Updated information from the Implementation of Flood Effected People Helping Center
Summary of flooding situation
1. Updated flooding situation since 25 July 2011 up to present, the total flooding area and announced to be the emergency flooding area were 64 provinces with 680 Districts, 4,917 Sub-districts, 43,593 villages, and 562 people were lost.
2. At present situation still effected by the flooding were 22 provinces, 144 District, 1,019 Sub-districts, 7,197 villages which effected to 5,148,327 people in 1,903,457 families. The effected flooding provinces were Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani, Chainat, Singburi, Ang Thong, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Lopburi, Saraburi, Suphanburi, Nakhon Pathom, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Samut Sakhon, Samut Prakarn, Bangkok, Ubon Ratchathani, Si Sa Ket, Roi Et, Kalasin, Chachoengsao, Nakhon Nayok and Prachin Buri.
3. The recovery provinces and in between rehabilitation were totaling 42 provinces which are Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Lampang, Phrae, Nan, Mae Hong Son, Lampun, Uttaradit, Phitsanulok, Phetchabun, Sukhothai, Phichit, Udon Thani, Chaiyaphum, Nongkai, Buengkan, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Surin, Maha Sarakham, Khon Kaen, Sakon Nakhon, Rayong, Chon Buri, Prachuap Kiri Khan, Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, Chanthaburi, Satun, Trang, Surat Thani, Trat, Sa Kaeo, Yasothon, Amnat Charoen, Loei, Nakhon Ratchasima, Buriram, Ratchaburi, Kamphaeng Phet and Tak.
The helping coordination between our networks
Real Estate and Construction Sector requested for the assistance from the Government sector which are:
1. Exemption from tax of construction materials in order to relieve the expense burden to renovate the dwelling affected by the flood.
2. Tax reduction for renovation expenses less than 100,000 Baht in order to relieve the burden and increase the purchasing power to the consumers
3. Tax reduction for house insurance less than 10,000 Baht in order to encourage the purchase of insurances
4. Reduction of ownership transferring fee from 2% of selling price or official assessment to 0.01% and of mortgage fee from 1% to 0.01% in order to reduce the burden of the consumers in purchasing and ownership transferring their houses when they lose of confidence and delay for decision. These also caused to the trading condition and the cycle of real estate and related sectors.
5. Reduction of specific business tax from 3.3% to 0.11% with the same reasons as mentioned above. This measure was used for several times by the government to stimulate real estate sector during the economic crisis.
Measure for Rehabilitate by the Government Sector
Thai Airways International (THAI) offers Special “Southern Thailand Flood Relief” Fares
Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) is implementing special reduced fares to Southern Thailand in case the main road to the south from Bangkok is flooded. THAI will offer “Southern Thailand Flood Relief” special fare tickets by 47-58% from regular ticket prices. This special fare is effective from 11 November 2011 to 10 December 2011.
THAI will operate flights from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Thailand’s southern provinces with a total capacity of 5,039 seats per day and will add more flights and changing the aircrafts if needed for accommodating passengers and cargo services.
§ Bangkok-Surat Thani: from regular fare of 4,290 baht, reduced to 1,820 baht
§ Bangkok-Krabi: from regular fare of 4,490 baht, reduced to 1,920 baht
§ Bangkok-Phuket: from regular fare of 4,675 baht, reduced to 2,015 baht
§ Bangkok-Hat Yai: from regular fare of 5,155 baht, reduced to 2,255 baht
§ Bangkok-Samui: from regular fare of 6,360 baht, reduce to 2,930 baht
(The ticket fare includes fuel surcharge, but excludes airport tax)
For more information and reservation, please call the THAI Contact Center at Tel. 02-356-1111 or THAI’s ticketing office or www.thaiairways.com
Measures for Recovery by the Government Sector
Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives
1. There is a measure to support with more than 72,000 tons to rice seeds to be distributed to farmers to grow after the flood crisis and will be operated from November 2011 to July 2012, in 2 periods, namely:-
1st period: Assistance immediately after the ending of the flood, expecting to cover 3,316,000 Rais, using about 33,166 tons of rice seeds.
2nd period: during the annual rice growing season, expecting to cover 3,532,900 Rais using about 38,934 tons (totally seeds of 72,100 tons). The land for growing rice seeds of the Community’s Rice Center will be used to grow rice seeds for the Community Rice Center of the Rice Department. There are 23 such centers in all over the country.
2. Assistance will be given to farmers who had registered their rice growing and whose rice fields have been damaged by the flood more than 50% of their registered areas. They will receive rice seeds at 10 kgs/Rai according to their actually damaged areas but not more than 10 Rais per farmer, at the value of 239.60 Baht per Rai or averagely about 2,396 Baht per farmer.
Regarding the procedure of operations, the Rice Department will cooperate with the Promotion of Agriculture Department in giving information about the damaged areas and about the farmers affected by the flood according to the criteria for assistance. The Rice Department will notify the Rice Seeds Center in the area to distribute the rice seeds. A very careful checking of the quality of rice seeds will be made before the distribution.
Evaluation of the Situation
The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce has undertaken a survey of the confidence of consumers’ index in October, which is the period when the flood was widely spreading. It was found out that the confidence about the economy in general reduced from that of September which was 72.2% to 62.8%. It should be noted that the reduced confidence was the confidence index about an opportunity to find jobs, which reduce from 73% to 63.7%. The confidence index for future income also reduced from 100.3% to 90.9%. The survey showed that the people were concern about unemployment, no income or the uncertainty of future income after the crisis declined. It is expected that the government will recognize this matter regarding making solution for the people so that they would have less concern about employment and incomes to receive in the future.
Regarding assistance to people and all sectors affected by the flood damages, the government must hasten to find clear and concrete measures for assistance including a real financial assistance through various recovery measures. The sooner the government can render assistance, is the better for the people to recover and lead their lives of normalcy. The Thai Chamber of Commerce has forcasted that if the government has definite plan of assistance, the confidence of the people will increase in the forthcoming December as well as in January and February of the next year, 2012.
--------------------------------------
TCC & BoT_15Nov11
