Phetchabun: The governor of Phetchabun clarified recent reports surrounding a hospital’s practice of sending personnel to line up and pay respect to the national flag. The governor emphasized that there was no enforced order for this activity and announced its postponement due to the rainy season.
According to Thai News Agency, the controversy began when the Facebook page ‘Mor Lab Panda’ shared a post about a hospital in Phetchabun Province requiring its personnel to gather at the provincial hall every Monday at 8:00 a.m. to pay respect to the national flag. The post expressed concern over the additional burden on hospital staff, who reportedly felt that the activity disrupted their primary duties of patient care. A message from some medical personnel cited an order from an unspecified source directing civil servants from various groups in the hospital to participate in the flag ceremony, causing delays in patient services.
Following widespread criticism, Ms. Patchanan Kaewjinda, Phetchabun’s provincial culture officer, clarified her role in a project aimed at strengthening values and ethics, which has been in effect since 2023. She described the flag-respecting activity as a request for cooperation from government agencies, with participation determined by each agency’s leadership.
Dr. Srisuda Songthamwat, director of Phetchabun Hospital, further explained that the participation of hospital staff was voluntary and not mandatory, stressing that the brief ceremony did not interfere with hospital services. Governor Saranyu Meethongkham noted that the flag-raising ceremony dates back to the tenure of his predecessor and is primarily attended by civil servants, with external agencies participating voluntarily.
In response to the recent online criticism, the governor revealed that he had already instructed the provincial cultural office to consider delaying or temporarily halting the activity due to the inconvenience caused by the rainy season, which necessitates wearing uniforms. The order to suspend the activity was issued on May 23rd, and Deputy Governor Wisit Benjapitakkul signed a letter to officially cancel the activity from June 2025 onwards, coinciding with the rainy season.