Thailand to set up systematic disaster prevention and mitigation center

BANGKOK, February 11 (TNA) - Permanent Secretary for Interior Phranai Suwannarat has ordered the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation to set up a national command for joint disaster prevention and mitigation, in the wake of a massive flooding in Thailand late last year causing the fourth greatest disaster-related damage in the world. Phranai said that the new center is aimed at systematically-unified operations to cope with disasters in the country more effectively, noting that natural disasters have been repeated and more complicated and powerful. According to the senior official, the new command center, developed from the Thai government's existing sub-committee for joint disaster prevention and mitigation operations, will be tasked with supervising and coordinating disaster prevention and mitigation operations by several agencies for the sake of systematic work, effectiveness and full coverage of disaster-related operations. Meanwhile, Wibul Sanguanpong, Director-General of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said he will discuss the plan with representatives of relevant agencies to design the best structure of the new command center for the more effective protection of disaster victims and general people in Thailand. (TNA)