ID :
148782
Thu, 11/04/2010 - 18:54
Auther :

Government starts compensating flood victims

NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Nov 4 - The Thai government started compensating flood victims for the first day on Thursday through Government Savings Bank branches in Pak Thong Chai district in hardest-hit Nakhon Ratchasima of the Northeast, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday.

Thailand's disaster prevention and mitigation department has submitted the list of names of those who are entitled to be compensated, to the bank, the prime minister said before travelling to inspect flood-hit areas in the northeastern province.

Flood victims can get 5,000 baht (US$166) per household immediately and they don't need to open a bank account, he added.

As the government has measures to help people affected by flood, Deputy Finance Minister Pradit Phataraprasit said after the flood receded, the measures to help small- and medium-size enterprises are also needed.

The model used in rehabilitation of tsunami victims will be applied to help flood victims.

Soft loans will be offered to affected people with a budget of Bt30 billion (US$1 billion), he said. The Government Savings Bank and the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand will offer loans and criteria will be concluded by next week, the deputy
minister added.

The Finance Ministry will also inform the public that about tax relief measures related to donation to flood victims. Individual and cooperate who donate the money can use receipts for tax deduction.

Value added tax will be exempted from donated goods and recipients are not obliged to pay tax for any donated item which is not considered as taxable income, Mr Pradit said.

The disaster prevention and mitigation department on Thursday reported 122 deaths from flooding nationwide in 24 provinces while 31 provinces remain submerged. More than 1,100 bags of royally-granted flood relief supplies to southern provinces of Narathiwat and Phatthalung and 240,000 bottles of drinking water to people in Songkhla.

Meanwhile, Nakhon Si Thammarat declared its 21 districts disaster zones disaster zone, resulting from heavy, incessant rain and continual high water level, particularly in Nakhon Si Thammarat municipality which still disrupts the traffic.

The flood situations in Sichon and Khanom districts remain critical due to flash waterflow from forests flooding several locations, causing main road bound for Surat Thani to be nearly impassable. Most drivers and motorist were advised to use a road in Thung Song district instead.

Meanwhile, Transport Minister Sophon Zarum said on Thursday that the ministry has delayed some of its next year projects and instead rearranged the planned budget, estimated at Bt3 billion (US$100 million), for the reconstruction of roads and highways which have been damaged by floods across the country.

Mr Sophon said so far the Department of Highways has spent Bt200 million (US$6.7 million) of emergency budget for roads reparation, another Bt100 million (US$3.3 million) has been used by the Department of Rural Roads.

Next week the ministry will seek the cabinet approval for additional emergency budget of Bt100 million to the Rural Roads Department so that it can immediately fix the damaged roads, especially in the severely flood-hit Hat Yai of Songkhla province where urgent reconstruction is needed for damaged 38 roads.

In related developments, Samui Airport in Surat Thani province resumed normal operations on Thursday after it had been suspended since Tuesday due to heavy rains in the southern resort province.

The airport announcement said 44 Bangkok Airways flights would resume services today, but the schedule is subject to weather conditions. The passengers are advised to inquire further information on their flights at the airport call centre 1771. At the same time, seven South-bound rail routes resume services Thursday morning after flooding in the lower South has eased.

The available rail routes include Bangkok-Sungai Kolok, Bangkok-Butterworth (Malaysia), Bangkok-Yala, Bangkok-Surat Thani, Bangkok-Trang, Bangkok-Kuntang and Bangkok-Nakhon Si Thammarat. (MCOTonline news)

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