SONGKHLA, Thailand – The government has approved compensation of 2 million baht per fatality for families of those who died during the recent southern floods, expanding support beyond Songkhla to include seven additional provinces. The decision follows a directive from Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who instructed that all victims be treated equally under a single disaster event, regardless of Emergency Decree status.
Prime Minister’s Office Minister and Emergency Flood Response Operations Center Director Paradorn Prissananantakul confirmed that the compensation will be distributed without requiring additional emergency declarations. Each family will receive 1 million baht from the Disaster Relief Assistance Fund and 1 million baht from the central government budget.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) will begin submitting compensation requests to the Budget Bureau and the fund next week. A special regulation will be issued to authorize the payments, and officials do not anticipate delays in processing or disbursement.
An estimated 40 fatalities have been reported across the seven newly added provinces, in addition to more than 140 deaths already approved in Songkhla. The total budget will be finalized based on verified cases as compensation is rolled out. (NNT)
