Thai PM orders quick assistance for flood victims

BANGKOK, August 11 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has ordered cabinet ministers to quickly work out flood relief measures on top of her visit to flood-impacted areas this Saturday.

During her first cabinet meeting on Thursday, Yingluck singled out the urgency while emphasizing on the advice of His Majesty King Bhumibol Aduljadej on the latest flood situation in the country’s north and northeast.

The cabinet resolved for the Interior Ministry, the Finance Ministry and the Public Relations Department to coordinate on providing relief assistance, and for the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry and the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry to jointly work on a master plan for an integrated river basin management to solve flood problems in the long term.

The cabinet also discussed over its policy statement, during which Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit and Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Kittirat Na-Ranong were assigned to head a working group to ensure every minister laid out policies that complied with the constitution and campaign promises.

The cabinet would finalize on its work next week before Yingluck’s policy statement to the parliament on August 24. (TNA)