PM reiterates inner Bangkok safe from flood

BANGKOK, November 19 (TNA) - In an attempt to alleviate flood concerns among the people, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Saturday reiterated that the inner parts of Bangkok would be safe from the persisting flood problem. Miss Yingluck said during her weekly address in her telephone from Bali island of Indonesia, where she was attending the 19th ASEAN summit that she had been informed by her government working committee tasked with solving the flood problem that, flood prevention measures laid out by the government had worked efficiently and was able to hold flood waters at Khlong Bang Sue as well as prevented Bangkok business districts around the Victory Monument, Pathum Wan and Silom from being inundated. Flood levels on the western side of Chao Phraya River as of Saturday were receding continuously, she said. Flood waters in the area were being discharged in accordance with the plan and this would help lower flood problem there, she added. On concerns by several sectors that flooding would severely inundate the Rama II Road which was the major route for people travelling to the south of Thailand, Miss Yingluck said the crux would not be bad as many had thought. She reconfirmed that her government would accelerate on assisting flood victims and farmers whose farmland had been devastated by flood. Provincial governors had been ordered to survey and repair public utilities within 45 days, she said. The Cabinet had also given an approval on a debt moratorium for small farmers with outstanding debts lower than 500,000 baht, which they owed to the state-run Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives and five other financial institutions for three years, starting from this October 1, Miss Yingluck said. Farmers had been asked to register themselves since Tuesday this week and they would even be given professional training during the period. As cool weather had started in the northern and northeastern regions, with many suffering from the drop of temperatures, Miss Yingluck said concerned government agencies had been ordered to map out measures to help the needy people. (TNA)