Published on December 21, 2005

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said yesterday he was not planning an immediate visit to flood-affected areas in the South because he did not want to distract officials from flood-relief efforts. Meanwhile, the government has cancelled a plan to host a charity TV programme to solicit public donations for flood relief in the South after the premier objected.

Speaking after the mobile Cabinet meeting in Sukhothai province yesterday, Thaksin said he had been closely monitoring the flood situation in the South and ordered necessary relief initiatives.

The premier said he had received the latest update on the flood situation via a videoconference with Deputy Interior Minister Sermsak Pongpanit, who is in the South supervising provincial governors’ handling of relief operations.

“I have no plans to visit the flooded areas now since I don’t want to place further burden on officials there. I can monitor their work via telephone and videoconference.”

But he said he might tour the flood-ravaged areas soon.

In explaining his decision to have the planned TV charity programme cancelled, the premier said that budgets from the government, local administrative bodies, and other agencies were sufficient to support relief operations so the government did not need to bother solicit for private donations.

“The government will not call for donations through any TV or radio programmes since it has enough budget for the purpose,” he said.

If anyone still feels the need to give donations, they should channel them directly to the governors of the provinces affected by floods, he said.

The premier’s response to the ongoing flood crisis in the South is a stark contrast to what he did when floods hit Chiang Mai and the North two months ago. A day after flash floods inundated downtown Chiang Mai, Thaksin – who hails from the city – rushed up to inspect the situation and direct relief operations. A special TV programme was then organised to call for donations to support the relief efforts.

Chiang Mai and other northern constituencies are political strongholds of Thaksin’s Thai Rak Thai Party while the opposition Democrat Party holds most House seats in the south.

An informed source said that the government had originally planned to organise a special two-hour programme on state-run Channel 11, from 10pm last night, to solicit donations for a relief fund for the flood-ravaged South.

The plan was initiated after many people contacted government agencies to ask how they could donate money and supplies to those affected by the disaster, the source said.

But after the premier objected, organisers changed the content of the TV show to provide updates on the flood situation and reports on ongoing relief operations. Live interviews with governors of flood-stricken provinces via teleconference were also due to be featured.

The latest official government report yesterday put the number of people killed in the eight southern provinces at 35 from December 1 to 19 (Monday). Three other people were missing.

A total of 2,897 villages in 92 districts and three subdistricts have been affected by the floods and the number of people suffering deprivation was estimated at 671,000. At least 225 houses and 463 roads were damaged while 2,241 schools and about 85,000 rai of farmland were flooded.

The worst effects of the flooding in Narathiwat and Satun eased yesterday while the situation in Songkhla, Pattani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Trang and Yala remained serious.

Hat Yai district in Songkhla remained an area of special concern as most of economic zones were still submerged in floodwater, spokesman Surapong Suebwonglee said.

The government has mobilised relief efforts to all areas affected. Emergency medical teams with more than 300,000 aid kits were also sent to help flood-hit villagers, he said.

The Democrat Party also sent a large donation of food and necessaries to residents in flood-affected southern provinces. Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva chaired a send-off in Bangkok yesterday for a convoy of lorries transporting relief supplies to residents in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang and Phatthalung provinces.

Senior party executives, including Abhisit, will fan out across the affected areas today to meet affected residents along seven routes.

Abhisit said senior adviser and former PM Chuan Leekpai, who visited flood-hit areas in the region over the weekend, was in Trang yesterday.

Democrat MPs from affected constituencies returned to their home provinces to report on areas of special concern, he said.

Democrat MPs and local administrative officials said that both frequently flooded and newly flooded areas were facing severe budget constraints in trying to deal with the crisis.

Party representatives will conduct a further survey of affected areas before the Democrat Party proposes relief and reconstruction initiatives to the government, Abhisit said.

Piyanart Srivalo,

Kornchanok Raksaseri

The Nation

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