PM Anutin Returns to Lead Nationwide Flood Response

Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul cut short his overseas mission and returned to Thailand on 27 September 2026, ordering government agencies to accelerate flood relief efforts nationwide and coordinate their response using unified data.

Anutin arrived at Don Mueang Airport at 10:20 after visiting Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom from 20–27 September. He received a briefing on the flood situation before inspecting affected areas in Bangkok.

Speaking at 10:45, Anutin said he had continued receiving reports and coordinating the flood response while abroad through deputy prime ministers and relevant agencies. He decided to cancel the remainder of his overseas schedule to oversee operations and coordinate decisions on the flooding.

Anutin attributed the current flooding largely to heavy and continuous rainfall across wide areas, with rainfall exceeding drainage capacity in some locations. Authorities are also managing water from the North through the irrigation system and reservoirs to limit impact on Bangkok and downstream areas.

The Defence and Agriculture ministries have deployed machinery, pumps, trucks, and rubber boats to assist flood victims in Bangkok. Authorities have established shelters and moved bedridden patients, vulnerable people, and elderly residents to hospitals and medical facilities where necessary.

Anutin instructed provincial governors in affected areas to have full authority to make emergency decisions, while additional emergency funding is being made available to provinces officially declared disaster areas. He stressed that government agencies must work together without dividing responsibilities between Bangkok and other administrative areas.

"We must work together using a single set of data and put helping the people first, with safety and property as our top priorities," Anutin said. He also instructed government information agencies to coordinate flood updates and provide timely information to the public.

The government will accelerate compensation for flood victims through household-by-household damage surveys. Provincial governors will be instructed to prepare rehabilitation plans as soon as water recedes in each area rather than waiting for entire cities or provinces to dry out.

For longer-term flood prevention, Anutin plans to submit the Chainat–Pa Sak–Gulf of Thailand water diversion project to the Cabinet on Tuesday. The National Economic and Social Development Council has assessed the project and found it necessary and economically worthwhile for improving water drainage from upper Thailand and reducing water flow toward the Central Plains, Bangkok, and surrounding areas.