Anutin” sets up a committee to investigate “Chiang Rai Governor” as a final farewell before retirement on 30 Sept. for not being in the area to solve the recurring flooding problem, even though the villagers are suffering severely, after only letting the Prime Minister see his face at one point before appearing in Bangkok to join the retirement ceremony.
Reporters reported that at the end of August, Chiang Rai Province experienced the first wave of flooding. Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, went down to manage the water situation together with Mr. Phumtham Vejjayachai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense on September 24, 2024. However, it turned out that the Chiang Rai Governor was not in the area. He wrote a letter stating that “there are no flights back to Chiang Rai Province.” This caused Mr. Anutin to quickly send Mr. Arsit Sampantharat, Director-General of the Department of Provincial Administration and Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Inte
rior, to help the people in the area. Most recently, on September 27-28, 2024, Ms. Paethongtarn Shinawatra, Prime Minister, led the “full Cabinet” to help the people of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai Provinces. It turned out that the Chiang Rai Governor only came to receive them at one point before appearing at the retirement ceremony in Bangkok.
At 10:30 a.m. on September 29, 2014, reporters interviewed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul by phone about the case where online society is currently criticizing the work of Chiang Rai Governor Putthipong Sirimat, who is in neutral and not helping the people because he will retire this September. When the Prime Minister and the full Cabinet visited Chiang Rai on September 27, the Chiang Rai Governor only came to welcome him for a short while to report on the situation. The Prime Minister then asked him if the Chiang Rai Governor had asked permission when he returned to Bangkok. He immediately apologized to the Prime Minister, who did not
tell him or ask for permission. This is something that should not be done. This is the same old problem, the same old behavior that is not urgent and requires leaving the area because right now the people of Chiang Rai are suffering terribly, with floods and landslides. It is considered as serious as the Chiang Rai Governor leaving his job and letting the Prime Minister do it instead, right? And if Mr. Arsit Sampantharat, Director-General of the Department of Provincial Administration and the prospective Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, does not come to help in the area, the problem will not be able to be urgently managed at all.
Mr. Anutin continued that as for the criticism that when ministers visit the area, there must be civil servants waiting to welcome them, he would like to say that when the Prime Minister or ministers come down to provide urgent assistance, the governor should come because it is a matter of ‘working together’. In the case of Chiang Rai Province, there were only 4 depu
ty governors, but it turned out that only one came, Mr. Prasert Jitplichep, the deputy governor. As for the other deputy governor, he will retire from government service, while the other 2 deputy governors went to report for duty to study at the National Defense College, which is not the time to go. The people are suffering this much and the Prime Minister came down. It is not the time. Even if he has to give up his right to study at the National Defense College, he must give up his right. Meanwhile, the Chiang Rai governor came to join the retirement ceremony in Bangkok and let the people live in hardship, leaving the Prime Minister in the area. This is not right.
‘I would like to ask the media to apologize to the people of Chiang Rai. Please be assured that from October 1 onwards, the work in the Ministry of Interior will be more solid and efficient. I have ordered the new Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior to consider the flood threat as the highest priority,’ said Mr. Anutin.
Source: Thai
News Agency