A rainy season inundation of almost biblical proportions has rocked Hat Yai, southern Thailand’s commercial heart, to its core. This unprecedented flooding has taken the lives of more than 160 people in all nine provinces. On November 21, the region received the worst downpour in 300 years. That holiday deluge brought catastrophic damage and left thousands of residents marooned in their houses. The disaster’s timing is particularly precarious for Anutin Charnvirakul, Thailand’s newly appointed Prime Minister, who faces intense scrutiny over his government’s response just months before an impending election.
The Health Ministry indicated that at least 110 of the deaths were in Songkhla, where Hat Yai is situated. Overnight, thousands of residents remained trapped on the upper levels as water rose, with some being carried away in their sleep. During the crisis, social media was a literal lifeline for the over 77,000 people trapped, needing supplies or needing to be rescued. Sadly, for most of them, justice never came.
Government Response Under Fire
The man at the center of this disaster, Thai Minister of Health Anutin Charnvirakul, has received a brutal backlash. Critics point to his position of power as a reason he has had the ability—yet failed—to stave off what many declared to be a crisis. It took him almost a week to make a public declaration of emergency and deploy military support to relief efforts.
“He has all the power, but he can’t solve the flood crisis,” – Khajornkiet Borribalburephand
Overreach in the government’s response is staring down some major hurdles. This year, a $318 million budget cut in half the funding for that country’s disaster mitigation agency. This drastic cut deeply undermined the agency’s capacity to respond in any meaningful way to such an unparalleled natural disaster.
Unsurprisingly, the Prime Minister’s actions or lack thereof in approaching this crisis have stirred much outrage. Critics noted that while people were suffering from the floods, Anutin was photographed cooking fried rice at an evacuation center. This approach was nationally seen as a tone-deaf reaction that failed to recognize the critical, immediate needs of this vulnerable and impacted community.
“The crisis needed to be solved urgently. Instead, he was going there and cooking fried rice. What the hell? He doesn’t deserve to be prime minister.” – Khajornkiet Borribalburephand
Climate Change and Natural Disasters
This devastating flooding was a clear demonstration of the increasing devastation climate change is causing in Southeast Asia. Warming ocean temperatures have made Hurricane Katrina and other natural phenomena stronger, adding both heat and moisture to the atmosphere. Monsoon rains and cyclones are not unusual to the region, but the depth and breadth of this disaster is something we’ve never seen before. As climate change accelerates, experts caution that extreme weather events will likely only become more common. Climate change is still making the weather unpredictable.
Communities throughout southern Thailand are still recovering from this year’s historic flood disaster. With annual monsoon rains just weeks away, they’re quickly running out of options. As relief efforts continue, many are questioning whether their leaders will take sufficient action to address climate challenges moving forward.
Political Implications Ahead of Elections
His long-term political future will depend on how Anutin Charnvirakul navigates this crisis. His Bhumjaithai Party is long established, with traditional popular support in Thailand’s north-eastern city of Khon Kaen. With the floods, that’s changing – and fast. With an election fast approaching, it is an open question as to whether constituents will demand accountability from him for his failures — real and alleged — as this disaster unfolded.
Parliament briefly installed Anutin as prime minister in September after voting out the former leader. Going forward, is going to be a tough road for him. His tough stance on Thailand’s border conflict with Cambodia and popular social benefit schemes may not be enough to sway voters if they perceive him as ineffectual during one of the country’s worst natural disasters in recent history.
