Taiwan’s representative to Thailand said Taiwan’s experts on contagious disease control would arrive in Thailand later this month to help deal with the aftermath of the flooding there.
Henry Chen (陳銘政) said that even though flood waters have receded, there are many areas still submerged and Taiwanese businesspeople would need help with the clean-up and disease control operations.
Chen said the government would help them to reduce the chances of a disease outbreak.
“The experts are scheduled to arrive on Dec. 12 along with the disinfection materials,” Chen said.
Taiwan’s government has donated US$1 million and relief supplies to help victims of the Thai floods. It has also pledged to donate US$150,000 in relief funds to Taiwanese businessmen through the Overseas Compatriots Affairs Commission.
Chen said Taiwan’s assistance to Thailand would prioritize helping Taiwanese businesspeople there.
He said that many Taiwanese businesspeople, after receiving food rationing and cans of meat from Taiwan, donated them to Thai victims or affected employees.
Chen said that after the clean-up operation was completed, Taiwan would send a medical team to Thailand because skin and stomach illnesses could break out.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday downgraded its travel alert for flood-stricken Bangkok to orange from red.
In Taiwan’s four-tier travel advisory system, a red alert is the highest level of warning, which advises local people to refrain from traveling to the affected region. Orange is the second-most serious warning level.
As the situation in Bangkok and 14 other regions started to stablize and supplies of water, electricity and commodity goods gradually began to return to normal, the ministry downgraded the alert.
However, it said its nationals should remain cautious and avoid unnecessary trips to those regions.
Floodwaters persist in some areas of northern and western Bangkok, but downtown Bangkok is no longer under the threat of flooding and schools have reopened, it said.
According to the ministry, tourist destinations including Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai were not affected. However, tourists planning to visit areas in southern Thailand such as Phuket and Krabi should be on alert for torrential rains.
The ministry added that Taiwanese nationals can contact its representative office in Thailand in cases of emergency by calling (66)81-666-4006 or (66) 81-666-4008.
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