MFA: Thailand’s flood assistance is for all

BANGKOK, November 5 (TNA) - Thailand’s flood assistance is not only for Thais but embraces all members of the international community, diplomatic missions as well as thousands of expats, says a Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman. In a special interview with TNA, the Director-General of the Ministry’s Department of Information, Thani Thongphakdi said apart from damage to the business sector, there had been no other report of embassies or international organizations severely affected by the ongoing floods. The world governments had strained not to pull out their diplomatic personnel, Thani also said. The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he added, was in close contact with some 4,000 officers and family members of 107 embassies, consular centres and international organizations here, saying a foreign assistance centre had even been set up to support their needs. He also said the Ministry had already contacted the Bangkok City Authority to afford every assistance to foreign members through joint coordination with local departments. He said last week the Ministry organized a briefing for around 80 diplomatic missions and representatives of international organizations, who had access to first hand information about the flood situation, including the government’s relief plan. The session was met with appreciation by all attendants, who were assured of contingency plans in place, he observed, adding that they were also assured that Suvanabhumi International Airport had remained unscathed. As an option, Thani said the Ministry would provide members of diplomatic missions and international entities with alternative operational grounds in the worst-case scenario. Moreover, important venues dealing directly with the foreign community would be relocated if experiencing floods. To this extent, he cited an example with consular offices located on the inundated Cheang Wattana Road, which had earlier been relocated to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sri Ayutthaya Road. Speaking on behalf of the Thai people, he said Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs appreciated every assistance from the international community, both monetary and technical assistance were vital to assisting the country and would help the government to come up with efficient measures to prevent the future recurrence of the disaster. (TNA)