BANGKOK -Lawyer Mr Ronnarong Kaewpetch, president of the Foundation Campaigning to Reclaim Social Justice, is urging flood victims to file a class action lawsuit against the state over late warnings, poor management, and failed infrastructure, arguing that the government should take responsibility for the floods that hit the Hat Yai district in Songkhla and other provinces in the South.
On his Facebook page, the president of the Foundation Campaigning to Reclaim Social Justice, who is also a familiar face in the media, said people have the right to sue the state for compensation if they can prove negligence or wrongful conduct by local authorities.
He pointed to delays in issuing flood alerts in the affected areas. According to Mr Ronnarong, state agencies failed to send out timely warnings because they misjudged how severe the flooding would be, leaving many residents unprepared or unable to leave in time.
He said this behaviour could amount to negligence. If it can be shown that alerts were late or not clear enough, the state may be held accountable, he added.
Mr Ronnarong also called for an investigation into Hat Yai Municipality, which many locals relied on for information during the crisis. He said the municipality initially told residents that the situation was still safe.
That message, he argued, led some people to drop their guard and stay behind instead of evacuating. Many remained in their homes or only moved belongings to higher floors instead of seeking safer locations.
The activist lawyer added that the state could also face legal action if proof emerges that mismanagement of water systems worsened the flooding. This could include poor operation of floodgates, lack of maintenance of drainage networks, blocked canals, or faulty water pumps.
Assoc Prof Olarn Thinbangtieo, a political science and law lecturer at Burapha University, said the Hat Yai flood disaster reflects a long-standing structural problem in public administration rather than the mistakes of a single local official.
He said decades of centralised bureaucracy have led to slow decisions, weak local bodies, and poor coordination between agencies. As a result, Hat Yai has remained exposed to serious flooding even as it has grown into a key economic centre in the South.
Short-term relief is necessary, he said, but it does not fix the real issue.
If there are no deeper reforms, including decentralisation and stronger local administrative organisations, large cities like Hat Yai will face the same kind of disaster again in the future, no matter who is the prime minister, Assoc Prof Olarn warned.
Prime Minister apologises over Hat Yai flood failures
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has apologised for the state’s failure to protect communities hit by the floods and promised improvements as he prepared to return to Hat Yai district in Songkhla on Sunday for urgent on-site assessments.
Mr Anutin, who also serves as interior minister, is set to travel with several senior officials, including Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Treasury Department director-general Akkarut Sonthayanon, Office of Insurance Commission secretary-general Chuchatr Pramoolpol, and Thai Bankers’ Association president Payong Srivanich.
He said the team will survey the damage in person so they can prepare a full support package that includes soft loans and financial relief for affected residents. Direct visits are important, he said, to understand the scale of the losses and speed up the government’s response.
He also convened a meeting at Government House with Mr Ekniti, Prime Minister’s Office Minister Paradorn Prissanananthakul, and Commerce Permanent Secretary Vuttikrai Leewiraphan to finalise urgent aid measures.
The prime minister has instructed the Interior Ministry to speed up the process of compiling lists of eligible recipients for the approved 9,000-baht payment per household. The money is expected to reach affected families next week.
Responding to reports that support might reach 30,000 baht per household, Mr Anutin explained that help comes from several channels. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation will provide 9,000 baht per household right away, while extra funds may be granted to cover home repairs of up to 45,000 baht, depending on the actual damage.
He also announced interest-free recovery loans of up to 100,000 baht per person for six months, and another loan of up to 100,000 baht per household for property repairs, with a term of one year.
Mr Anutin said that during his recent visit to the flood-hit areas, he apologised personally to every resident he met for the government’s failure to shield them from the disaster.
When asked about the underlying causes of Hat Yai’s severe flooding, he pointed to the basin-like geography of Songkhla, especially the Hat Yai district, which he said calls for changes to road designs to support better drainage. He also stressed the need for stricter and clearer evacuation alerts in the future.
