Floods Become Test for Thailand’s Premier Ahead of Elections
Flood waters in Hat Yai, Songkhla province, Thailand.
Photographer: Arun Chonmahatrakool/AFP/Getty Images
Thailand’s government on Monday announced new relief measures for victims of one of the country’s worst floods in decades, weeks before an anticipated call for snap elections.
Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas said households affected by the disaster would each receive 9,000 baht ($281) as officials race to contain both economic losses and criticism of the government’s response.