“The prime minister has issued the order out of concern for the flood victims,” Chatchai Promlert, director-general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, said yesterday. PM’s Office Minister Ormsin Chivapruck said the government would pay Bt50,000 to each of the families of those who lost their lives. “The prime minister will himself hand over the compensation in the form of cheques to some families,” he said. Train services in Nakhon Si Thammarat remain suspended. PM’s Office Minister Ormsin said the government was considering distributing portable radios to people in flood-risk areas so that could tune into weather forecasts and early warning announcements.

Source: The Nation Bangkok January 18, 2017 18:04 UTC