BANGKOK, Aug 13 — Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Saturday left Bangkok for the northern province of Sukhothai to inspect the flood situation, visit and give moral support to people in flood-hit areas, and pledged to fully help the flood victims.
Ms Yingluck is scheduled to visit Sukhothai before proceeding to Phrae and Nan in the afternoon then travelling to Chiang Mai, her hometown.
Accompanying the premier were Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit, Minister of Social Development and Human Security Santi Promphat, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Theera Wongsamut, and senior officials from concerned agencies.
Ms Yingluck told reporters before leaving for Sukhothai that she would meet with local officials and agencies concerned as the flood level in the province was reportedly increasing.
The government would address the needs of flood victims and would prepare measures to help after the flood receded, she said.
The premier said assistance would be delivered urgently to the flood hit areas particularly agricultural regions that were damaged by flooding.
Assistance from the private sector was welcome to support government measures to help flood victims, she added.
Ms Yingluck said the government would use a budget allocation from the previous government to help flood-hit areas as the new government had to wait until it has delivered a police statement to the Parliament.
She affirmed that the police statement would be finished in time to deliver to Parliament within 15 days after the government had taken office, a precondition to legalising the government’s administrative power as required by the constitution.
