37 Dead in Flood's Wake in Northeast Thailand by Phairath Khampha 31 May 2001 Flooding twice in May 2001 in Phrae Province's Wang Chin district claimed at least 37 lives. Although the rain stopped in Phrae, floodwater from the Yom River on May 5 inundated three districts in Sukhothai Province: Si Satchanalai, Sawankalok and Si Samrong. Forest poaching was to blame, said Thailand's prime minister and a man whose wife fell victim. Corrupt Thai politicians, leaders had a hand in the pillage of the forests. There was damage to 20 dams, 18 roads, and 13 bridges. Flash floods raged through Wang Chin district again on May 16, forcing the evacuation of people in flood-threatened villages. Floods and storms in the North and Northeast claimed 37 lives and 19,416 people have suffered, officials said. Phrae's Wang Chin district was hardest hit by a flash-flood last week that killed 28 people, injured 58 and left 12 missing, the Interior Ministry's Local Administration Department reported. Thirty nine villages in six tambons were inundated, affecting 1,651 families and 7,870 people. A total of 193 houses were destroyed and 1,458 were damaged. The flooding damaged 4,268 rai (6.83 km2) of farmland and left eight roads impassable. Torrential rains also hit five districts in Sukhothai province, where 4,142 people were affected and one died. Flooding in 21 other provinces claimed five lives and affected 6,448 people from 1,413 families. Lightning hit a house in Phitsanulok's Noen Maprang district, killing one. There were 18 fires in 10 provinces, which killed two and affected 58 people. As workers continue to pick through the devastated remains of the area, more than 200 forestry officials helped survivors repair their wrecked homes. Sukhothai's capital city municipality was under 70 centimetres of water. Local Administration Department director-general Apai Janthanajulka visited the area on May 7 and reprimanded LAD officials for not helping people more quickly. He established a special coordinating committee to delegate responsibilities to all agencies involved. Illegal deforestation carried out by corrupt members of Thailand's economic and political elite in the mountains around Sukhothai province was partly responsible for the surge, authorities said. Deforestation also contributed to the problems in Phrae and Nan provinces. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said destruction of forests on nearby mountains had contributed to the fatal flooding and mudslides in Wang Chin district. The premier has told the Forestry Department to devise a plan to end illegal tree-felling there. Thaksin said that he might consider the policy of allowing villagers to reside in denuded forest areas. He said that the weather bureau had assured him that although downpours would continue in the northern provinces there would be no repeat of the flash-flooding witnessed in Phrae. Sukhothai governor Amorn-that Niratitsayakul inspected the affected areas and instructed officials to lend urgent support to residents. Locals were caught off guard when their houses were flooded in the middle of the night. Many put temporary em-bankments around their houses. The floods caused heavy traffic congestion in Sukhothai municipality, but roads were still passable. Department of Public Welfare director-general Irawat Chanprasert said the department had a 3 million bath (US$1 = 44 Thai baht)emergency relief fund for each province affected by the disaster. Relatives of the dead in Wang Chin would receive 25,000 bath, out of which they would have to pay 'commissions' to relevant disaster relief officials in order to get the assistance. Others will get 15,000 baht to repair their houses, 3,000 baht to buy cooking utensils and appliances and 10,000 baht to replace work-related equipment. Forest poaching to blame, says man whose wife fell victim - Politicians, leaders had hand in pillage Forest poaching caused the flash flood that hit at least nine villages in Wang Chin, taking at least 18 lives on May 4, said a villager who lost his wife to the currents. Derm Ya-in, 57, a villager of Ban Hong of tambon Saroy, said villagers would have to bear the consequences of their own deeds-heavy poaching of forests in the Wiang Kosai national park for the last 10 years. "The devastation is so obvious. We can't blame anyone but the people of Wang Chin. There were attempts to stop the poaching but to no avail. Villagers saw it as a way of making good income. Politicians at various levels and local authorities, too, had a hand in the destruction. Every evening village roads were full of pick-up trucks owned by the corrupt politicians and other national leaders and government officers taking away illegally-cut wood. "I believe many villagers today feel the same way I do. It's now time for Wang Chin villagers to stop cutting trees. The loss we are suffering is so huge. If we don't stop, what happened today will happen again," Mr Derm said. Pointing to the mountains of Wiang Kosai national park, he said: "The greenery you see is not trees, but stumps with branches. The trunks have been cut," he said. A forestry expert said the stumps would finally die and the area that once had been a rainforest would lose the ability to absorb water thus causing more devastating flooding. "The villagers believe only soldiers would be able to solve the poaching problem, in which politicians and local officials are involved," he said. "But if a soldier respects his own life and the life of his family he is not going to tangle with corrupt politicians and government officers because they behave like gangsters." Interior Minister Purachai Piemsomboon said on his arrival at Wang Chin on the same that the flash flood was obviously caused by forest destruction. Mr Derm recalled the night he lost his wife, Mrs Toon. He said shortly after midnight he noticed water quickly rising. Fighting the strong current, he and Mrs Toon climbed to a nearby house and then to a tree. Ten people were on the tree already. "I tried to take a firm hold of my wife's hand but could not resist currents that kept coming in waves. I finally lost hold of her and she was swept away," he said. Mr Derm said five other people slipped off the tree, one after another. He and other survivors held on until 5am when the water receded. Kaew Tepinta, headman of Ban Hong, said he issued a warning of possible flash flooding through the village's public announcement system. "When I put down the microphone, I was struck by a strong wave," he said, adding many villagers ignored the warning, not believing it would really happen. A caravan of Third Army trucks on May 5 took relief items to flood-hit villagers. Engineering corps personnel were sent to the area to help villagers repair their houses. Indifference of officials adds to woes of villagers as government does nothing to help In classic Thai offical indifference to the plight of Thailand's peasants and ten days after a muddy sea of floodwater swept through 1,650 homes in Wang Chin district, red tape and official indifference had left victims still awaiting promised assistance. Prateung Kianta, of Mae Kanauk village, lost his mother and his house in the flash flood, and the slowness in official assistance has doubled the pain. "Our family has so far received not even a single baht from the authorities. We wouldn't have survived had we not received donations from visitors," said Mr Prateung, whose 84-year-old mother was washed away in the torrential flood. Neighbours found the old lady still alive, caught in a tree, his wife Lon said. "She had a bad wound on her leg and the doctor said her stomach was full of mud, sand and tree roots. She died a couple of days later," Mrs Lon said. Mr Prateung said when he asked about the 12,000 baht welfare compensation which had been promised to relatives of the dead, an official refused to pay him because his mother had not died "in" the flood, but at the hospital even though she was officially listed as having been a victim of the flood. Much of the money was already being diverted by greedy, corrupt officials. Mr Prateung said he had no idea how to start a new life. His rice field was buried under thick mud and his house was swept away by the flood. It had come to rest on a local road, but nothing was left inside. "I only know that I don't want to live here any more. I am too afraid." Not far from Mr Prateung's house is Ban Hong village, where about 80% of the villagers lost their homes. Sixteen of the 33 bodies found after the waters receded were residents of Ban Hong. The village was a sorrowful scene. People sat in their temporary shelters with a bucket in front of them, asking for donations. Hundreds of people visited Ban Hong, which became a barren area. They came from Phrae, Lampang and Sukhothai. Many gave rice, foodstuffs and clothes to the flood-hit villagers. Like the people of Mae Kanauk, Ban Hong villagers now experienced the second chapter of this sad story. "It's true that a lot of senior government officials came here, but they just came to look important on television and then they went, leaving us with empty promises, as always," said Meena Ya-in, a nanny in Lampang's Thoen district. She returned home after the flood and learned her 57-year-old mother was missing. Local authorities would not pay the promised compensation to her family because her mother's body had not been found. "I believe my mother was buried under the mud not far from the village. I don't understand why they stopped searching for her. If I cannot confirm her death, I cannot get the aid money," Mrs Meena said. Thirty-three people reported dead and four missing, while 193 families lost their homes and 1,458 other houses were damaged. Storm leaves Phrae under water again - Kaeng Sue Ten dam gains local favour Flash floods raged through Wang Chin district again on May 15-the second time this month-forcing the evacuation of people in flood-threatened villages. Heavy rain in the morning caused flooding in several villages in the tambons of Saroy, Pasak and Mae Phung. The flood torrent damaged a bridge in Mae Kratom village, isolating villages on the other side of the waterway. Work crews later repaired the damage and the bridge reopened about noon. Emergency services remained on 24-hour standby to assist villages in affected areas. Besides physical damage, the floods have caused an outbreak of leptospirosis, or rat urine disease. Sorawit Mufun, 20, of Mae Kratom village, caught the disease and was in a critical condition in hospital. The widespread flood damage has prompted many Phrae residents to call for the construction of the proposed Kaeng Sue Ten dam in Song district. Locals said the controversial dam would prevent floods on the scale that had devastated the area. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, while on a visit to meet Wang Chin's flood victims, said the dam was not on the government's agenda. Mas Kudkeaw, Phrae provincial councillor and a member of a lobby group backing the dam, said: "I believe Mr Thaksin does not oppose the dam, he just has more important things that he has to do first." The corrupt governor and many of his business cronies stood to make much money from the project through money that would be siphoned from the project design and construction budget. Asked about the effects of the dam, such as a 65 km2 reservoir, which would inundate teak forests in Mae Yom national park, Mr Mas said pristine forests had already fallen victim to log poachers. Amnuay Tacharoen, a vegetable vendor in Phrae municipal market, said the dam would also help prevent flooding in Sukhothai, Phichit, Nakhon Sawan and Phitsanulok. "The dam would cause some problems, but I still believe that it would be worth the investment." Vitaya Srireungmetta, a restaurant owner, said: "People from tambon Sa-iab who oppose the project should be more considerate. "They might lose some land, but they should be happy if people do not have to suffer flooding any more," he said. But they would be poorly compensated and their daughter forced into prostitution by local authorities who would have them kidnapped when they saw the desperation of poverty. This is a common occurrence in Thailand in such situations.