Governor to drain the swamp with Bangkok’s criminal fraternity

Chadchart Sittipunt made over 200 pledges prior to his landslide election victory last Sunday with the economy, environment, and health, high on his list of priorities. And when the Bangkok governor-elect vowed to clean up the metropolis, he wasn’t kidding.

The 56 year old’s four-year term as governor began in earnest this week and, his agreement to use criminals to clean the city’s sewers, reveals he’s not afraid to make controversial decisions.

Chadchart shows he clearly has an eye for the economy, environment, and what is good for the public sector, when he expressed “convicts have done a better job at cleaning the sewers than the many private companies tasked with the job.”

“It’s constructive for agencies to be joining hands. This creates opportunities for convicts so they can save some money for when they are released.”

The Bangkok-born politician thanked Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin for seeking to work with the Bangkok Metropolitan Region and says he plans to visit the justice minister after he formally takes office next month.

Somsak instructed the Corrections Department to seek Chadchart’s permission to use the city’s criminals to help minimise flooding in the capital.

Bangkok’s criminal fraternity were contracted to clean the sewers prior to the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. But previous governor, Aswin Kwanmuang, declined to grant them permission to undertake the work, fearing the convicts couldn’t finish the job due to restrictions placed on their movements during the height of the pandemic.

Bangkok’s network of sewer and drainage systems spans more than 6,000 kilometres, and cleaning them requires a lot of manpower and budget.