Evacuation set to start

A plan has been drawn up to evacuate residents from riverside communities in 13 districts as the flood crisis intensified in Bangkok yesterday.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday set up a high-powered committee to oversee flood-relief efforts and a centre to coordinate aid to victims in affected areas.

The move came as officials in Bangkok prepared to evacuate residents from areas at risk, including people living along the Chao Phraya River and areas outside the flood prevention embankments.

PM's Office Minister Satit Wongnongtaey was appointed as chairman of the 28-member panel and former Bangkok governor Apirak Kosayodhin, who is an adviser to the premier, was appointed the panel's deputy chairman.

Other committee members include heads of the various departments - Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Irrigation, Meteorology, Local Administration and Public Relations - plus the Army chief, national police chief, Armed Forces supreme commander, heads of the Federation of Thai Industries, Thai Chamber of Commerce, and Thai Bankers Association.

The panel's duty is to follow up on assistance to flood victims and provide rehabilitation to those affected to ensure recovery as soon as possible. The prime minister said yesterday that the panel would begin operating today.

The centre to coordinate assistance to flood victims will be headed by Apirak. It will be staffed by representatives from 17 agencies, and its duty is to coordinate with public and private organisations for support of funds, personnel and machinery to aid the victims.

The centre also will receive complaints from those affected by flooding and gather information regarding the situation and assistance.

The prime minister met yesterday with the heads of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, the Royal Irrigation Department, and the Meteorological Department to discuss preparations for imminent flooding in the Central region.

The meeting took place at the state-run Channel 11, where the prime minister held his weekly programme "Confident in Thailand with PM Abhisit".

Abhisit said on his show that the government was expediting financial aid to areas affected by flooding although the principle of transparency would be retained. He said that as the problem was easing in the Northeast, there was concern for provinces in the Central region with water runoff from the North and the rising sea tide.

Later, the prime minister toured flooded areas in Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani to inspect the situation and provide aid.

Separately, Deputy Premier Sanan Kachornprasart said Cabinet would discuss the provision of additional funds to affected areas at its weekly meeting tomorrow.

Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra said the city administration has devised a plan to evacuate residents from riverside communities in 13 districts. Lodging would be provided at more than 20 schools, temples and mosques while their homes were flooded.

The governor urged residents in communities set to be flooded not to stay at home if it looks to be risky. He said their homes would be guarded by local police during their absence.

Sukhumbhand said the water situation in the city was "going to be critical" with rising levels of the Chao Phraya River due to water runoffs from the North and the rising sea tide.

He said the Meteorological Department also predicted more rain in Bangkok next week.

But he was still confident about city officials' flood prevention measures.

"The water level is expected to rise to a highest level of 2.3 metres on October 26 (Tuesday) - that is still well under Bangkok's flood prevention embankment, which is 2.5 metres high.

"Local residents should not panic. The BMA [Bangkok Metropolitan Administration] is well prepared this year, better prepared than in the previous years," he said.

The governor also called on residents in some low-lying communities not to remove sandbags from temporary flood walls built to protect the inner city areas. He said that if they want sandbags to protect their homes, they should contact the local district offices, as there was still a large supply.

In Nakhon Ratchasima, Maharat Hospital will resume services in some sections today after severe flooding halted operations for over a week.

The clinic for outpatients, children's section, and the eye-ear-nose-throat section will reopen while the emergency and intensive care sections as well as operating theatres will remain closed due to a shortage of clean water and complex medical equipment.

A total of 38 people have been killed in flood-related accidents over the two weeks to yesterday, according to the Emergency Medical Institute. The deaths occurred in 15 provinces.

In all, 31 provinces have been hit by flooding, with 828,443 households and nearly 2.5 million people affected, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

In a related development, stress from severe flooding was believed to have caused a village head in Saraburi to commit suicide.

Duangjai Thongraya, 50, was found dead, hung from staircase at her flooded home in Saraburi's Sao Hai district.

Her husband Wiroj, a local administrator, said he thought the village head took her life after she failed to satisfy villagers who complained about insufficient aid.