Phuket: Local administrative bodies across the province are up in arms against Interior permanent secretary Suthipong Juljarern's suggestion that the province drop its planned bid to host the Specialised Expo 2028.
Mr Suthipong made the suggestion recently, saying the province should consider not seeking to host the global event if it cannot deal with its waste problem.
His remark prompted all 19 tambon administrative organisations (TAOs) and the Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) in Phuket to submit an urgent letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Wednesday to reiterate the province's readiness to host the Specialised Expo 2028.
On hand to receive the letter from TAO executives led by Rewat Areerob, president of the Phuket PAO, were the Phuket deputy governors, Amnuay Pinsuwan and Rodkwan Yodrabam.
The letter says the expo would sharpen the country's competitiveness in medical tourism and reinforce its position as a medical hub and a world-class provider of medical tourism services.
Thailand made a name for itself after hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) 2022 summit in November last year, which shows the country can be a venue for other world events, they said.
This could boost Phuket's chances of winning the right to organise the 2028 expo, which carries the theme "Future of Life: Living in Harmony, Sharing Prosperity," according to the letter.
Mr Amnuay said he would pass the letter on to the Interior Ministry. The local bodies had shown they are willing to play host of the expo, he said. The province has also shown resilience in pulling through critical problems such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent floods, the deputy governor added.
Meanwhile, Mr Suthipong admitted he made the suggestion during a meeting with senior officials of the Interior Ministry via a video conference on Dec 27. The meeting was to follow up on key policies, including waste management.
He was also depicted in a video clip telling the meeting to find measures to take care of the garbage, particularly in Phuket where he was told by the Department of Local Administration of the need to ramp up local participation in managing wet waste produced by households.
The department said that only 1.28% of households in Phuket took part in the management of wet waste. He instructed the provincial office to campaign for effective garbage handling and disposal.
He said his remark about dropping the bid to host the expo was meant to motivate the province to work harder to take better care of the environment. He had no intention of undermining the province. Mr Suthipong earlier drew flak for berating a subordinate during a video conference meeting.