On Friday, Prime Minister Paethongtarn Shinawatra arrived in Chiang Rai Province to chair the integrated meeting on the rehabilitation and relief plan for those affected by the floods in the Mae Fah Luang Airport meeting room.
At the beginning of the meeting, she urged those involved to help the people as soon as possible, including compensation, rehabilitation, and solving various public health problems.
The Prime Minister said that the government has assigned the Ministry of Interior to expedite the payment of compensation to those affected as soon as possible. It has been reported that more than 3,000 households have received compensation.
Many households have been affected and are waiting for inspection. All sectors should mobilize their forces, divide the areas of responsibility, and specify the areas that have been dealt with.
She assigned the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, the Ministry of Interior, and the Governor of Chiang Rai Province to drive the resolution of the problem until it is complete. Other government agencies have mobilized machinery, tools, and personnel to help resolve the flooding problems as much as possible.
Ms Paethongtarn said the Ministry of Finance has prepared low-interest loans totaling 50 billion baht to rehabilitate businesses and repair homes. The loans target micro-SMEs and above as well as the general public.
The Ministry of Commerce has prepared cleaning and repair equipment for flood victims and low-priced Blue Flag products so that people can buy necessary consumer goods.
She said the government is concerned about the people in other provinces affected by flooding and asked the governors who attended the meeting to summarize the situation and find additional assistance and rehabilitation methods.
After the meeting, Ms. Paethongtarn went to the Pa Daeng District and Mueang Chiang Rai District to follow up on and expedite flood damage recovery and encourage the victims.
She then presided over the handover of relief money to the flood victims at the Chiang Rai Municipality School 6 Assembly Hall and expedited flood damage recovery.
She greeted the people in the northern dialect, saying, “We know that we have been experiencing flooding in Chiang Rai for many years, but this year, the flooding and mudslides were very severe. We sent equipment from Bangkok and other provinces to help the people of Chiang Rai to the best of our ability. Please don’t forget that we are here to give encouragement.”
The Prime Minister then distributed relief money to flood victims, totaling 2,653,200 baht for Mae Sai District, 297,000 baht for Thoeng District, 891,000 baht for Wiang Kaen District, and 1,485,000 baht for Mueang District, for a total of 5,326,200 baht. She donated cleaning equipment such as brooms, dustpans, and bed sheets to Chiang Rai flood victims.
She said many families had already received the first round of money, that she came to encourage those who had not yet received assistance, and that she had ordered related agencies to expedite flood assistance money.
On October 1, she will ask her cabinet to expand the assistance; there is no need to worry about it. She said her government is urgently working to provide as much assistance as possible so people can return to normal lives. The government will not abandon the people, and I would like to thank all sectors here and the volunteers who assisted.
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Geoff Thomas is an award winning journalist known for his sharp insights and no-nonsense reporting style. Over the years he has worked for Reuters and the Canadian Press covering everything from political scandals to human interest stories. He brings a clear and direct approach to his work.
