On February 28, 2022, Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin spoke about the flooding in the southern region. Information from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation as of February 28, 2022, at 6.00 hours, reported that from February 25-28, 2022, heavy rains caused flash floods, flowing wild water and water overflowing the banks, resulting in flooding the flooding in seven southern provinces, namely Narathiwat, Yala, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Pattani, Songkhla, and Trang. The incident caused damage to 30 districts, 127 subdistricts, 440 villages, and 12,129 households. Prime Minister and Minister of Defense General Prayuth Chan-ocha, and Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, who oversees the Ministry of Labour, is concerned for all workers and the general public who have suffered from flooding. They have instructed each agency in the relevant areas to assist the people urgently, including moving, evacuating, accelerating drainage, distributing things to alleviate suffering, and spreading continuous awareness to the public about the flood situation. Therefore, he instructed the agencies in each affected province to accelerate the support for workers, insured persons, and people in the area who have suffered, especially in the movement of people to safe places, providing temporary shelter and supporting essential supplies for initial alleviation.
Mr. Suchart spoke about the Ministry of Labour’s measures to help flood victims. He instructed agencies to prepare survival bags, consumer goods, and necessary items to support the central region and nearby provinces. As for the southern border provinces, agencies under the Ministry of Labour in Songkhla Province shall be the center of assistance. Each Provincial Labour Office in the area shall request a budget to prepare an urgent employment and skill development project to alleviate occupational troubles. This will help affected community members earn income. They will also survey the damage in the workplace and its impact on employees, including the impact on government officials, employees, labour volunteers, and graduates in the affected areas. The Department of Skill Development will organize a service unit to repair electrical appliances, motorcycles, and small agricultural engines to reduce the cost borne by the people for those whose equipment is damaged. Additionally, they will offer checks on the safety of the wires in the house. Provincial labour officials will further coordinate with labour volunteers and graduate workers to visit the area and provide assistance, with districts and provinces close by.
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Division of Public Relations
28 February 2022
