Energy cuts damage royal records

[kamui]

Some things are really unbelievable. The amount of incompetence in the government is quite surprising.::

 

Energy cuts damage royal records

 

Published on Aug 26, 2004

The Nation

 

The government’s energy-saving policy has caused damage to records dating back to the reigns of Kings Rama IV, V and VI stored at the National Archive, officials said.

 

Written records made in the late 1800s and early 1900s kept in a 20 degrees Celsius room were damaged by fungi and humidity due to the government’s mandate that the archive turn off the power when it closes at 4pm, said an official who asked not to be named.

 

“We accept that we have to save energy in the office but the savings at the expense of important national documents are more of a loss than a gain,” said Arak Sanghitakul, director-general of the Fine Arts Department. Arak urged reconsideration of the energy-saving measure, at least for the National Archive.

 

“The lights-out order during weekdays is not so worrying as the long periods over the weekends which cause temperature changes and eventually damage the rec-ords,” said the official who requested anonymity. He added that the records should be stored only in a 24-hour air-conditioned room.

 

The National Archive is also suffering from a shortage of personnel to copy written records onto microfilm and it has no money in its budget to buy the expensive materials needed to mend the ancient papers. There are only 14 people working at the National Archive fixing and making microfilm records, said the official, and as people have retired they have not been replaced. To get by, the archive has even asked maids to help work on the ancient papers, a task meant for experts.

 

There is just one expert able to copy records onto microfilm. The office has the capacity to handle 12,000 pieces per month, which means it would take more than 138 years at the current pace to clear up the 20 million pa-pers the archive still has to copy to microfilm. Arak said the department would ask the Culture Ministry to give back the retired positions.

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

And even worse is that I seriously doubt the government is doing this for the environment. I bet that if the oil prices had not risen so much, this "energy-saving policy" would never have been brought up.

 

Sanuk!

[Lusty]

Why don't they keep them up at HM's Palace.I bet the aircons always on up there!