By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PRIME MINISTER Anutin Charnvirakul today (Sep.30) defended himself over last night’s (Sep.29) rare event in which he literally handed out 1,000-baht cash to each of several victims of critical flooding stranded in an inundated northern area of the low-lying capital, saying he just did so at the spur of the moment to help.
Anutin was responding to widespread criticism for his unexpected manner of giving away the money to flood victims in Bangkok’s Sai Mai district whom he had visited among others elsewhere by literally handing out his 1,000-baht bill from his pocket to each of the elderly recipients, apparently rendering a few government officials who had accompanied him off-guard and bewildered.
“We just ran out of bags of relief items to distribute to the flood victims who had come a long way and I just did what I could to help. But my money was absolutely clean and the given amount was less than half the total of the monthly salary for prime minister,” Anutin told reporters.
Meanwhile, villagers on both sides of major rivers in the central region of the country have been alerted of imminent, critical floodings due to heavy downpours speculated for a four-day period beginning on the upcoming Monday (Oct.5) whilst major dams such as Chao Phraya dam in Chainart, Pasak Chonlasit dam in Lopburi and Vajiralongkorn dam in Kanchanaburi were releasing more excess water downstream to the low-lying terrains.
The people were suggested to not only relocate their movable property but to evacuate themselves and their livestock and pets from their homes to higher grounds on emergency basis today.
Several central provinces and the capital are anticipated to be critically affected by flash floods with surplus rainwater released by the dams which could no longer hold it.
CAPTION:
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul handing out cash to flood victims in Sai Mai district. Above photo – Amarin TV, inserted – PPTVHD36
Floods:
Outbound Phaholyothin road badly flooded while dam discharge rate cut
Bangkok and 10 provinces told to brace for increased water discharge from Chao Phraya dam
Sai Mai residents worried northern runoff will worsen their plight
Thai Airways cuts flights, battles baggage chaos as Bangkok floods ease
Huge spillway project proposed to fight critical floodings in the long run
Kasikorn Research Centre sets flood-induced economic damage at 7–17 billion baht
Floodwaters jet-skier gets suspended jail term
Cabinet declares tomorrow and day after special holidays for Bangkok, 3 provinces
Bangkok flooding ‘has stabilised’, improvement likely this evening: Chadchart
Bangkok in critical situation amid non-stop rain with many areas flooded
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