Some politicians in Songkhla are behind a move to stir up dissent against the government, using a shortage of crop seeds brought on by the floods to drive a wedge between local farms and the government, regime spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd says.
Lt Gen Sansern said yesterday the anti-government move was politically motivated.
He said the government has already provided initial assistance to farmers affected by the floods and was working to ensure they receive all the help they need.
Several local administrative officials reported back to the government that most farmers did not agree with the anti-government rhetoric as they knew the politicians pulling strings were only attempting to show off their influence over them, Lt Gen Sansern said.
In each province affected by the floods, three million baht of money donated by the public to help flood victims has been spent buying crop seeds for farmers, he said.
Households in flood-affected areas have received initial financial assistance of 3,000 baht, plus compensation of 1,113 baht paid per rai for farmland damaged in the floods, he said.
About 1.8 million people and 590,000 families were affected by the flooding.
The Rice Department has also sent about 40 tonnes of additional rice seeds to be distributed to farmers in flood-affected areas, he said.
Several state agencies were working to provide further help to flood victims including house repairs, farmland rehabilitation and replacement of damaged farming implements.
The flood death toll in the South reached 91 while four people remained missing, according a report released by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) earlier last week.
The deaths were reported across 12 provinces in the region, DDPM director-general Chatchai Promlert said.