Government to Pay 2 Million Baht for All Southern Flood Deaths

Picture courtesy of ThaiRath

The government has confirmed that families of flood victims across all eight affected southern provinces will receive 2 million baht in funeral compensation, matching the rate previously applied only in areas under the Emergency Decree. The announcement was made on 4 December 2025 by Prime Minister’s Office Minister Phumtham Prisanananthakul, who chairs the Emergency Flood Situation Operations Centre (ESC), during a meeting with governors of the flood-hit provinces. The decision aims to ensure equal assistance after weeks of severe flooding that has led to dozens of deaths and left many households waiting for relief funds.

The update came during the ESC’s 8/2568 meeting held at Government House, where provincial leaders joined via video conference. Pattani governor Pateemoh Sadeeyamu sought clarification on whether the compensation matched public reports of 2 million baht per fatality and Phumtham confirmed it applied to all eight provinces, including Pattani. The confirmation was welcomed locally, as residents had questioned whether non-emergency decree areas would receive equal support.

The minister also raised concerns over delays in disbursing the 9,000-baht household flood relief payments in Narathiwat province. Only around 7,000 households, less than 10% of those eligible, had received funds, prompting Phumtham to instruct the governor to convene daily approval meetings at district and local levels. Narathiwat authorities reported that a provincial committee meeting was scheduled for the afternoon of 4 December to expedite processing.

Phumtham urged all southern provinces to accelerate administrative checks, identity verification and documentation reviews so that payments could be issued without delay. He emphasised that funding was already approved by the Cabinet and ready for distribution, with bottlenecks occurring only at local administrative levels. Narathiwat’s governor responded that local administrations would be pushed to complete community assessments as quickly as possible.

Later, Phumtham confirmed to reporters that equal funeral compensation would be granted in all eight provinces, not only Songkhla, which remains under the Emergency Decree. He said the Prime Minister agreed the disaster was the same in nature across the region, warranting equal treatment. As a result, no additional Emergency Decree declarations would be required for the remaining provinces.

ThaiRath reported that he added that the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) would next week submit proposals to the Budget Bureau and the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund. Funding will be split evenly between the Prime Minister’s Fund (1 million baht) and central budget reserves (1 million baht), totalling 2 million baht per death. Phumtham noted that roughly 40 deaths across seven provinces, excluding 142 already approved in Songkhla, would fall under the upcoming compensation package.

Key Takeaways

• Government confirms 2 million baht funeral compensation for all eight southern flood-affected provinces.

• Narathiwat urged to speed up disbursement after releasing under 10% of 9,000-baht household aid.

• DDPM will submit budget proposals next week, with funds drawn from both central and PM’s disaster relief sources.
 

Original story

Cabinet-approves-2-million-baht-funeral-aid-in-Songkhla/

 Adapted by Asean Now from Thairath 2025-12-05