Holiday Ayo - The Thai government, through the Emergency Flood Crisis Operations Center (EFCOC), on Monday (December 1) decided to provide compensation of 2 million baht (approximately IDR 1 billion) to each family of flood victims in Songkhla without requiring documentation.

Thai government spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat, who is also the EFCOC spokesperson, explained that the 2 million baht compensation only applies to victims who died in Songkhla, where a state of emergency has been declared.

Siripong stated that families of victims in other flood-affected provinces will receive assistance according to normal regulations from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM).

He said that Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who has visited flood victims in Hat Yai several times, listened to residents' concerns and instructed the elimination of unnecessary bureaucratic steps in the compensation process.

Anutin, Siripong said, ordered the use of digital flood maps and online household registration records from the Provincial Administration Department to verify eligibility, rather than requiring flood victims to present physical documents.

During the first two days after the floods receded, local government agencies had not yet received updated instructions from the central government, so some government offices were still requesting identity cards and household registration documents (a form of Family Card) from victims and their families.

Siripong said Anutin had instructed relevant authorities to expedite compensation payments.

Families of those killed in the Songkha area will receive 2 million baht from the DDPM, while the EFCOC will determine the compensation amount for other provinces based on existing regulations.

Siripong added that government doctors will assess whether individuals who died from indirect flood-related complications would qualify for compensation under a special scheme.

Thailand's Ministry of Public Health previously reported that the death toll from the floods had reached at least 170.

The highest number of deaths was in Songkhla Province, with 131. A report from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation stated that more than 1.4 million households and as many as 3.8 million people were affected by floods triggered by heavy rains that inundated 12 provinces in southern Thailand.