PARTY FOR RESCUERS TO BE DELAYED
>> A government-hosted party planned for Wednesday to thank all contributors to the rescue of 13 youth footballers from a flooded cave in Chiang Rai has been delayed indefinitely as a large number of the guests are in southern Laos rescuing flood victims after a dam collapsed.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered the delay after learning that many guests are in southern Laos helping victims of the dam collapse on Monday, Patcharaporn Intreyonk, permanent secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office, said yesterday.
“The prime minister, after consulting Interior Minister Gen Anupong Paojinda and Prime Minister’s Office Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana, made the decision to put it off until an appropriate time,” she said, adding all plans remained intact.
According to earlier reports, the reception party will be held at the Royal Plaza in Bangkok. Several thousand are expected to attend.
His Majesty the King on Friday sent a message of condolences to the president of Laos over the natural disaster in Champasak province and Attapeu province.
In the message, His Majesty said he was deeply saddened to learn of the disaster caused by torrential rain in Champasak province and Attapeu province, which resulted in the collapse of Xe Pian Xe Namnoy hydroelectric power dam that claimed lives of at least eight people now confirmed dead, and displaced many people.
The King also expressed his concern over enormous damage caused to the properties and infrastructure of neighbouring Laos, saying Thais would like to offer deep condolences to the Lao president and people, especially those families directly affected.
The King said Thais would stand by Laos and its people.
Sompas Nilapund, deputy permanent secretary of the PM’s Office, said yesterday money donated to a bank account opened by the government for helping Laos has surpassed 25 million baht.
The savings account at Krungthai Bank’s Government House Branch is entitled, “Thai Hearts to Lao PDR”, number 067 0 12886 4.
As for those wishing to donate other types of relief supplies, Government House is open every day from 8.30am until 4pm to receive donations.
Also independently, Thais nationwide gathered and recruited help for Laos in forms of money, rescue supplies and personnel.
Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, said the department was sending a number of disease control experts from Ubon Ratchathani into Laos to help contain a possible spread of diseases that may come with prolonged flooding.
Meanwhile, the exact number of dead and missing from the dam collapse remains a mystery because of the complexity of the rescue operation in an inaccessible area and the secretive reflexes of Laos’s Communist authorities in the face of an unprecedented crisis.
The head of the rescue mission Kumriang Authakaison said on Saturday that eight people are confirmed dead, down from 27 reported earlier this week. He added that 123 were confirmed missing.
But conflicting information swirled about how many remain unaccounted for, with one report putting the number of missing at 1,126.
The burst also spilled into downstream Cambodia and forced residents of Stung Streng province bordering southern Laos to evacuate.