King worried about people, not palaces, Army chief says

Prayuth, who has been in liaison with palace authorities on how to defend royal residence which is high on the government’s antiflood plan, said the message from His Majesty was that the monarch did not want “anything special” to be done regarding the palace.

“His Majesty is very worried about the Thai people. He always has been and always will be. That’s him. He doesn’t want anything special, and he said the water must be allowed to flow naturally,” the Army chief said.

Having been given the responsibility to protect the royal residence by the government, however, the Army would do “whatever we can and are allowed to do” to defend the palace against the flood, he said.

“The most important thing that I want the public to realise is that His Majesty and all Royal Family members are very concerned about all Thai people in this situation,” Prayuth said.

Apart from the Chitralada Palace, "royal residence" also covers places like Suan Kularb Palace, Suan Tewase Palace, Sra Prathum Palace, Sukhothai Palace, the Thaweewattana Palace, the Siriraj Hospital and the Bang Pain Palace. Plans have been mapped out to protect the places according to levels of possible flooding. worstcase plans involved evacuation.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was accompanied by Prayuth and senior defence officials including Defence Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapha to receive briefing from palace authorities yesterday. 

Flooding on Sanam Luang has caused concern over the nearby Grand Palace although senior officials were confident the area remained wellprotected.

Concerning the Siriraj Hospital, where His Majesty has been staying for over a year, measures have been taken and the monarch was constantly briefed on the situation. He was said to be pleased by action taken by the government and the hospital to cope with floods. One key issue of preparation had to do with stock of medicine to serve the public, which currently can last about a month.

Meanwhile, Yingluck yesterday tried to allay fears about widespread capital flooding, saying the authorities were simply warning the public about worstcase scenario. She was confident that the key business area of Silom remained under strict protection, although she admitted that the eastern part of Bangkok could be substantially hit. She also recommended people living in onestorey houses to consider moving out if they were in highrisk areas.