The breezy touch of the wind on my face put that refreshing and almost catatonic feeling of existence. It was pure total abandon without care in the world. Once in a while, it's good to be just in a simple existence with no worries of anything ... like a child. You sleep and eat and have no business to worry about or where to get the next meal or what to eat during the day. Just simple and totally relaxed living!
That feeling was short-lived. In my reverie, my maid handed me a water bill of 12,000 baht for the period from October till end of December and an electric bill for 6,000 baht when during that time, Muang Ake was underwater and the government had ordered its evacuation. Normally, the monthly water bill was about 600 baht and the monthly electricity bill was about XX thousand baht. Should I be thankful that my electric bill went down dramatically as I didn't use air-conditioning while my house was under 2.5 metres high water? I guess mermaids were living in my house and they needed the electricity and more water than what the flood had already provided? I'm being sarcastic.
It was not the fault of the utilities collector but he gets the wrath anyway as the messenger of bad news. It seems that utility companies had been sleeping during the whole mega flooding that they are collecting a padded amount from end users. It wasn't deliberate padding; the meter did show the number and they computed its base on that number. During the flood, the water meter was apparently running and also the electricity. But the electric company was the first to cut the service but was also the first to charge that padded bill. As for the water, why didn't they cut the flow of water in Muang Ake when there was high risk of contamination and the fact that the government had ordered its abandonment? Oh, and they even want proof! Prove it, really? What more proof than the daily reports from the government and media in living colour on television, on You Tube, in newspapers, radio, and the loud screams of the Thai people? Had I known that the water would be this high, I would have done more. But who had ever expected that level of catastrophe? Even the government said one metre at the most, but three metres of water showed up. During these types of emergencies you think of the most important and that is your life. I was told that if I had a problem with the bill, then I should file a complaint to the main office by waiting in the long lines in order to submit a form all written in Thai and make sure I attach proof that flood water entered my property, and even then there's no guarantee the bill would be wavered. I wanted to use with but had to control my anger and maintain an image of calmness. I am normally very polite to people but with this insensitive actions from utility companies, I asked them where were they during the inundation? The collector seeing where I was coming from sympathised but at the same time argued that we should have turned off the water meter. Quite ironic that the water company is saying this when they should be asking the same question of themselves.
The whole of Thailand and the world knew what happened during the flooding, the extent and level of inundation, the suffering of the people, loss of properties and lives and the only thing we would ask these utility companies is to be sensitive enough to the feelings of the people. It seems that these utility companies' right hand had no clue what their left hand was doing. Going to these utility companies will be another story. None of them speak English and I don't speak Thai. That's just totally wonderful!
They say that opportunity knocks only once and so we must grab it. I guess it's an opportune time for business people to prey on the miseries of others to make money or get back what they've lost during the mega flooding. I am not generalising because there are big companies who are genuinely doing acts of charity and kindness.
Oh well, the breeze has turned into hot flashes and the feeling of relaxation turned into anxiety. I could just forget about my home in the city and turn to up country living cooking with charcoal, pulling water from deep well and using gas lamp for light.
M Arlene Rafiq is a long time resident and runs a business in Thailand.