The Prime Minister waded through the mud to encourage officials in Chiang Rai Province to clear 24 main roads. It is expected that the situation will return to normal by early November. He was in tears listening to the villagers’ suffering.
Ms. Paethongtarn Shinawatra, Prime Minister, began her first mission in Chiang Rai Province to listen to a summary report from the Department of Military Engineering and the Mae Sai District Chief at the Mae Sai District Office, which is the Mae Sai District Incident Command Center, to assess the situation and monitor the rehabilitation of the affected areas after the flood at Ban Ko Sai and Ban Pha Chom, Mae Sai Subdistrict, Mae Sai District, Chiang Rai Province.
The Prime Minister revealed that by October 1st, the mud on 24 main roads, Sai Lom Joy Market, and Ban Mai Lung Khan School will be cleared and restored successfully. However, the area will need to be cleared again, which will take about 45 days. It is expected that the situation will return to normal around t
he beginning of November. However, the problem for the people in the area is that some houses have been buried by water and mud, leaving only the structure. It is necessary to urgently provide assistance. There are also 64 more houses that have been completely damaged, which is considered very severe. According to the law, there will be a fair amount of compensation. Therefore, it is a matter for the government to take care of.
The Prime Minister said that what is worrying now is that in Mueang District, Chiang Rai Province, it is also heavy. Therefore, if there are enough heavy machinery, light machinery, and various equipment in Mae Sai District, please move them to help in Mueang District. But before moving, it must be considered whether there are enough in Mae Sai District or not because he does not want an incident where if they are moved to Mae Sai District, there will be a shortage of equipment. Therefore, he wants Mae Sai to finish as well.
Reporters reported that, however, while the Prime Minister
was riding in the military GMC vehicle into the area, the Prime Minister updated information all the time at various points that the vehicle drove through with the Mae Sai District Chief about the work. At the same time, he asked about the work and machinery of the army from General Songwit Noonpakdee, the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Armed Forces (C-in-C) who reported and updated information all the time.
In addition, during the trip, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet also gave encouragement to the villagers and officials who were working in a competitive manner. The Prime Minister thanked the officials and gave encouragement and told the villagers to be patient for a while longer. The officials are rushing and trying their best to help.
The Prime Minister also ordered Pheu Thai Party MPs in Chiang Rai Province to inspect the details of medical supplies, equipment, and various necessary medicines to be delivered to the people in the area, including asking what is still lacking and what additional
items are needed so that they can be expedited in delivering them.
The Prime Minister then boarded a military truck to enter the area of ??Ban Koh Sai, Soi 1, to listen to the operation plan for the rehabilitation and removal of mud from the Army Development Command, Royal Thai Army, which is responsible for approximately 145 rai, more than 1,000 households. The first mission is to open the traffic route for people to travel to their homes, which is more than 90% complete.
The second mission is to restore people’s houses, which is now 65% complete. The third mission is to receive assistance from military vocational students in repairing electrical appliances and motorcycles. The fourth mission is for military police to work with local police to control traffic and provide security during the night. The fifth mission is to provide medical care.
After the Prime Minister listened to the summary report of the operational plan, the Prime Minister walked through the mud to visit and meet the villagers of Koh Sai
Soi 1 to give encouragement. During one of the visits to the villagers’ homes, the grandmother who owned the home hugged the Prime Minister and cried, telling of the hardships she had encountered, which brought the Prime Minister to tears.
In addition, there was an uncle who walked over to the Prime Minister who was sitting in the GMC military vehicle. The uncle was in tears. The Prime Minister then went to shake his hand to give him encouragement and said that he was giving encouragement to everyone and asked them to keep fighting. At present, the army and all equipment, tools, and machinery are still in the area to help until things return to normal. He confirmed that there is no need to worry.
The Prime Minister met with ‘Coach Eak’ Mr. Ekapol Chantawong of the Wild Boar Academy football team, who wanted the government to set up a learning center and rehabilitate the minds of children and youth in disaster-stricken communities. During this school break, he asked the government to have measures to encoura
ge and support youth to volunteer or earn extra income from their work.
However, in the community area of ??Ban Ko Sai, it was found that there were machines and equipment from the Sansiri housing project, which were sent as assistance by Mr. Sathit Thaveesin, the former Prime Minister, to join the mission with the Thai army.
In this regard, the reporter reported that it is noteworthy that in the visit to 2 areas in Chiang Rai Province, especially Mae Sai District, which is considered the area that has been most severely affected at the moment, the governor and deputy governor did not travel with the group. There were only the commander-in-chief of the army, the Mae Sai District Chief, local MPs, and operational officers.
Source: Thai News Agency