PM Calls Emergency Cabinet Meeting on Flood Relief
The PM convened an emergency cabinet meeting to coordinate flood relief efforts across Bangkok and multiple provinces following heavy rainfall, with discussions on declaring special holidays in affected areas.
Prime Minister Anuthinncharenveerukul chaired an emergency cabinet meeting at Government House at 2:30 p.m. on September 27, with some ministers joining via video conference. Before opening the meeting, the PM greeted Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Suriya Jungrungruekkit, who was attending remotely due to gastrointestinal illness, and wished him a speedy recovery.
The PM opened the meeting by thanking cabinet members for attending on short notice, noting that over the past two to three days, continuous rainfall across multiple areas had caused widespread flooding in numerous Bangkok districts, surrounding provinces, and central and eastern regions. The Meteorological Department forecasts continued heavy rainfall in the central and eastern areas, with moderate to light rain expected in Bangkok, raising hopes that the situation will not worsen further.
The PM expressed gratitude to all ministers who had traveled to affected areas to oversee response operations and support government agencies. He ordered all provincial governors to assist citizens, emphasizing that ensuring public safety for both lives and property is the highest priority. The government has prepared shelters, food supplies, relief packages, and medical facilities to support affected residents.
Regarding Bangkok, although the governor has already declared all districts as disaster zones, the government will provide additional support and coordinate efforts to expedite all operations in compliance with the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act, applying the same compensation and assistance principles used in other provinces.
"During today's emergency cabinet meeting, I discussed with Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilepraban the possibility of declaring special holidays in certain provinces and areas to ensure public safety and convenience for citizens' travel. Therefore, we need to hold this emergency cabinet meeting to discuss and pass a resolution on how many days of special holidays to declare and which areas to cover," the PM said.
