Thai military ready to provide help to southerners

THAI SOUTH, November 8 (TNA) - Thai Navy Chief Admiral Kraisorn Chansuvanich has ordered two navy ships and two planes on standby and ready to provide assistance to southerners as heavy rain is moving toward the Thai South. Admiral Kraisorn told journalists on Saturday that the Royal Thai Navy has set up a unit comprising the HTMS Sukhothai and the HTMS Surin plus two planes, as well as 28 divers on standby and ready to provide help to people in the Thai South round-the-clock on high expectations that torrential rain should hit the region from November 8-10. According to the navy chief, people who need help can call the Royal Thai Navy's emergency phone number 1696. Meanwhile, Thai Army Chief General Udomdej Sitabutr has also issued a similar order for immediate relief operations and mitigation to assist people in affected areas to army units in the Thai South. The navy and army chiefs' remarks were made after the Meteorological Department forecast that heavy rain is expected from Saturday afternoon in several southern Thai provinces, including Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung and Songkhla. After that, the weather bureau said the strong winds should move toward the Andaman Sea with sea waves as high as 2–4 metres. People living from Chumphon Province downward on both the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea should be, thus, on alert of rapid flooding, while fishing trawlers should stay ashore over the next few days. (TNA)