Over 140,000 flood victims in Bangkok seek compensation

BANGKOK, August 11 (TNA) - More than 140,000 last year’s flood victims in Bangkok have sought compensation from the government in the latest round of request expired late Friday, said Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) governor Mom Rajawong Sukhumbhand Paribatra. His remarks were made as he came to give morale to BMA officials checking applications from people, mostly living on the outskirts of Bangkok, seeking government compensation, at two BMA offices. BMA has said that flood victims who thought they should get compensation at the maximum of 20,000 baht per residence, declared earlier by the government, or those who have not applied must submit application within yesterday, said Mom Rajawong Sukhumbhand. Compensation will be given to flood victims within this August 31. Of the more than 140,000 flood victims who have submitted applications in the second round, over 50,000 victims demanded they needed more financial assistance while more than 90,000 victims were those who did not apply before, he said. Mom Rajawong Sukhumbhand said demands made by flood victims that each family must be given 20,000 baht would be impossible as BMA must follow the rules set by the Interior Ministry. BMA had earlier given more than 1.2 billion baht to more than 120,000 flood victims in the first lot. It still has about 700 million baht left to be handed over to flood victims in Bangkok which would not be enough, he added. (TNA)