LONDON, United Kingdom – Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul chaired a meeting on the flooding situation in Bangkok and surrounding provinces by video conference from London on September 26, ordering government agencies to use the same information and coordinate relief efforts with public safety as the top priority.
Speaking from The Dorchester hotel in London, Anutin said agencies must work together to address the situation quickly and rejected any separation of responsibility between the central government and Bangkok authorities.
He said the flooding was being driven by several factors, including rainfall exceeding drainage capacity, accumulated water, runoff from upstream areas and differences in drainage capacity between locations. He therefore instructed agencies to base decisions on a shared set of information rather than tackling the problem separately.
The prime minister ordered meteorological and water-management agencies, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Bangkok authorities, relevant provincial governors, the Ministry of Transport and security agencies to coordinate closely.
The Irrigation Department and other agricultural agencies were instructed to maintain continuous coordination, with priority given to high-risk areas and vulnerable groups. Authorities were also told to prepare food, clothing, relief supplies and shelters in advance. Anutin praised Bangkok for preparing evacuation shelters and the Ministry of Transport for opening government parking areas to people seeking to protect their vehicles from floodwater.
He also ordered agencies under the Transport Ministry, the State Railway of Thailand, the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand, the Transport Co. Ltd. and Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports to waive parking fees for people affected by flooding and deploy staff to assist with vehicle parking.
Anutin also instructed all agencies to report factual information and communicate it clearly to the public, stressing that government agencies must work as one team with the safety of residents and reducing hardship as their primary priorities.
