Hat yai: Thailand's Cabinet on Tuesday approved in principle a national disaster insurance framework for 30 million households during its first mobile meeting in Hat Yai district, Songkhla, chaired by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
According to Thai News Agency, government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek stated that the state-subsidized insurance scheme is designed to protect against floods, windstorms, and earthquakes. The framework aims to shift disaster management from post-event relief to proactive preparation, enabling faster payouts to affected households.
The preliminary compensation framework includes an initial compensation of 10,000 baht ($300) per household per event for floods. For windstorms and earthquakes, an initial payout of 5,000 baht per household is promised within 15 days, with total property coverage capped at 100,000 baht. In cases of fatalities, a death benefit of 2 million baht per person is included.
The Cabinet has instructed the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and the Office of Insurance Commission to finalize the implementation while revising rules to prevent overlapping benefits.
During the meeting, the Cabinet also reviewed a 316 billion baht proposal for six double-track railway projects in the south, alongside 199 local development projects worth 57 billion baht across five southern border provinces: Songkhla, Satun, Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat.
Addressing local flood risks, Prime Minister Anutin inspected a retention basin project at Khlong Rien, confirming plans to expand the facility by 25 rai to double its capacity to over 1 million cubic meters.
Separately, Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow presented a terms of reference draft for border fencing at the Dan Nok-Bukit Kayu Hitam crossing to combat illegal trafficking. Sihasak is scheduled to meet his Malaysian counterpart on Sept. 6 to discuss joint border security and regional development.