Going with the flow

Hanuman was always ready to fight for his boss, Phra Ram. 

Teerachon has also vowed to fight for Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra. 

“I have much respect for him. If anyone hurls mud at him, I will of course step out to defend him,” he says. 

Born in 1962, Teerachon graduated from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Engineering before heading to the United States to further his education. 

He returned with a master’s in civil engineering and went on to be head-hunted by big corporations such as Saha Pathanapibul.

“I earned very decent pay,” acknowledges Teerachon with a smile.

He decided, however, to go into city politics office when then-Bangkok governor Bhijit Rattanakul approached him in 1996.

“I became very interested in water management when the big floods hit the country back in 1995. I listened closely to His Majesty’s words of advice during his 1995 speech,” Teerachon says..

He says he also regularly consults water experts like Pramote Maiklad and Kitja Polpasee.

“The current government is not listening much to these experts despite the fact that they are well versed in water management,” he notes.

Since taking office, Sukhumbhand has entrusted Teerachon with many important tasks. This deputy governor has been assigned to oversee the Budget Department, the City Law Enforcement Department as well as the Traffic and Transportation Department.

But it was only last year, when he spoke out against the Flood Relief Operation Centre (Froc), which was established late in 2011 to deal with the flood crisis, that Teerachon was catapulted into the media spotlight.

At the height of the crisis, Teerachon publicly asked “Why don’t [the relevant authorities] direct run-off water to the Bang Pakong River?” 

His question caused a stir. Residents of Bangkok started to become critical of the Froc’s water management. 

But Teerachon denies he was playing politics in lashing out at the Froc.

“No, I was not and am not playing political games. I traded punches with government parties simply because I want to tell the truth to the public,” he says. 

During the flood crisis, he created a new Facebook account and posted plenty of critical comments about the Froc. He went as far as noting, “Some politicians don’t work. They obstruct the work. They keep babbling nonsense as if ordered by Hell”.

Teerachon describes this account as factual. “This page contains just facts,” he stresses. I am not fake the way dirty politicians are.” His defiant moves and harsh comments against the government may have agitated non-Bangkok residents, but his style has made him popular among city dwellers, who continue to “friend” him. As of last Wednesday, his Facebook page had 11,660 likes.

But even after the flood crisis ended and conflicts between BMA and the national government became a subject of historical notoriety, Teerachon refused to keep quiet either. He launched his book titled, “Why did the big flood hit Bangkok?” early this year.

His Facebook account is also active. His photo cover says, “Facts, not Fake” and his wall offers positive activities alongside comments that are critical of many politicians including Science Minister Plodprasob Surassawadee, the current chair of the Water and Flood Management Commission (WFMC), and ICT Minister Anudith Nakornthap.

When the WFMC was planning to conduct a water-drainage test in Bangkok during the first week of September, Teerachon again hit headlines for posting a comment saying that His Majesty the King had advised against bringing run-off water to inner Bangkok because the drainage system here was designed to deal with rainfall only.

Teerachon said Sukhumbhand tried to keep him quiet with the best intention of protecting him. 

“But you know, I like Hanuman in Ramakien. When he felt Lanka must be burnt down, he set the fire,” Teerachon says.

Asked whether political ambition has made him this fierce, Teerachon shakes his head. “No, I don’t think I can be a politician. I’m not in the habit of giving false promises.” 

If Sukhumbhand decides not to contest the next gubernatorial election scheduled for January, he says he will probably work in another fields perhaps as a guest lecturer.

But no matter what he chooses to do, Teerachon will have his family by his side. He and his wife, Dr Jantanee, have one daughter and they are happy to join in the many activities of interest to Teerachon.