PM returns to Hat Yai for the sixth time, sets up national flood command centre

Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul spent the morning in Hat Yai today observing damage and encouraging defense volunteers taking part in a major post-flood cleanup effort.

This was Anutin’s sixth visit to Songkhla since the major flood hit the province, which includes Hat Yai city, a key business hub of the South.

During a visit to the Kim Yong Market area, Anutin sat on the sidewalk to share a meal with Interior Ministry Permanent Secretary Arsit Sumpantarat and his team, eating a boxed meal of boiled eggs and sour curry.

Before eating, Anutin handed a meal box to Arsit and said, “Try this. If you can’t eat it, then our staff won’t be able to eat it either.”

After sampling the food, Anutin commented that while the meal was “edible,” the portions were “a bit small” and should be increased.

He even asked for a second serving of the sour curry. Local residents later brought him additional sour curry and omelets, which he shared with the volunteer team.

During the visit, the prime minister was approached by several residents who complained about delayed compensation for flood victims and traffic congestion on main roads, caused by damaged cars that have yet to be claimed by their owners.

The prime minister also chaired a meeting of the public and private sectors to discuss Hat Yai’s post-flood rehabilitation.

During the meeting, he said that a national flood relief forward command center will be established in Songkhla province, chaired by himself, to coordinate all relevant agencies in the rehabilitation of flood-affected provinces.

He did not, however, explain whether the new command center would duplicate the work of the two existing command centers in Songkhla—one headed by the supreme commander and the other by Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompao.

He added that public utilities such as electricity and tap water have been restored to most of Hat Yai, while repairs to several other systems and garbage disposal facilities are still underway.

He thanked all parties involved for their dedication and hard work in helping restore normalcy in Hat Yai.

The prime minister and his delegation later flew to Satun province to distribute relief materials to flood victims.