Thai government to pay compensation to victims of political violence

BANGKOK, March 20 (TNA) - The Thai government plans to pay compensation to people affected by previous violent political demonstrations by the end of next month. Thongthong Chandrangsu, head of the Thai government's sub-committee on the rehabilitation, said on Monday that 2,129 people have registered to seek compensation for impacts of the violent political incidents from 2005 to 2010, after the registration started on March 8, 2012. Thongthong acknowledged that as of March 16, 2,047 people had registered in Bangkok and 82 others in provincial areas, and that the registration gathered 187 cases of deaths, 70 cases of people with disabilities and 91 cases of people losing important organs. Thongthong revealed that his sub-committee has resolved to pay 3-million-baht compensation in cash to each death case immediately. For the rest compensation for death cases, the recipients who have reached the age of maturity will receive three-year lottery saving tickets of the Government Savings Bank and the recipients can cash the tickets after three months of the acceptance; while the recipients who have not reached the age of maturity will have their compensation worth altogether 7.5 million baht deposited in saving and fixed accounts at the Government Savings Bank. For two killed foreigners, Thongthong said that their families will receive full compensation amounts immediately, and that all the payments are expected after the forthcoming Songkran Festival in mid April 2012, as the registration for the affected people ends on April 12. (TNA)