BANGKOK, 18 May 2012 – Following a nation-wide crash of the Thai census database system that paralyzed district offices’ administrative services yesterday, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra called on relevant agencies to clarify the cause of the malfunction.
Ms Yingluck held a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit and Permanent Secretary for Interior Phranai Suwannarat to discuss issues arising from the crash.
The error disrupted district offices’ operations across the country as local offices were unable to issue national ID cards or house registrations to visiting residents.
Mr Yongyuth said the computerized system for the Thai census database had been operational for eight years, which are three years longer than the length of its service life. Due to a complaint on the procurement procedure to boost the system in 2010, the department could not procure new computers for the system, resulting in an eventual system failure.
As a short-term solution, Ms Yingluck has instructed the Interior Ministry to replace the worn-out system mainboard with smaller, newer spare parts in the ministry’s stock.
The premier concluded that she will hold further talks with parties concerned to resolve the database procurement issue to prevent repetition of system crashes in the future.
