Thailand may be keeping bird flu secrets

Bird flu has returned, suspects senator

By Phoojadkarn Daily

17 July 2006 02:11

Outgoing Ubon Ratchathani senator Nirand Pitakwatchara said at the weekend that he believes bird flu has resurfaced in Thailand, but that state authorities have concealed the matter for political reasons. Nirand, a former chairman of the senate committee on social development and human security, said it was most likely that the Agriculture Ministry, under Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, who was responsible for dealing with avian flu when she was Public Health Minister, has teamed up with the Public Health Ministry to cover up the reappearance of the disease to protect the Thai Rak Thai government. “If bird flu has really come back, it means that all the government’s measures to prevent the disease have failed miserably,” said Nirand. “It seems to me that the government’s previous actions were only meant to build up its image and gain political popularity,” he added. The senator’s comments coincided with the disclosure by a livestock official who told a Phoojadkarn Daily reporter that bird flu has returned in Phichit and Phitsanulok provinces, killing poultry there in recent months. Livestock officials have been told to keep their mouths shut as the news may affect the government’s stability and lead to a worsening of political and economic conditions, said the source, who asked not to be named.