Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has harshly criticised the Ban Sang district chief in Prachin Buri for being uncooperative, inactive and seemingly unaware of the suffering of people in the district due to flooding.
He said Ban Sang was the worst-hit area in Prachin Buri, adding that it was shameful to have such a person working in the Provincial Administration Department (PAD).
The PAD has ordered the temporary transfer of Setthawut Wongloewut to the Institute of Administration Development under the Interior Ministry, effective today until November 5.
The prime minister chaired a meeting of the Command Centre of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation this morning, during which he said he had received a report yesterday that the Prachin Buri governor had asked the PAD to transfer the Ban Sang district chief out of the district, accusing him of being uncooperative.
“I don’t know how this thing happened, but the director-general of the PAD reported that it had investigated and found the accusation to be substantiated. The officer was not diligent in his work and was inattentive. When materials were received by him, he said they could be delivered tomorrow, and there was no coordination for the evacuation of flood victims,” the prime minister said.
“It is very shameful that we have this type of person in the bureaucracy,” Anutin said, adding that he wondered how and when the officer had been appointed to the post and that he should be removed from the government bureaucracy.
Regarding the flood situation, the prime minister said conditions had improved in most provinces, except Prachin Buri and Chachoengsao, where floodwater could not yet be drained.
In the South, he said all provinces were on alert for the impact of forecast rain. He had prioritised the delivery of ready-to-eat food and drinking water to flood victims.
As for flood compensation, he said the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation must coordinate with the Government Savings Bank. Once the bank receives a list of registered flood victims, compensation must be paid without delay.
So far, more than 10,000 households have received compensation totalling 94 million baht.
The prime minister also told the meeting that he would visit Singapore today but would attend the Command Centre meeting via video conference from Singapore.
