared up.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Plodprasop said Banharn had been his boss at the Agriculture Ministry at one time. At that time, Plodprasop was chief of the Royal Forestry Department, which comes under the ministry’s control.
He added that he was also briefly a deputy at the now-defunct Chart Thai Party led by Banharn.
“I began my political career through a stint with the Chart Thai Party. You can ask him [Banharn] how good I was for the party then.”
Clarifying his qualifications as an expert in irrigation and water management, Plodprasop said he had handled several irrigation projects under the Prem Tinsulanonda government and obtained an overseas degree in coastal engineering.
“Banharn did not actually question my qualifications as I am capable of handling the flood- and water-management project, given my qualifications,” he added.
On Tuesday, Banharn said that Plodprasop was only good at getting the government into trouble and that he never consulted him on any important projects, despite his 30-years experience in flood- and water-management. Banharn also warned Plodprasop of making public comments about his criticism, saying he would face fierce counter-statements.
Yesterday Banharn said the construction of a water gate in Nonthaburi’s Bang Bua Thong district had made little progress. The project was proposed by the Agriculture Ministry to Plodprasop’s water-management committee. The ministry comes under the supervision of Banharn and the Chart Thai Pattana Party.
“This project is going nowhere. If the area gets flooded in the future, don’t blame the ministry,” he added.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra visited a number of sites in Ayutthaya where flood-prevention walls are being built. She was in the province to attend the mobile Cabinet meeting. She also stopped off at Wat Phananchoeng, which was inundated in the massive 2011 floods.
One of the construction projects in the province involves elevating Route 3477 by another 50 centimetres so it doubles as an embankment wall. Also a metre-high and 17km-long flood wall is currently being constructed, which will be part of a ring of walls covering 676km to protect industrial estates.
Yingluck said the flood-prevention projects had made about 60-per-cent progress, adding that the government’s Bt350-billion mega-project would ensure long-term solutions.
She also visited Kong Khong market in Bang Pa-in district and later gave an interview to promote the mobile Cabinet meeting, which will be broadcast as part of “Yingluck Meets the People” show today.
