Opposition Condemns 48-Hour Aid Delay in Bangkok Floods
Opposition leaders visited flood-stricken Khlong Chan flats in Bangkok and found residents had received no government aid despite waters rising for over 48 hours, with thousands trapped inside buildings and hundreds of vehicles submerged.
Opposition deputy leaders Korn Chatikvanit and Dr Kardi Liao Pairojmvong highlighted the dire humanitarian situation after visiting the Khlong Chan flat complex in Bang Kapi district alongside Democrat Party chief Abhisit Vejjajiva to deliver supplies. A work team brought dry food, rice, relief packages, and drinking water by boat to distribute across the affected flats near Seri Thai Road near the National Institute of Development Administration, but discovered a troubling reality: residents across nearly every building reported that no government agency had offered assistance before their arrival, despite the flooding lasting more than 48 hours.
Korn revealed that the scale of the disaster was far greater than initially apparent, with hundreds of submerged vehicles rather than just three or four, and thousands of residents trapped inside the buildings. He expressed alarm that while private citizens and volunteer groups from across the country had mobilized to help, no government presence was visible and even district officials had not appeared. He called on the state to urgently mobilize resources, noting that most residents cannot leave their flats to collect aid and must use makeshift rafts to navigate the floodwaters.
Dr Kardi added that their survey covered less than half the affected area due to roads blocked by abandoned cars, with critical shortages of drinking water, medicine, and food persisting. He emphasized the vulnerability of large numbers of elderly people and children among the flood victims and appealed to both local and central government authorities to wake up to the crisis, questioning how a major Bangkok district could be left in such distress for more than 48 hours.
