Turdiform terrorism

SURAT THANI: Monday mornings are usually tough enough to face, but imagine turning up for work and finding your desk covered in stinking excrement and swarming with flies. It was precisely that scenario that confronted workers at the Surat Thani Educational Service Area 2 on the morning of November 6. At the scene at about 11 am the same morning, a Thai Rath reporter found few office workers willing to discuss the unsavory scene that confronted them earlier that morning in the office, and which was still being cleaned when the fed-up journalist arrived and began asking questions. With a residual odor still in the air, Surat Thani Educational Service Area 2 Director Wittaya Sada explained that the desk of one Kanchana Chariprat, acting Deputy Director of the Human Resources Department, appeared to have been the target of the underhanded attack, which took place over the weekend when the office was unmanned and unguarded. K. Kanchana’s workstation was covered with excrement, swarming with flies and smelled so foul that some office workers immediately began to wretch upon scent of it, he said. Another staff member who has probably seen better Monday mornings was the cleaner, who was ordered to clean up the mess immediately after its discovery, and who was still working at the task two hours later. Director Wittaya said he suspected the reeking stools had been placed on K. Kanchana’s desk by a disgruntled employee, possibly one who had been transferred against his or her will, or failed to receive benefits he or she thought were due – or simply didn’t appreciate the way the department was run. Depositing stools on K. Kanchana’s desk might have been the co-workers way of embarrassing K. Kanchana and making her lose face, he added. In the world of bureaucracy, crisis is normally dealt with by forming a committee. In this case, however, Director Wittaya said such an action should not be necessary. “I don’t think this incident justifies setting up a special investigation panel,” he said. “I think we need to call both sides together to discuss the problem and and reach a mutual understanding. I don’t think this is such a severe matter. Whoever committed this wrongful deed should simply apologize to the offended party and try to reach an understanding with her,” he added. While the event didn’t warrant forming a committee, it did justify a big meeting. “I will call a meeting of the entire Human Resources Department and we will discuss what has occurred here. The entire administration will attend; we need to clear the air of this and all other problems. This will allow us to work better together as a group,” he said. It was not reported whether the offending turds were human or animal in origin.