Parliament’s ground floor ‘flooded by rain blown in, not leak’

It said the ground floor, where an exhibition marking the 90th year of Thai parliaments is being held, had been flooded because gusty winds brought by the Chaba tropical storm had swept rainwater inside. It also pointed out that the ground floor can be easily flooded because it is open on all sides.

As for the damage to booths, it said they had been knocked over by strong winds and that the wood used for the structures and the floor was water-resistant.

The statement added that cleaning staff have been instructed to dry up the area and fix the booth. It also claimed that the images shown to the public had been taken in March when a water pipe burst inside the Senate secretariat’s building.

The Friday flooding was brought to public notice by former Democrat MP Watchara Petthong, who said this was the third such incident in Thailand’s new 12.2-billion-baht Parliament complex. He put the leaks down to construction defects caused by insufficient quality control by subcontractors, substandard materials and poor specifications.