Thai Flood Relief Funds Near Exhaustion at 5.29 Billion Baht
MP Suphanat Minchaiynunt reports that Thailand's 5.29 billion baht flood relief budget is nearly depleted after disbursing 5.215 billion baht to 683,000 cases.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Flood relief budget totaling 5.29 billion baht has reached 5.215 billion baht in payouts.
- A total of 683,000 cases have received compensation while 1.7 million cases remain pending.
- Bangkok alone accounts for 700,000 flood victims still awaiting financial assistance.
- The Ministry of Interior under Anutin's supervision is criticized for underestimating damage by fourfold.
People's Party MP for Bangkok, Suphanat Minchaiynunt, revealed that the government's approved flood relief framework totaling 5.29 billion baht—split into two cabinet resolutions of 558 million and 4.731 billion baht—has nearly run out after successfully transferring 5.215 billion baht to affected citizens.
The current situation has created a standstill in financial assistance as authorities must wait for the cabinet to approve a new budget framework. However, there remains no clear timeline regarding when the government will table this critical agenda during cabinet meetings, leaving numerous victims in limbo.
According to recent data, payouts have been distributed to 683,000 individual cases, yet another 1.7 million applications submitted by victims are still awaiting official approval. In Bangkok alone, as many as 700,000 affected households are still waiting for aid, which is projected to require an additional 12 billion baht to fully resolve.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
"When the Prime Minister claims that the 4.732 billion budget is sufficient – sufficient when?? Even the Ministry of Interior, directly overseen by the Prime Minister, has underestimated the actual damage by four times."
Suphanat Minchaiynunt
The opposition lawmaker further criticized the administration and the Ministry of Interior, overseen by Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, pointing out that damage assessments missed the mark by fourfold even though calculations were performed after the flooding had already subsided. This miscalculation highlights significant flaws in crisis management and public assistance distribution.
Thailand's disaster relief allocation often struggles with bureaucratic bottlenecks and delayed central approvals during major seasonal floods. The massive backlog of over a million pending cases highlights the discrepancy between recurring incremental budget approvals and the sheer scale of widespread natural disasters, leaving families stranded weeks after floodwaters retreat.
Furthermore, Suphanat urged the Interior Minister to urgently push the budget expansion proposal through the cabinet, emphasizing that residents whose homes were flooded months ago have endured a three-week wait without receiving any financial relief.
Source: Khaosod Politics
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