This week's cabinet meeting was hotly anticipated by the public and media, who were eager to know who was responsible for the flood of invasive blackchin tilapia recently found in 17 provinces and coastal waters.
On Monday, Capt Thamanat Prompow boldly announced that he knew" the identity of the culprits and would reveal the information in this week's meeting. He also vowed that he would see to it that the problem "ends in one month".
His words were nothing but hot air. Yesterday, he told Department of Fisheries officials not to release any details while they were being reviewed in court. The ministry has now decided not to give the public any information until the legal process is complete.
Such unsteadiness and lack of transparency only underline how the Srettha government, particularly the agriculture ministry, have handled a massive alien species invasion that has greatly affected ecology and fish farmers.
Despite having been a problem for years, the agricultural ministry waited until this month to announce their plan to take aim at the blackchin tilapia by listing the need to reduce their number on the so-called "national agenda".
While the seven measures are written to sound like grandiose undertakings, the hyperbole boils down to implementing seven standard measures to catch, eat, set predator fish upon or genetically modify the blackchin tilapia. Other measures include public education, preventing the invasion from spreading and restoring ecology damaged by a resilient new predator that has already taken a bite out of the populations of other juvenile fish and plankton as it rapidly replaces native species.
Yet, there is little hope that the government can contain the problem and the attitudes of the officials concerned, from Agriculture Minister Thamanat down to those on the ground, have only complicated the fight to neutralise the infestation.
State agencies lack synergies as the severity of the damage to Thailand's ecosystems continues to worsen. Last week, there were reports that the irrigation office in Chachoengsao opened the water gates, releasing water infested with the alien fish into the sea. This caused public concerns about an intensified infestation since the fish is highly adaptive. When questioned by the media, the minister was evasive.
Instead, he tried to debunk findings by a TPBS team, claiming they had only visited already abandoned farms. Yet less than 24 hours after the minister spoke, another TV media team yesterday reported the infestation in tambon Yisarn of Samut Songkhram, the birth of a tilapia nightmare, and also in Chachoengsao.
A project by the government and CPF, the agro giant, to purchase blackchin tilapia and incentivise locals to catch these predatory creatures and clear them from natural waterways seems implausible.
There has also been no word on compensation, with one aquatic farmer in Samut Songkhram telling Daily News reporters he had no faith in the government's measures.
Currently, few people appear to have any confidence in the government's ability to solve the crisis.
Nevertheless, although solutions to the crisis remain to be found, those in charge must at least appear confident and competent. Otherwise, a crisis that began with fish may end with the government, and Capt Thamanat in particular, finding themselves in hot water of their own.
