Residents make a 6-meter hole in the big bag barrier
Despite a ban from Prime Minister Yingluck, residents of Don Muang district made a 6-meter hole in the so-called big bag barrier on Sunday.
On Saturday they had removed smaller sandbags, yesterday the 2,5 ton sandbags were also destroyed. While Don Muang police watched, forty men finished the job.
A total of 200 residents took action at the flood wall because their residential area has been under water for three weeks; 1 meter high in some places. According to the leader of the protest, 80.000 people have been duped. The flood wall prevents the water from draining away. Moreover, he forms an impregnable horde for their boats. The purpose of the rampart is to slow down the flow of water from the north, so that downtown Bangkok is spared. Due to the delay, the municipality has enough time to drain water from the canals in the city.
Prime Minister Yingluck said on Sunday that the Bangkok municipality will speed up the pumping out of water held back by the embankment in the coming days. As soon as the pumping starts, the situation will become more bearable for the vexed residents, according to the prime minister.
The Phu ภาษาไทย MP for Don Muang promised residents that heavy equipment will arrive at 6 am today to further widen the gap to 30 meters. He would arrange that with the Flood Relief Operations Command, the government's crisis center. Should that not agree, the MP would take the lead in manually enlarging the gap.
Deputy Governor Thirachon Manomaipibul of Bangkok strongly disagrees with making the hole. The break in the flood barrier could have far-reaching consequences for the economy, education and society, he says. In a letter to the prime minister, he urges residents to be given special care. The government must provide them with sufficient food and drinking water on a daily basis.
An MP from the opposition Democrats thinks that the Don Muang residents should receive a higher compensation than the standard amount of 5.000 baht.
Do I understand this correctly? The prime minister forbids making a hole, the police watch citizens take matters into their own hands, a PT MP offers to lend a hand. It becomes very difficult to be optimistic about the future of this country.
Yes Maarten, you understand correctly. It's not the first time the police have been on the lookout. Last year during the red shirt riots, the police often did not take action because they sympathized with the activists. I think it's difficult for the authorities to work if you can't trust a service.
Bernard Trink coined the phrase TIT: This is Thailand, in his Bangkok Post column. It no longer exists. He still writes book reviews.
The land of "we just do whatever". Another great attack on the world record shooting yourself in the foot. Never ceases to amaze you!!!
I was evacuated from close to the big bags. My house has been standing for longer
than 4 weeks in the dirty, stagnant water, which does not really sink or move.
All pumps are elsewhere. One's death is the other's bread. How so fair. Ying
Luck's house must stay dry.
According to specialists, the dam has hardly any effect. A natural flow would be better and mean at most a few centimeters of water elsewhere. They could easily pump that away, but then let those wretches at DonMuang sit in the water for a few more months.
Typical of this catastrophe, it is total manmade randomness.
The only reliable information is from Verweij via the embassy, and now also on TV.
Furthermore, it is a sad spectacle, all those PR bags handers.
swerved,
Caro