SONGKHLA, Oct 4 — The Consulate General of Malaysia in Songkhla and the Thai authorities have reached an agreement to set up a mechanism to facilitate a more efficient and effective distribution of flood relief aid to affected residents.
The Consul General in Songkhla Ahmad Fahmi Ahmad Sarkawi said this was part of preparations to deal with any possibility of major floods, such as the one that occurred in Hat Yai at the end of November last year.
Warehouses that can be used during floods to store relief supplies from Malaysia were identified through discussions between the consulate and the Songkhla Governor’s Office to ensure more coordinated aid distribution during floods.
“When supplies from Malaysia arrive, we will immediately send them to the warehouses, and we have also agreed with the Governor’s Office that the Thai authorities will distribute the supplies to those in need,” he said.
Fahmi was speaking during a visit by a delegation from the Perlis Journalists Association to his office at the Consulate General of Malaysia in Songkhla on Friday (October 2).
He added that if Thai authorities lacked sufficient manpower to distribute the aid, non-governmental organisations from Malaysia could distribute the supplies themselves, with support and guidance from the authorities.
“This is based on the lessons learnt from last year’s major floods, when there were piles of relief supplies from Malaysia that had arrived in Hat Yai, but it was unclear who would distribute them or where they should be stored. This was one of the weaknesses we identified,” Fahmi said.
The consulate is also coordinating with agencies in Malaysia to channel assistance more easily from Thailand should floods occur in Malaysia's northern states, under an arrangement agreed with Thai authorities.
Regarding last year’s major floods in southern Thailand, he said about 7,000 Malaysians were rescued.
Meanwhile, Fahmi advised Malaysians planning to travel to southern Thailand between this month and January next year to closely monitor the latest weather developments.
“If there are already signs of danger, such as reports that the water level of Sungai Golok or rivers in the Hat Yai area has reached a dangerous level, Malaysians should automatically know not to travel here. My advice is to postpone the journey,” he said.
The consulate also learnt from last year’s major floods and will issue weather warnings from Thai authorities more frequently this year through the consulate’s website and social media platforms such as Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).
