Flood victims face delays

Flood victims in Bangkok faced long queues and confusion when seeking compensation on Sunday as registration quotas filled early and residents reported difficulties using the government’s online application.

At Sai Mai district office, residents arrived on Saturday evening, leaving shoes and personal belongings to reserve places before returning in the early hours. One resident who arrived at 4am received a number in the 600s. All 1,200 queue tickets had been distributed by 9am on Sunday, leaving many flood victims disappointed.

At Lat Krabang district office, all 600 registration places were filled by 6.30am. They urged authorities to improve the system, particularly for elderly people. At Sai Mai district office on Sunday, officials added computers and staff for checking documents and explaining procedures to manage crowds and assist late arrivals.

Many residents sought in-person registration after encountering problems with the government’s Thang Rath application, including slow access, missing confirmations, unclear registration statuses and no function for uploading required photographs.

They described the situation as enduring hardship twice: first from flooding, then from queuing, travelling and repeatedly preparing documents.

Government spokesman Ekkapob Pianpises said authorities were aware of the crowds and were increasing service points and computer equipment. Officials were also accepting documents from later arrivals to help prevent people from losing access to assistance because of online-system limitations. Payments would follow the eligibility criteria and information submitted by provincial authorities and Bangkok, he said.

Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department director-general Nirat Pongsitthaworn said the government had approved 5.28 billion baht from the remaining 2026 central budget to assist flood victims in 66 provinces and Bangkok. Of that amount, 5.225 billion baht had been spent, leaving about 66.4 million baht.

The department was seeking cabinet approval for an additional 10.508 billion baht to cover 1,481,401 households, with consideration expected on Tuesday using the 2027 central budget. Once approved, the department and Government Savings Bank would expedite payments to eligible households.

Separately, deputy government spokeswoman Ploythale Laksameesaengchan outlined three assistance schemes: emergency relief for urgent losses, cabinet-approved flood payments of 5,000 or 9,000 baht per household, and a national disaster insurance scheme covering October 2026 to October 2027. The government said eligible applicants would receive assistance under various criteria.