Not a Flood! Parliament Speaker Sopon Leads Inspection, Clarifies Standing Water and Floating Debris as Routine Cleaning Following Heavy Rainfall
Parliament Speaker Sopon clarified that standing water and floating debris photographed in the Parliament building's basement was routine cleaning after heavy rainfall, not flooding damage.
On May 21, 2569, Sopon Sarirum, Speaker of Parliament and President of the House of Representatives, along with senior management from the Office of the House of Representatives, inspected the garbage storage room on B1 of the Parliament building. The inspection followed heavy rainfall the previous night that caused standing water and floating debris, which circulated on social media. Upon questioning the buildings and facilities chief, Sopon learned that the water visible in images did not result from internal building flooding, but rather from staff conducting routine cleaning operations to collect water and remove debris—exactly what media happened to capture, leading to misunderstanding. By morning, additional cleaning was completed and the area returned to normal use. "I conducted this inspection to verify the facts myself and understand what caused the situation and why those images circulated," Sopon explained. "The problem stemmed from heavy rainfall last night causing rainwater to flow into flat areas faster than our drainage system could handle. I have ordered staff to clear clogged debris and inspect the drainage pipes to ensure they can properly accommodate future rainfall."
