Thai Cabinet members to inspect flood prevention plans

BANGKOK, June 7 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra says that she will send 31 Cabinet members to inspect progress on the government’s flood prevention plans in 31 upstream to downstream provinces hit by inundations late last year. Yingluck told journalists Wednesday that the 31 Cabinet members will also be assigned to look into whether compensations to flood victims have been handed out fairly in accordance with the government's criteria and whether additional state funds are needed to complete both short-term and long-term flood prevention plans in their assigned areas. The Thai premier said that the Cabinet members and officials of agencies concerned will be told to particularly inspect and to pay special attention to flood prevention measures in "seam areas" connecting the flood-prone provinces to ensure that waterways have been cleared. The prime minister maintained that the government's flood prevention measures have been implemented as planned though some delays in construction works have been reported in upstream and mid-stream areas caused by bureaucratic procedures. (TNA)