BANGKOK, 5 August 2011 – Army Commander-In-Chief General Prayut Chan-O-Cha has ordered his troops to take care of equipment used in disaster mitigation mission making it ready for relief operations in flood-hit provinces.
General Prayut stated that the Department of Army Engineers will be responsible for assisting residents affected by flood. He stressed that the unit must inspect and ensure readiness of equipment because each item is costly and should be able to operate at full capacity.
The army chief also assigned all army units to help provide assistance in terms of transportation and communication to ensure access to all areas disconnected by the floods. He reiterated that assistance, especially food, has been dispatched via mobile catering trucks.
General Prayut added that in the future he plans to purchase additionally 250 mobile catering trucks. He noted that the army’s relief operation is just an initial effort while the government must be responsible for long-term rehabilitation.
The army chief then asked everyone to help conserve forest because it can help prevent flood. He said he always feels uncomfortable upon news reports about forest encroachment; therefore, he encouraged people to notify the authorities if they happen to witness the practice.
