Prime Minister Paethongtarn Shinawatra announced after a cabinet meeting yesterday the approval of flood relief of 9,000 baht for every household, along with adjusting the criteria for “soft loans” to help SMEs and freelancers in Chiang Rai Province.
She also said the new Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior has appointed the Deputy Permanent Secretary to be the acting governor of Chiang Rai, along with the removal of all deputy governors in Chiang Rai Province.
She said Mr. Prasong La-on, the Deputy Governor of Nakhon Sawan Province, will take the post of Deputy Governor of Chiang Rai Province. Chiang Rai’s remaining two deputy governors were transferred as they are studying at the National Defense College.
Second Round of Relief Funds
When asked about the second round of relief measures, Ms. Paethongtarn said that the Ministry of Interior proposed a relief budget with a budget framework of 5,000, 7,000, and 9,000 baht. We concluded that every household should receive 9,000 baht because we know that this is a serious situation, these criteria will be presented to the Cabinet meeting again on October 8th.
The Cabinet also approved the Ministry of Finance’s proposal to adjust the operating criteria for the Government Savings Bank’s soft loan project by 50 billion baht from the 100 billion baht budget to be a source of low-interest funds for financial institutions to provide soft loans to small SME businesses and private entities affected by the floods.
In addition, the Government Savings Bank has implemented relief measures by suspending principal loan payments and waiving interest for 3 months from October to December 2024 for SME loans with a credit line not exceeding 10 million baht.
This includes all types of retail loans and loans for developing occupational groups, which will be able to help more than 110,000 account holders of Government Savings Bank debtors in the affected areas of the floods, totaling more than 43 billion baht in principal.
Kok River Overflow
Meanwhile, heavy rains have drenched Chiang Rai over the past 48 hours, residents in three districts have been put on alert for possible flash floods and run-off in tambons Wiang and Mae Ngoen in Chiang Saen district; tambons Nang Lae, Ban Doo, Tha Sut and Mae Korn in Muang district; and Tha Khao Plueak in Mae Chan district.
The Office of National Water Resources warns that the Kok River could overflow its banks due to heavy rain of 195 mm, affecting low-lying areas in Mueang District, Wiang Chai, Wiang Chiang Rung, Mae Chan, Doi Luang, and Chiang Saen districts.
The ONWR is carefully monitoring the Kok River for overflow and flooding in between October 2-9, 2024, due to a moderate high-pressure front from China that has spread to cover the North, causing very heavy rain in the upstream areas of Mae Ai District, Chiang Mai Province, and Chiang Rai Province.
As a result, the water level in the Kok River are expected to continue to rise. It is expected that the water level will overflow the banks in low-lying areas near the Kok River in Mueang Chiang Rai, Wiang Chai, Wiang Chiang Rung, Mae Chan, Doi Luang, and Chiang Saen Districts, Chiang Rai Province, by approximately 0.5-1.0 meters.
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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.
