Suphanat urges Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to revise the material cost assessment table for flood-damaged home repairs, criticizing that government buildings claim tens of thousands of baht while suppressing repair costs for citizens to mere hundreds.
On 2 November 2026, Mr. Suphanat Meenachainan, Member of Parliament for Bangkok's 9th district representing the People's Party, addressed the issue of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration releasing a list of estimated costs for damaged materials to aid home repairs for citizens affected by flooding in Bangkok. He questioned the rationale behind the compensation rates, highlighting the disparity and inconsistency with actual market prices.
Suphanat stated that from his experience working on the subcommittee studying construction and renovation budgets for government buildings in the House of Representatives, government offices and meeting rooms often have construction and repair rates set much higher than those paid to citizens. For example, doors and windows are reimbursed at tens of thousands of baht each; floor tiles cost 600-800 baht per square meter; wooden floors run into several thousand baht per square meter; lightweight walls cost nearly 1,000 baht per square meter; and ceilings—whether smooth, recessed, or composite—range from hundreds to thousands of baht. Yet, when it comes to citizens’ homes, which taxpayers own, the government sets unrealistically low material prices that prevent hiring contractors to do actual repairs.
He added that beyond suppressed material costs, the government's assessment table omits and refuses to cover many necessary damage items. These same items are fully accounted for when government agencies apply for budget funding from the parliament. Such items include built-in decoration costs, electrical systems, painting work, waterproofing systems, molding costs, curtains, furniture and electrical appliances, as well as demolition, protective measures, and construction contingency allowances of up to 30%.
Suphanat pointed out that since the 2025 earthquake, he and his team successfully pushed for amendments to the Ministry of Finance regulations, changing compensation criteria from paying only for materials up to 49,500 baht to paying “according to actual damage” up to a maximum of 88,600 baht. This aimed to enable the government to fully compensate citizens, based on the real cost if they hired contractors themselves. However, the government and BMA reverted to using the baseline material prices from the Comptroller General’s Department and Ministry of Commerce, thereby suppressing the median repair costs for citizens’ homes. Meanwhile, government buildings find ways to circumvent and claim higher budget rates.
Suphanat concluded by calling on the government and BMA to reconsider and amend the damage assessment tables, increasing compensation rates and expanding damage item lists to reflect reality. If lacking expertise, they should study private insurance companies’ assessment and compensation systems to learn how disaster-affected homes are cared for and compensated. This would ensure taxpayers’ money is fairly and comprehensively used to support disaster-affected citizens.
