BANGKOK, Thailand – The government is considering a uniform compensation of 2 million baht per flood-related death in southern Thailand, extending coverage to seven additional provinces and matching the assistance already granted in Songkhla province.
Paradorn Prissananantakul, minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office and director of the Emergency Flood Response Operations Center, said the prime minister determined that the floods constituted a single large-scale disaster. As a result, families of victims in all affected provinces will receive the same level of support, even in areas not placed under an Emergency Decree.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation will submit a formal proposal to the Budget Bureau and the Disaster Relief Fund next week. Compensation will be funded equally from two sources, with 1 million baht allocated from the Disaster Relief Fund and 1 million baht from the central contingency budget, supported by new regulations to allow implementation.
Authorities estimate more than 40 fatalities across the seven newly included provinces. This figure is separate from the more than 140 deaths previously recorded in Songkhla, where compensation has already been approved and disbursed. (NNT)
