Don Muang bags protest grows

Locals tackle flood wall; PM insists it will stay

Don Muang residents removed more of the "big bags" forming a floodwall on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road despite the prime minister's insistence that the barrier must stand.

Don Muang residents tear apart and remove big sand bags forming a barrier across Vibhavadi Rangsit Road near Don Mueang airport yesterday. The residents said making a gap in the sandbag wall will help drain away floodwater which is above 1 meter in some areas inside the barrier.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday the Flood Relief Operations Command (Froc) did not order the removal of the bags, weighing up to 2.5 tonnes each.

However, she said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will expedite in the next few days the pumping of water retained in the barrier, which is helping to protect the downtown area but at the cost of prolonging the disaster in certain parts of the city's northern and inner-north suburbs.

Ms Yingluck said residents in these areas will find the situation more tolerable once the pumping begins.

About 200 residents met on the crest of the barrier near Don Mueang airport and moved a number of the submerged big bags.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra meets a crowd of people during a tour of flood-ravaged areas around Phetkasem yesterday.

Protest leader Thinnakorn Janya said residents had removed smaller sandbags piled at the top and opened a 6-metre gap in the barrier on Saturday. 

Yesterday, they moved the big bags underneath. The gap remained at 6 meters wide.

Mr Thinnakorn insisted pulling the big bags away was to release some of the floodwater that has been trapped in more than 20 housing estates and to allow boats used by residents to get through.

As was the case on Saturday, the removal of the bags yesterday was carried out in the presence of senior police from Don Muang police station.

About 40 residents helped to manually move the 2.5-tonne bags.

"It was an adrenalin rush," said Mr Thinnakorn.

He said the police were called to witness the scene and acknowledge the bags' removal. "We don't want to be seen as black sheep or troublemakers," he said.

He conceded the residents were wary that media reports might portray them as villains.

Mr Thinnakorn said the residents inside the barrier deserved understanding because they have lived with the floodwater, which in some areas has surged to more than a meter deep, for three weeks already.

Pheu Thai Party MP for Don Muang Karun Hosakul talked to the residents yesterday and promised he would convince the Froc to dismantle the entire length of the barrier across the out-bound Vibhavadi Rangsit Road.

Mr Thinnakorn said Mr Karun, who acted as a contact for the Froc, told the residents that by 6pm today the command would come in with heavy machinery to dismantle a section of the barrier spanning about 30 meters.

These Buddha statues have been left in floodwater for several weeks at Wat Chan in Bang Kruai district of Nonthaburi.

If not, Mr Karun said he would lead residents in their efforts to take down the barrier themselves, Mr Thinnakorn said.

Mr Thinnakorn said about 80,000 people in affected neighborhoods had been left in the dark because the authorities failed to flesh out details on how and when to salvage communities and ease the floods outside the barrier.

"That's why we suggested they start by opening a gap in the barrier," he said.

The residents gathered on the barrier crest yesterday after it was speculated they might resort to a more drastic measure such as blockading the tollway above Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, which is now the only main route out of Bangkok to the North and Northeast. Another protest option they considered was protesting outside parliament.

Mr Thinnakorn, however, declined to say what the residents planned to do if the government decides to seal the gap.

Froc director Pracha Promnok said public hardship caused by the flood is assessed on a day-to-day basis.

He said people should listen to reason and share the burden of the floods.

The barrier is helpful as it slows water flowing into Bangkok through upper districts, he said.

At the same time, water pumps are deployed to drain away the water.

Many more pumps were put into operation to hasten drainage.

The big bag barrier retains water and, in effect, keeps water at Khlong Bang Sue one of the last lines of defense protecting the inner city at a manageable level, Pol Gen Pracha said.

Deputy Bangkok Governor Thirachon Manomaipibul has voiced his disagreement with opening a gap in the big bag barrier. In a letter to Ms Yingluck, he said he has advised the premier against tampering with the barrier to spare the inner city.

If the barrier is ruptured, it could have far-reaching ramifications on the economy, education and society, he said.

Mr Thirachon said residents affected by the barrier must be given special care.

The government must give them sufficient food and water on a daily basis.

Democrat Party MP Sakolthee Phatthiyakul said the government should increase compensation amounts for residents living in the area affected by the big bag barrier.