Navy ready to provide assistance to southerners

Royal Thai Navy (RTN) commander-in-chief Adm Kraisorn Chansuvanich has ordered two navy ships and two planes to standby and be ready to provide assistance to southerners as heavy rain moves toward the South of Thailand.

Adm Kraisorn said the RTN has set up a unit comprising the HTMS Sukhothai and the HTMS Surin plus two planes and 28 personnels from RTN Seal team on standby and ready to provide help to people in the South round-the-clock on high expectations that torrential rain is expected to hit the region from Saturday to the following Monday.

eople who need help from the RTN could dial its emergency hotline 1696, he said.

Adm Kraisorn’s remarks were made as deputy director-general of Meteorological Department Wanchai Sakudomchai told journalists that a low pressure system in the lower part of the South China Sea was about 200 kilometres east of the southern province of Songkhla.

Mr Wanchai said heavy rain is expected from Saturday afternoon to the evening in several southern provinces including Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung and Songkhla.

After that, strong winds would move toward the Andaman Sea with waves between two and four metres high.

People living from Chumphon province downward on both the Gulf of Thailand and on the Andaman Sea should be on alert for rapid flooding while fishing trawlers should stay ashore during the next few days, said Mr Wanchai.

Meanwhile, heavy rain in the deep South which began Friday is expected to ease, he added.

In Ranong province, governor Suriyan Kanchanasilp issued an urgent announcement asking people living in five districts in Ranong to stay on alert for heavy rain and strong waves over the next three days, starting from Saturday.

The announcement said expected flash flood, forest runoff and strong winds could bring loss of lives and damage to property.

Officials in Ranong have been ordered to be well prepared to provide assistance to the people. (MCOT online news)

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