Mae sai: A daughter appealed to "Sai Mai Must Survive" after her father helped villagers who died in the Mae Sai floods. She received only 50,000 baht in compensation. The government has recently paid 2 million baht to each person in the southern region. She questioned why compensation standards differ.
According to Thai News Agency, a heartbroken daughter has filed a petition on a popular Facebook page, seeking justice for her father, who sacrificed his life to help villagers evacuate from flash floods in Mae Sai District in 2024. However, the family has only received 50,000 baht in compensation. Meanwhile, during this year's southern floods, the government announced a payment of 2 million baht to each deceased person. The family questioned why compensation standards differ so widely, given that all lives are equally valuable.
Flood victims in Mae Sai District, Chiang Rai Province, at the end of 2024, filed a complaint with the Sai Mai Must Survive Facebook page after the victim's father died while working as a village headman, helping villagers evacuate. He was swept away by a flash flood and died. Almost a year later, he received only 50,000 baht in government assistance, along with the other victims. Meanwhile, during the massive flooding in Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province, the government announced 2 million baht in assistance for each family of the deceased, so they filed a complaint seeking justice.
Ms. Piangphon, 40, said her father died while volunteering to help villagers evacuate from the major flooding in Mae Sai District, Chiang Rai Province, at the end of 2014. The severity of the flooding was comparable to that of Hat Yai this year, with both mudslides and flash floods.
The death of my father was a huge blow to my family, as he was the head of the family. The previous government had provided 50,000 baht in compensation, but the process of receiving the money was quite slow. This was the case for many other victims in Mae Sai District who received similar amounts of assistance.
But this year, when the Hat Yai floods hit, the government offered 2 million baht per body. This raised questions about the government's compensation standards, asking what the criteria were. Why was the government giving more to people in the South than to people in the North, even though they were all Thai? And why was the assistance unfair? He confirmed that he felt sympathy for the victims in Hat Yai, but questioned the government's different payment criteria.
For this reason, I've come to file a complaint through the Sai Mai Must Survive Facebook page, demanding equal rights and compensation nationwide. I believe there should be a uniform set of assistance measures. I don't know if there's a political agenda involved, but as elections are approaching, I'm seeking justice. It's not just my father, but many other families in Mae Sai District who have suffered losses and have been unfairly treated. I'm speaking out on behalf of everyone affected by the floods.
Ms. Piangporn stated that losing her father was the most painful experience, especially after learning that the government had increased the compensation limit to 2 million baht during the recent disaster. She urged the government to rethink and recognize her father's sacrifice, which involved his life in helping the community. She emphasized that she did not want to make excessive demands, but rather sought justice for the families and all those responding to disasters. She questioned why the compensation measures varied so widely, given that all lives are equally valuable.
Mr. Ekkapop Lueangprasert, founder of the Sai Mai Must Survive Facebook page, revealed that he agrees with the desire for Thailand to have a uniform standard of assistance criteria and is confident that once this news is released, the government will consider this request to ensure equal assistance.