Army chief calls for voluntary evacuations
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"We will keep fighting with water and see how we can safely stay with it," Army Commander in Chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha said today.
Asked to compare fighting between enemies and the water, the general said the hardships seemed similar but the water came with a much wider scope.
He was speaking as the water run-off from the north seeped into the capital. Some areas in Bangkok will also see high water, as the government has ordered the opening of all water gates to allow it to pass Bangkok to the sea in Samut Prakan.
The military has stepped in to help evacuate flood-hit people, building water barriers and transporting relief items to many provinces now under water.
Prayuth said that the military will discuss with the Interior Ministry and Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department to outline an evacuation plan in case of emergency.
The flood water problems have become increasingly more serious and there is now a high risk that a massive volume of water run-off from the north will enter Bangkok. “Therefore we have to review the evacuation plan and make it more practical. We should go into detail such as where the shelters would be,” he said.
Some 40,000 troops have been deployed to help flood victims but the number of troops was still inadequate to help flood victims in all areas. Prayuth called on people in severely hit areas to voluntarily evacuate.
Prayuth said he was seeking permission from the Defence Ministry to deploy 2,000 more troops from the Second Army Area and 1,000 more from the Infantry Command Centre to help alleviate flood situation.
