Crisis management woefully lacking

In not applying the emergency decree, PM Yingluck Shinawatra cited fear of loss of confidence of foreign investors. 

Unfortunately, the tragedy of the flood havoc and the successive fall of each industrial estate has already dented the investors’ confidence. The legal basis in crisis management is of no concern to our foreign friends, who are more result-oriented than Thailand’s technocrats.  They have been critically observing Thailand’s capability in crisis management and waiting for a long-term plan to give them confidence in staying on. Thailand is in a testing time of growing up. 

To date, the bickering equally played by the two mainstream parties is no help. Reliable information is lacking and public has to rely on voices of outside experts and social networking instead of official statements. Until there is a long-term plan on detecting rainstorms linking with sensible and co-ordinated control of water management, I as a foreign investor would find ways of getting out and tell my other friends not to come in.  

A tragedy of this level has been recurring in our neighbouring countries, who are our front to the monsoon rains. But this time, the death toll in Thailand is the highest (315) - Vietnam (55), Laos (30), Philippines (98) and Cambodia (247). With those statistics, all Thais may deservedly weep.

Yours sincerely,

Songdej Praditsmanont

Sathorn