Without accountability, safety standards die - people too

As The Nation’s editorial noted, last weekend’s river tragedy demonstrated a failure to learn from past lessons. The boat that capsized, with the loss of at least 27 lives, was overcrowded to at least double its capacity, pointing to possible illegal modification of the decks. No lifejackets were evident and the captain hadn’t renewed his licence and had permitted the overloading, casting doubt on his professional capabilities. Also, the boat’s insurance for passengers had expired.

Worse still, this tragedy was entirely avoidable. Six months ago, following a boat accident on Bangkok’s Saen Saeb canal, Deputy Transport Minister Ormsin Chivapruk ordered widespread checks of commuter-boat safety standards. Had he followed through and ensured that order was obeyed – rather than treated as a public relations exercise – the passengers in Ayutthaya on Sunday would be alive today.

Premier Prayut Chan-o-cha should show that, on his watch, all are accountable for their actions or lack thereof, and let his own actions speak louder than words. For example, he should at the very least demote Ormsin and also fire the director-general of the Marine Department for failing to carry out Ormsin’s orders. 

Let’s see action instead of just words, General Prayut.

Burin Kantabutra