The King meets the cabinet
While most Thais have accepted that the September 19 coup d'etat was a necessary evil, the international community generally has not. That was clearly on His Majesty the King's mind as he met with the newly-formed interim cabinet. It was up to them, he said, to work hard to change Thailand's battered image among foreigners. Read to see how he suggested they do this and how they should carry out their jobs in general.
As one of the world's foremost experts on water management, it was not surprising that the King also talked about the current floods that have been ravaging much of the country. Read to find out what he says is the source of the problem.If you are a Thai living here in Thailand, you have probably already heard the King speak on television. That will make the story very easy to read. The King always speaks in simple terms, however, so even if you haven't been able to hear his session with the new ministers, you can still get started with the story right away. (If you want to see how our Thai-language sister newspaper, Post Today, covered the story, click here.)
coup d’etat – the forcible seizure of power in a country by a group of people, usually from the military
interim – in use for a short period of time until something permanent is ready to replace it
cabinet – the group of ministers in the government that form government policy and see that it is carried out
battered – badly damaged
foremost – the most important or best
ravaging – causing very bad damage
source - cause
KING:
TAKE COURAGE
New
cabinet told to restore Thailand's battered imagePOST REPORTERS
His Majesty the King yesterday called on the interim cabinet to give priority to correcting the international community's perception of Thailand following the Sept 19 coup d'etat. The King made the call while addressing the 26 new ministers, led by Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, who were sworn in at the Chitrlada Palace yesterday afternoon.
''A lot of people who are not Thai, who are foreigners, are saying that Thailand is not good. We have to try to change that,'' the King said, without directly mentioning the events of Sept 19.
''If we don't, our country will lose its good name and it will be difficult for our people to live happily. If they say Thai people are not good, it is not only the government but all Thais who will be considered 'not good'.
''Therefore, we have to try and change what is not good, to improve matters. And that is difficult,'' the King said.
''I wish you courage in your work so that you can overcome obstacles,'' he added.
The King thanked the new ministers for agreeing to take up their duties at this critical juncture.
''I believe you can carry out your duties even though you have only a short time [to do them]. This is because you are knowledgeable, capable people with experience,'' he said.
''I thank you for accepting this heavy duty and hope you will carry it out with fortitude so that the country will survive the crisis and prosper.
''May you succeed in the performance of your duties, and enjoy good health,'' he concluded.
The King began his speech by emphasising the importance of the ministers performing their duties with honesty and dedication.
''Ministers have a duty to perform their duties with honesty as you have sworn to do,'' he said.
''This is because the country will not fare very well if the elders do not perform their duties with dedication. But you have vowed to do this, and since you have done so, may you keep your word by performing your duties honestly and single-mindedly.''
The monarch at the same time emphasised the need for the ministers to do their best for the country.
''Because the country has come to a critical juncture, not only must you perform your duties honestly but also to the best of your abilities,'' he said.
''The situation requires you to apply your abilities so that the country will prosper. Even nature holds its dangers,'' the King said before dwelling at length on the problem of floods.
give priority to – to treat as being the most important
perception – the way you think about something
swear in – to officially accept someone into a position by having them promise to carry out their duties honestly and well
courage – bravery; the quality of carrying out a job that may be difficult and dangerous, even though you may be afraid
obstacles – difficulties; things that make something difficult to do
critical juncture – an especially important point in time
fortitude – the quality of being brave, calm and uncomplaining when experiencing something unpleasant or painful
survive – to manage to continue to live in spite of a difficult situation
crisis – a situation in which there are one or more very serious problems
prosper – to be successful and to do well
emphasising – stressing
dedication – giving a lot of time and effort in doing something
elders – respected older people
the monarch - the King
dwelling – focusing on, especially something unpleasant
Floods
stemmed from
improper management of rainfall, he said.''Normally, when the rain comes, it is a good thing. But this time, it has caused floods. When insufficient attention has been paid to the problem, floods wash over houses, and the people suffer,'' the King said. ''If you consider the volume of water that has fallen from the sky, it is no more than usual. But why is it causing damage? It is because there has been insufficient restraining of the flow, and failure to prevent the water from damaging the country.
''You have to see the volume of rainfall and compare it with [those of] previous years. It is not a lot. But there has been no harnessing of it,'' the King said.
Recent attempts to restrain floodwaters by erecting dykes had been unsuccessful because the water had pushed up from underneath.
From his recent inspection, the prime minister probably understood why there had been overspills, said the King, referring to Gen Surayud's tour of outlying areas of Bangkok.
The weight of water trapped under dykes had caused overflows into people's homes, thus making it difficult to solve the flood problem, the King said.
''But because the situation has come to pass, people in the know must find ways to prevent a repeat of this damage. There must be several ways out,'' he added.
The King called on the prime minister and his deputies to do their best to alleviate the problems facing the people.
''I ask you to help the people so that they will suffer as little as possible,'' His Majesty said.
stemmed from – came from; were caused by
insufficient – not enough of something
volume - amount
restraining – holding back; preventing from getting to large or serious
harnessing - controlling
erecting – building
dykes – walls built to stop water flooding onto low-lying land
overspill (of a liquid) flowing over the top of something
people in the know – people who have the knowledge to do something
deputies – assistants, in this case, ministers
alleviate – to make less strong or severe