Representatives of six ministries will meet on Monday to discuss compensation for the victims of the arson and bombing attacks in seven provinces last week, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said on Thursday.
Mr Wissanu was referring to the string of 13 bomb blasts and four arson attacks that occurred in Trang, Hua Hin district of Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phuket, Surat Thani, Phangnga, Krabi and Nakhon Si Thammarat, on Thursday and Friday, leaving four dead and 35 injured.
He said Prime Minister Prayut had assigned the Justice, Interior, Tourism and Sports, Social Development and Human Security, Labour, and Public Health ministries to jointly discuss the compensation for the victims.
The meeting will be held on Monday at 9am. Apart from the six ministries, other agencies concerned including the Budget Bureau and the Finance Ministry's Comptroller General's Department will join the discussion.
According to Mr Wissanu, the Justice and Social Development and Human Security ministries will play a major role in the discussion of where the money should come from and how much is to be paid.
The government already has a budget under the disaster-victims protection law, but it is very small. Special funding is needed and will require cabinet approval, he said.
"Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya is of the opinion that the compensation stipulated under regular laws or regulations is limited. Therefore, the special criteria, which were used to consider compensation for victims of the Ratchaprasong bombing (on Aug 17 last year), will apply to last week's incidents so that there would be no difference between the compensation for Thais and foreigners," Mr Wissanu said.
Twenty people were killed and 125 injured in the bombing at the Erawan shrine at the Ratchaprasong intersection in downtown Bangkok on Aug 17 last year.
