The government policy to provide compensation for property damaged in the March 28 earthquake was initially welcomed as a positive step to help the underprivileged get back on their feet.
However, where there was applause, there is now silence and cynicism after an initial round of inspections led to complaints of unrealistic appraisals and low-ball estimates.
Despite the government setting decent compensation of up to 49,500 baht per dwelling, officials from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) offered many victims just several hundred baht per case to fix cracked walls or damaged floors that, in reality, will cost thousands to repair.
In one extreme case, a BMA official estimated the cost of repairing a crack on a wall at 41 baht and 90 satang.
The issue came to light after Suphanat Minchaiynunt, an MP from the People's Party, took to Facebook to criticise the government and City Hall.
"How touchingly generous of the government and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. The 41 baht and 90 satang are not even enough for the owner to photocopy the documents required to file for compensation," he wrote on his Facebook page. "When officials ask for MPs to approve a budget for office maintenance, they ask for expensive items such as floor tiles that cost 8,000 baht a square metre. But they become frugal when giving compensation to the public. Is this how the government cares for its people? The compensation [being offered] for home repairs is plainly deplorable."
Make no mistake, the government cannot and should not carelessly splurge taxpayers' money on compensation. However, the guidelines and amounts provided must be justified and rational. The 41 baht 90 satang compensation money was not sensible and was as disrespectful as it was deplorable. It was a waste of an official's and the claimant's time and effort. There have also been complaints about bureaucratic hurdles faced just to apply for reimbursement. Claimants had to file a report with police, with the BMA also requiring colour copies of pictures to illustrate the damage.
Such disarray is not new for Thailand. After every natural or man-made disaster, victims often complain that government compensation is too little, too late. During the epic floods in 2011, many flood victims in Ayutthaya reportedly lodged complaints that officials gave rock-bottom repair quotes following their appraisal. One villager claimed he was offered 200 baht to repair damage that affected his entire house.
In many other cases, compensation has been slow to materialise. For example, victims of the fireworks explosion in Narathiwat in 2023 had to wait for two months for their payments. In this tragedy, the owners of 200 houses that had been totally flattened by fireworks received only 230,000 baht if they could prove damage to 75% of the value of the building. Lesser claims carried a 15,000 baht payment ceiling.
It is good news that lawmakers are pressing to revise the compensation policy. Yet, the process should not be limited to payments. The government must create a better system for providing emergency relief and compensation. For instance, the Thai government should follow the Japanese government, which invests money in reinsurance to solicit money to cope with damage caused by natural disasters.
Above all, the government must create a convenient and fast process to provide assistance and relief. Victims of disasters should not have their experience made even more painful by government inefficiency.