Nonthaburi on the rise

Wat Boat Stadium this week

Outsiders could be forgiven  for thinking the great Thai flood was over. Politicians are smiling again, the photos of people walking through water are now on page two instead of the front and MTU managed to stage a game against Army United this week, though perhaps they regret that now. Reality is different. The heart of Nonthaburi - including Wat Boat and my own village -  remain under a heavy blanket of brown, stagnant,  repugnant water and the smug smiles of politicos are purely because inner Bangkok has stayed dry.

It's as though time has stood still for the province (as well as neighbouring Pathum Thani) and though - as one Thai columnist noted recently - Thais are not great planners but excellent at coping, the clear jubilation of the government at Bangkok's rescue has been perceived as disregard for the many, many folk who are still face health hazards, financial ruin and homlessness.

Tempers have finally boiled over in Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani  and a number of protests and demands have been made. It's started a domino effect with other areas staging similar protests such as blocking roads, forcibly opening flood barriers and setting deadlines.

Although I find it hard to stomach groups of people essentially saying: "Do what we want or we'll do something violent", I also find it hard not to sympathise with the indignation of the Nonthaburi people, especially since I - like so many Eka fans - have been hit hard by this disaster. Unlike most others though, I'm fortunate enough to be comfortable and I'm not being ignored by my own government when I need help the most.