In a post on his Facebook page, the president of the Foundation Campaigning to Reclaim Social Justice, and well-known media presence, said the public has the right to sue the state for compensation if they can prove negligence and/or wrongful action by local government officials, reports the Bangkok Post.
Noting delays in issuing flood alerts for affected areas, Mr Ronnarong said the failure of state agencies to issue timely alerts due to their misjudgement of the severity of the disaster left residents unprepared and/or or unable to evacuate the affected area.
This may constitute negligence, he said, before adding that if the alerts are proven to be delayed or inadequate, the state could be held liable.
Hat Yai Municipality, which was trusted by locals as a source of information during the floods, should also be scrutinised as it initially assured residents that the situation was safe, Mr Ronnarong added.
This caused many residents to become complacent to evacuate, with many choosing to remain in their residences and/or move belongings to higher grounds, he said.
Mr Ronnarong added the state could also be sued if evidence shows that its mismanagement of water systems, such as improper operation of floodgates, failure to maintain drainage infrastructure, clogged canals, or malfunctioning water pumps, worsened the floods in the region.
Meanwhile, Assoc Prof Olarn Thinbangtieo, a political science and law lecturer at Burapha University, said the flood crisis in Hat Yai reflected a deep-rooted structural problem with the administration, not the actions of any single local official.
He said decades of centralised bureaucracy resulted in slow decision-making, ineffective local agencies, and inconsistent inter-agency coordination, which kept Hat Yai vulnerable despite its rapid growth over the years into a major economic hub for the southern region.
“Short-term support is necessary but not enough.
“If no structural reforms, including decentralisation and improvements to local administrative organisations, are made, large cities like Hat Yai will face similar disasters again in the future regardless of who the prime minister is,” said Assoc Prof Olarn.