822 Singaporeans now home from Hat Yai

SINGAPORE: Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan announced in a Facebook post on Monday (Dec 1) that 822 Singaporeans are now back home from Hat Yai, Thailand, which experienced the unprecedented flooding.

Dr Balakrishnan noted that the Singaporeans who have made it home had e-registered with MFA’s portal, and expressed appreciation for the ministry’s Consular Response Teams, who “worked tirelessly on the ground to reach Singaporeans and help bring them home.”

He also thanked the Thai Government, the Royal Thai Armed Forces, and non-governmental organisations and volunteers who had helped the Singapore team on the ground assist the affected tourists.

“Also grateful to the Malaysian Government, which helped receive Singaporeans where possible and provided timely support during the evacuation efforts,” he wrote, adding, “As Thailand moves into the recovery phase, I hope families and communities affected by the floods will soon be able to rebuild and find stability again.”

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong expressed similar sentiments over social media on Tuesday morning (Dec 2), thanking officials in Thailand and Malaysia for helping stranded Singaporeans get home safely.

“These extreme weather events are a stark reminder of our shared vulnerability. Climate change is a challenge that respects no borders and affects every one of us. It is a global crisis that demands a global response. We must work together, across all nations, to accelerate our collective efforts and build a more resilient future for our planet,” he added.

Worst flooding in decades

According to Thailand’s Public Health Ministry, the death toll from the worst flooding in the country’s southern area in decades has reached 170, though the Bangkok Post reported that some members of the public fear that the actual tally may be substantially higher.

The Thai Enquirer said last week that there were at least 7,000 foreign tourists in Hat Yai, mostly from Singapore and Malaysia. Thai PBS World reported on Nov 28 that 4,016 Malaysian tourists who had been in 200 locations across Hat Yai had been safely evacuated, though 382 in 50 locations still remained.

By the following day, however, the Bangkok Post said that as conditions in the affected provinces improved, more than 1,800 visitors from China, South Africa, Malaysia, Australia, Scotland, and Singapore who were in southern Thailand when the flooding occurred were rescued and given assistance.

Thai authorities, meanwhile, lifted the fine for overstaying tourists in the affected provinces, which would have normally cost them 500 baht (around S$20) per day under the Immigration Act. /TISG

Read also: Vietnam, Thailand, and now Indonesia: Hundreds dead due to heaviest rainfall in SEA in years