By
Amorn
nthip Pak
ksuchonTha
ai Visitin
ng Researrcher 20110 BTo
Asiaan Disastter Redu
uction Ce
enter(ADRC)

Thailand Country profiles 2011

1.General Information
Thailand is located between 5º and 21º N latitude and between 97º and 106º E longitude,
bordering to the North by Laos and Myanmar, to the East by Laos and Cambodia, to the Southby the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar.
1.1 Geographical Data
Situated in the heart of the Southeast Asian mainland, Thailand covers an area of 513,115
square kilometers. It is bordered by Laos to the northeast, Myanmar to the north and west,
Cambodia to the east, and Malaysia to the south.
Typography
Thailand is naturally divided into four topographic regions: 1) the North, 2) the Central Plain, orChao Phraya River basin, 3) the Northeast, or the Korat Plateau, and 4) the South, or Southern
Isthmus.
The North is a mountainous region characterized by natural forests, ridges, and deep, narrow,alluvial valleys.
Central Thailand, the basin of the Chao Phraya River, is a lush, fertile valley. It is the richest andmost extensive rice-producing area in the country and has often been called the “Rice Bowl ofAsia.” Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, is located in this region.
The Northeastern region, or Korat Plateau, is an arid region characterized by a rolling surface
and undulating hills. Harsh climatic conditions often result in this region being subjected to floods
and droughts.
The Southern region is hilly to mountainous, with thick virgin forests and rich deposits ofminerals and ores. This region is the center for the production of rubber and the cultivation ofother tropical crops

1.2 Climate information
Thailand has a tropical climate and temperatures typically range from 19-38 degrees C.
The weather is warm, rather humid with an average temperature of 32.5 to 23.7 degrees Celsius.
Thailand can be separated into two climatic zones: the upper and the lower.
The upper zone, which includes the north, north-east, south-east and central regions have a
climate with three distinct seasons: rainy, from June to October; cool from November to February;
and of season from March to May.
The lower zone in the southern region has a tropical rainforest climate. In other words,
the south has only one season annually - rainy season. Rainfall present virtually throughout theyear and the average temperature of the south is 27 degree centigrade. The local climate
is tropical and characterized by monsoons. There is a rainy, warm, andcloudy southwest monsoon

Thailand Country Profiles 20112

from mid-May to September, as well as a dry, cool northeast monsoon from November tomid-March. The southern is always hot and humid.
1.3 Demographic data
The population of Thailand is approximately 67,764,000.(As of December 2010)
Nationality : Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11% Religions : Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%,
Christian 0.7%, other 0.1% (2000 census)
Languages : Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects.
2.Natural Hazards in Thailand
Most disasters in Thailand are associated with water. The most common disasters are floods,
droughts and landslides. This is due to the geographic and climatic characteristic of the country.
With a vast mountainous areas in the north from where the main rivers (i.e. Ping, Wang, Yom,Nan and Chao Phraya) are originated, large volume of water flows down to the mouth of theocean in Bangkok passing through many provinces. This phenomenon takes places every year
during the rainy season, influenced by the southwest monsoon weather which arrives annually
between mid-June and October.
2.1 Natural Hazards likely to affect the country
Natural disaster situation
Looking into the past major disasters happening in Thailand, it was not only the 2004 Indian
Ocean Tsunami that came to devastate the country. Long before that Thailand experienced othermajor natural disasters as well. These include Typhoon Gay in 1989 that hit a southern provinceof Chumporn, claiming almost 500 lives, and landslide in a northern part of country in 2001
where 131 people perished.
Flood, landslide, forest fire, wind damage, drought, lightening, hail and epidemics are the majordisasters. Flood is by far the worst disasters in Thailand. Between 2002 and 2010 flood killed
more than 1,000 people and brought damage and loss in economic terms more than 40 billion
Baht. It out numbers the damage caused by all other disasters combined during the period.
Landslides occur frequently in Thailand due to the influence of monsoon rain. In most cases,
landslide would occur in the northern and southern parts of the country which are mountainous.
The table below provides information of large scale landslide events taken place over the past
four decades.
Although drought does not pose danger to human life but it does cause a great damage to theeconomy and livelihood of the people especially in rural areas.
The most catastrophic natural disaster in Thailand was the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, At 07.58
a.m., of 26 December 2004, the massive earthquake magnitude of 9.0, the strongest in the world
since 1964, struck deep under the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, andtriggered the cataclysmic tidal wave that slammed on the Andaman coastal provinces, southern
Thailand. The catastrophic incident devastated 6 provinces namely, Phuket, Trang, Phang Nga,
Krabi, Ranong and Satun. The waves claimed the lives of 5,395 people dead and affected58,550 victims (2,510 of whom were tourists), with a further 4,499 unaccounted for and 8,500 left
homeless whose total loss was US$ 397.8 million in Thailand.
2007 : Cyclone Lekima hit Thailand between 4 and 6 October 2007 killed 17, affected 1,552,936,
and whose total loss was US$ 30.8 million.
2008 : Cyclone Mekkahla hit between 31 September and 1 October 2008. The cyclone caused
torrential rains which killed 32, affected 2,864,484 and whose total loss was US$ 21.6 million.

Thailand Country Profiles 20113

2.2 Recent major disasters
In 2010 the amount of water has exceeded the capacities of either rivers or reservoirs andsubsequently causes flooding. Floods began in the Northeast and Central Thailand early
October due to abnormally late monsoon moisture, overflowed to the Chao Phraya River where
the rivers meet the sea level , and affected Bangkok, and in the South were triggered by atropical depression about 2 weeks later, and was later aggravated by related La Niña monsoon
rains.
Although flooding is a common and annual occurrence in this part of the world, a combination of
inadequate drainage and having a higher than average rainfall in the month of October andNovember 2010, catching the nation unprepared and led to disaster.
Disaster Management Activities on flood in 2010
During the year 2010, Thailand was affected by the influence of 2 main tropical storms, namely
Tropical Storm Mindulle (22-28 August 2010) and Tropical Depression (31 October – 2
November). Besides the influences from Typhoon related disaster, this year Thailand was also
suffered from the flooding crisis from the vigorous monsoon clouds poured heavy rainfall overThailand which occurred in over 51 provinces of Thailand and regarded as the worst flooding in
decades. More than 8.9 million people and 2.6 households had been affected by flooding since
the flood hit on October 10, 2010. The death toll has reached 257 in 29 provinces and theeconomic loss was estimated to be more than USD 1.5 Billion.
The Tropical Storm “Mindulle” was moving over the East of Donghoi, Viet Nam. On August 24,
2010 the monsoon then increased its intensity as Severe Tropical Storm and expanded acrossThailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia and Viet Nam. The effects of Midulle caused heavy rainfall andflood in the north and northeastern parts of Thailand until September 15, 2010. The total affectedareas covered more 39 provinces and affected over million populations. For 712 people were
evacuated and there were 2 deaths due to the flood.
The estimated damages were over USD 185 million with damages to 87,000 hectare of
agricultural areas, more than 57,000 livestock, 5,881 roads, 186 bridges, 44 schools, and 80
mines.
In the beginning of October 2010 the low pressure area, moving over Southern, Central, Easternpart coupled with South East Monsoon has caused damage to 19 provinces, 94 districts, 716
sub-district, 5,474 villages, 545,447 households and 1,694,199 persons.
Those provinces include 1 province in Northern part (Nakornsawan); 9 in Northeastern part
(Nakornratchasima, Chaiyaphum, Srisakes, Surin, Khonkaen, Kalasin, Mahasarakham, Roi Et
and Ubonratchathani; 9 Central Provinces (Chainart, Singburi, Angthong, Suphanburi, Pra
NakhonSi Ayutthaya, Lopburi, Saraburi, Nonburi and Pathumthani). It is estimated that 6,316,156
rai of farmland (2,497,210 acres) are destroyed.
In addition, on October 31, 2010 the Tropical Depression moved into the Gulf of Thailand over
the Southern part of Thailand, causes heavy rainfall and flooding which affected in 12 provinces,
133 districts, 874 sub-districts, 6,197 villages, 609,511 households and 1,932,405 persons.
There were 78 casualties in 8 provinces, 1,499 injuries, over 799 houses were totally destroyed,
67,146 houses were partially destroyed, more than 128,000 hectare of agricultural areas and466,142 livestock were destroyed, and 345 schools were totally damaged. The estimated losses
were USD 104 million.
During the typhoon, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), Ministry ofInterior is working with 14 Southern provinces ensuring the disaster early warning system isready for the upcoming monsoon season. Short Message Service (SMS) is assigned to be themean of warning information exchange between province and the official in charge at site; andMulti-Media Message Service (MMS), communication radio, and internet network is assigned for

Thailand Country Profiles 20114

disaster communication during disaster stage for updated situation and timely response.
Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) dispatched 72,500 Volunteers which
composed of 65,102 civil defense volunteers; 133 Emergency Response Team Officers (ERT)and 7,265 One Tambon One search and Rescue Team officers (OTOS) to support flood victim
assistance throughout the country since floods occurred in Thailand
in order to relieve and alleviate their difficulties
The death toll in floods 2010 by press release from Department of Disaster Prevention and
Mitigation( DDPM) reported that 257 people died in 29 provinces;93 died in Central region, 78
died in South region, 55 died in Northeast region, 28 died in North region, 3 died in East region.
Causes of death mainly from drowning (227), electrocution (17), landslide (6), fallingtree(3),shock/fainted (2), fire (1) and lack of oxygen (1).
Accordingly, DDPM will collaborate with DDPM provincial offices to compensate victims’ funeralarrangement under Ministry of Finance Regulation and Prime Minister Office “Victim Relief Fund”.
DDPM will further proceed funeral arrangement compensation the amount of 25,000 baht foreach family and additional compensation to family head the amount of 25,000 baht. Recently, thecabinet approval as of October 26, 2010 to victim assistance, therefore, victims’ relative will
receive additional compensation the amount of 50,000 baht for funeral arrangement. The victims
can request assistance from 18 DDPM Regional Centers and 75 DDPM Provincial Offices or
Hotline number 1784 for 24 hours.

3. Disaster Management system
3.1 Administrative System
Thailand is divided into 76 provinces. There are three types of government administrations: thecentral, provincial and local.
At the central administration,The Prime Minister is the head of the government or the Cabinet. The
present structure of the Royal Thai Government has been the same since the 2002
“Restructuring of Government Agencies Act”.
The present Cabinet has been active since the 17 December 2008, when its members were
officially sworn in by the King. The Cabinet is made up of five parties that form the current
governing coalition.The Cabinet comprises: 20 Ministers of State as follows;
1. Prime Minister and one Minister for Office of the Prime Minister
2. Ministry of Defence
3. Ministry of Finance
4. Ministry of Foreign Affairs
5. Ministry of Tourism and Sports
6. Ministry for Social Development and Human Security
7. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives
8. Ministry of Transport
9. Ministry for Natural Resource and Environment
10. Ministry of Information and Communication Technology
11.Ministry of Energy
12.Ministry of Commerce
13.Ministry of Interior : is the main responsible body of disaster management

Thailand Country Profiles 20115

14.Ministry of Justice15.Ministry of Labour
16. Ministry of Culture
17. Ministry of Science and Technology
18. Ministry of Education
19. Ministry of Public Health
20. Ministry of Industry

Provincial Administration
There are 76 provinces (changwats) in Thailand. The changwat governor is the headof the changwat administration. All changwat governors are appointed by the central
government .The Ministry of the Interior appoints governors for all but two provinces the metropolis of greater Bangkok and the city of Pattaya, where the governor ispopularly elected.
In 2010, Bung Kan district of the northeastern province of Nong Khai as Thailand's 77th
province comprising eight Nong Khai districts, as proposed by the Ministry of Interior.
Local government system in Thailand
Additionally to these sub-divisions, there are also cities and towns, which take over some of the
responsibilities of the districts and communes on the area covered by the municipality.
These all have an elected board and an elected mayor. There are three different levels ofmunicipalities:
1.thesaban nakhon (city): More than 50,000 citizens
2.thesaban muuang (town): More than 10,000 citizens - or a provincial capital
3.thesaban tambon (sub-district municipality): More than 5,000 citizens
Despite its name, a thesaban tambon does not necessarily coincide with a single tambon. In
addition to the population numbers the municipalities need to have enough tax revenues for theadministration to be able to execute the offices of administrations.
Towns and cities are subdivided into communities(Chumchon), which are equivalent to thevillages (Muban) of rural areas.
The structure of local authorities in Thailand consists of one centrally-located urban region(Bangkok), and several classifications of secondary towns and cities, according to their size,
population, importance to economic development of the nation, and other socio-economic
indicators, as noted below: • City (Tesaban Nakhon) • Town (Tesaban Muang) and • Small Town
(Tesaban Tambon)
Local government system in Thailand is slightly complex. Basically, there are 7,853 in
total ( as of August 2008 ) and five different types of local governments as lists :1. Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA)
2. Pattaya City
3. Tesaban (Municipality), which is also divides into 3 classes: as mentioned above
4. Changwat Administration Organization (CAO) or Or-Bor-Jor
5. Tambon Administration Organization (TA) or Or-bor-Tor as locally named,which is also categorized based on the annual income into 3 classes: small ,medium
and large size.

Thailand Country Profiles 20116

BMA: Despite being classified as a local government, BMA is regarded andtreated as a province. In fact, BMA is the biggest local government in Thailand. It
has enormous budget each year with numerous personnel and resources. This makes
BMA a self sufficient when it comes to disaster management.
Pattaya City: Pattaya City is a local government responsible for administration of the City ofPattaya, the highly famous tourist destination in the eastern part of the country. But by laws, it issupervised by the governor of Changwat Chonburi.
Tesaban: Tesaban is the oldest form of local government in Thailand. Usually atesbaban is located in the province’s populated areas and where high income is generated.
As of August 2008, there are 1,619 tesabans nationwide. Tesaban Nakorn and Tesaban
Muang are under provincial governor’s supervision whereas Tesaban Tambon issupervised by Amphoe Chief Officer.
CAO: Another form of local government is Changwat Administration Organization (CAO).
CAO is responsible for social and economical development activities of the provincial
areas outside the municipalities within the province. In the past, changwat governors by
their positions served as the CAO president. But now CAO president is from election in 4year team. According to the laws, CAO is also supervised by the provincial governor.
TAO: The last and smallest form of local government is Tambon Administration
Organisation (TAO). TAO mayor is elected directly from the people within thetambon’s constituency. TAO plays a major role in the all aspects of development
including social, economic, environment, education and so forth. However, unlike
other forms of local governments, TAO relies heavily on the annual government
budgets. August 2008, there are 6,157 TAO nationwide

3.2 Legal System and Framework
The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act 2007
The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act 2007 (DPM Act) has replaced the old and outdated
1979 Civil Defense Act and the 1999 Fire Prevention and Suppression Act. Entering into force on
6 November 2007,
It stipulates the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) as the core
government department in handling national disaster management work. Also it authorizes local
governments to take responsibility of disaster management in their respective areas, in line with
the Provincial Plan.
The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act 2007 (DPM Act) has 4 prominent features, including
1) Introducing 3 main policy - making and planning bodies including National, Provincial
and Bangkok Metropolitan,
2) Having Prime Minister or an designated Deputy Minister as the National Commander,3) Empowering Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) as the core
government agency in handling national disaster management work, and
4) Authorizing local governments to take responsibility of disaster management in theirrespective areas, in line with the Provincial Plan.
According to the new DPM Act, disaster can be classified into 3 categories namely:

Thailand Country Profiles 20117

1) Man-made and natural disasters;2) Disaster resulted from air raid during wartime; and
3) Disaster resulted from sabotage or terrorist attack.
In terms of policy making, there are 3 levels:
1) National, which is chaired by the Prime Minister or designated Deputy Minister
2) Provincial, which is chaired by Provincial Governor
3) Bangkok Metropolitan Administration level, which is chaired by the Bangkok Governor.
Each of three policy - making organs is composed of the committee as follows:
1) The National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Committee (NDPMC)
2) The Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Committee
3) The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Committee
3.3 Structure of Disaster Management
Disaster management system in Thailand has mainly based on Civil Defence Act of 1979 andFire Prevention and Suppression Act 1999 . After October 3, 2002 Thai government has enacted
the public administration reform under the “ Government ministry and department restructuring
Act B.E.2545 (2002)
Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), has been established as thegovernment agency attached to the Ministry of Interior. DDPM has been entrusted to shoulder
the principal burden in prevention, mitigating and recovering disasters and harmful incidents. As
the consequence, all the tasks relevant to a disaster and a harmful incident which formerly
performed by the defunct of Department Provincial Administration ; Ministry of interior, and by the
National Safety Council of Thailand (NSCT); the office of Permanent Secretary for the Prime
Minister office. The Prime Minister Office respectively, have been merged and transferred to beunder the unified government agency.
a) National Platform for Disaster Risk Reductionb) National Organizations for Disaster Risk Reductionc) Local Organizations for Disaster Risk Reductiona) National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction
National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Committee acronymically called (NDPMC) is
the main policy making body.
Members of the committee come from various Ministries relevant to disaster management, i.e.
Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Ministry ofTransportation and Communications, Ministry of National Resources and Environment, Ministryof Information, Communication and Technology, Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Finance,and so on. The Prime Minister or designated Deputy Prime Minister is a chairperson, andDirector-General of Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) is the secretariatof the committee. The Committee has prominent tasks and responsibilities for proposing thepolicy to formulate the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan, and effectively
integrating the development on disaster prevention and mitigation mechanism among
government agencies, local administrations, and other relevant private sectors.
The Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Committee
The Provincial Governor as the Provincial Director is, according to the Act, responsible fordisaster prevention and mitigation in the province area. The responsibilities include appointmentof the Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Committee, which come from representatives
from other provincial disaster management agencies. The Secretariat of the provincial committee
is the Chief of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Provincial Office. The main duty of theprovincial committee is to formulate the provincial disaster management plan under the guideline
Thailand Country Profiles 20118

of national plan.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Committee
Just the same as Provincial Director, Bangkok Metropolitan Governor as the Bangkok Director is
responsible for disaster prevention and mitigation in Bangkok and to be the person to appoint the
Bangkok Metropolitan Committee composing of delegates from government agencies including
Bangkok Metropolitan, DDPM, Universities, and public charities and communities in Bangkok.
The Committee has powers in drafting the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan for Bangkok
which shall be consistence to the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan, and otherhandling the disaster management related activities.
b) National Organizations for Disaster Risk Reduction
In 2002, Thailand established the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM),
as the principal agency for disaster management coordination among all agencies concerned at
all levels. As regards disaster risk reduction, DDPM shall conduct activities in coordination withother agencies such as: the Meteorological Department (TMD), Ministry of Information
Technology, Royal Irrigation Department (RID), Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives,
Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment.
National Disaster Warning Center ( NDWC)The National Disaster Warning Center was established under the Order of the Office of the Prime
Minister. It is to protect lives and properties of Thai people and foreign visitors by setting up the
National Warning Center as soon as possible.
The major task of the National Disaster Warning Center is to detect earthquake and to analyze
seismic data to determine the possibility of a Tsunami generation before issuing notification
messages to the public and related authorities and rescuers for evacuation of people into safe
places. This is to prevent the loss of people’s lives and properties as much as possible. From
now on, the National Disaster Warning Center will be developed, upgraded of its early warning
system and extended its telecommunication networks to be able to cope with multi-hazards
disasters apart from Tsunami.
Now, NDWC had transferred to be under of the Ministry of Information and Communication
Technology

3.Structure of Disaster Management System
This leadership was guided by the "Civil Defense Act 1979". Due to its outdated features anddisadvantages, the Civil Defense Act 1979 was terminated after about 30 years of use. On 6
November 2007, the "Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act 2007" entered into force, cancellingthe old Civil Defense Act 1979. Thailand's disaster management system has been based on the2007 Act ever since.

Institutional Arrangement
The DPM Act 2007 has the provisions regarding the institutional arrangement as follows:(1)The National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Committee (NDPMC)
NDPMC is a policy making body. It is chaired by the Prime Minister. The Committee comprises 34
members, designated from ministries, agencies and organizations related to disaster management.
(2) The Commander in-chief
Minister of Interior is the Commander in-chief by law when it comes to disasteremergency response particularly in large - scale disaster.
Thailand Country Profiles 20119

(3) The Secretariat of the NDPMC
Director-General of DDPM is by the law the Secretary General of the NDPMC.
(4) The Directors
The Director under the 2007 DPM Act is the Incident Commander when adisaster takes place. There are different levels of directors in the table as following:
PositionsType ofDirectors
Central director

Responsibility

Report to

Supervise the implementation of theDisaster prevention and mitigation
programs and activities conducted byprovincial directors

Commander inchief

Provincial
Governor

Provincial
director

Commander inchief andCentral Director

District Chief
Officer

District Director

Mayor of
Municipality

Local Director

1.Conduct disaster prevention andmitigation programs and activities
2. Supervise the implementation of theDisaster prevention and mitigation
programs and activities conducted by
district directors.
3. Serve as the Incident Commander
once there is a disaster occurring in theProvince
1.Conduct disaster prevention andmitigation programs and activities
2. Supervise the implementation of theDisaster prevention and mitigation
programs and activities conducted by
local directors.
3.Serve as the Incident Commander
once there is a disaster occurring in the
district
1.Conduct disaster prevention andmitigation programs and activities
2.Serve as the Incident Commander
once there is a disaster occurring in themunicipality

Mayor of TAO

Local Director

DDPM
Director General

1.Conduct disaster prevention andmitigation programs and activities
2.Serve as the Incident Commander
once there is a disaster occurring in the
TAO area.

Provincial
director

Provincial
Director orDistrict Director,
depending ontype of class ofthe municipality
District Director

Coordination and Command Structure

The Interior Minister, as the Chair of the National Civil Defense Committee and as theCommander in-chief of National Civil Defense, played a vital role in the coordination among

Thailand Country Profiles 201110

various government agencies and other parties concerned in the aftermath of the disaster.
A large number of meetings were convened where all parties concerned attending to discuss theissues during the response, rehabilitation and recovery phases.
Under 2007, the coordination and command structure in disaster management system is
described in the following flowchart.

Disaster Management System
The Cabinet
commandreportNational Councils (NDPMC, NSCT)
commandreportreport

BMA.

Policy Makers

The Secretariat
Command/Coord.

reportProvincial Governments (75)
Pataya City, Large
Municipalities

District Governments

Actions

Local administration, Small
Municipalities

Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Ministry of Interior

Refer to The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act 2007 has the provisions regarding Disastermanagement Policy and Plan as following:

4. Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan
Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) as the Secretariat of the National
Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Committee (NDPMC), has the responsibility to devise the
National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan.
This is to be done by conferring with relevant government agencies, local administrations, andprivate sectors.
Once the National Plan is approved, it will be used as a master plan, upon which the provincial
and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will be based.
The national plan will be in service for the period of 3 years. DDPM is to make sure that the newplan for the next 3 years is ready for use accordingly.
According to the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act 2007, the three - level plan shallhave substantial parts as shown in the following table.

Thailand Country Profiles 201111

National plan

Provincial Plan

BMA Plan(1) Guide lines, measures and adequate
budget to support disaster prevention andmitigation operations systemically andcontinuously(1) The setting up ofSpecial CommandCenter when everdisasters strike, that
center shall be
constructed and has
authorities to commandand oversee disasterprevention andmitigation operations
and activities(1) establishment ofcommand center
where disasteroccurred forconstruction andauthorization fordisaster prevention
and mitigation
operation(2) Guide lines and methods for providing aids
and mitigate the impacts of disasters in both
short and long term, together with evacuation
procedures of effected people, government
services, and other local administrations,
supports effected people on their publichealth, public utilities and communication
system(2) Plan andprocedures for local
administrations for
procuring tools,
equipments, materials,
hardware and vehicles
in disaster prevention
and mitigation
operations(2) plan and process
to procure materials ,tools , equipment, andvehicle for disasterprevention andmitigation(3)Relevant government agencies and local
administrations shall proceed all operations
under (1) and (2), and shall seek foravailability and mobility of fund(3) Plan andprocedures for local
administrations for
procuring an early
warning system andother equipments to
inform people andcommunities on
incoming disasters(3) plan and process
to procure signaling
devices or others for
notifying theoccurrence andexpectation of adisaster(4)Preparedness perspectives on support
personnel, equipments and other materials to
deploy upon disaster prevention andmitigation operations, and capacity building of
those personnel and other people shall be
included(4) Operation plan fordisaster prevention
and mitigation at local
administrations(4) Bangkok Disaster
Prevention and
Mitigation Action
Operation Plan

(5) Guide line on fixing, recovery andrestoration to community right after disaster(5) Cooperation plan toother relevant publiccharities.

(5) Coordination Plan
with Public Charity
Organizations in
BangkokThailand Country Profiles 201112

Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, as the Secretariat of the National Disaster
Prevention and Mitigation Committee, has the responsibility torevise the National Disaster
Prevention and Mitigation Plan.
The national master plan will be in service for the period of 3 years. DDPM is to make sure thatthe new plan for the next 3 years is ready for use accordingly.

National Master Plan for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation
comprises 3 parts:
Part I : Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Principle : comprises 9 chapters, including(1) Disaster Situation and Management System(2) Policy, Vision, Objectives, and Goals(3) Strategies, Work Plan and Countermeasures(4) Disaster prevention and Mitigation(5) Disaster Preparedness(6) Management during disaster emergency(7) Post Disaster Management(8) Roles of relevant agencies(9) Implementation
Part II: Standard Operating Procedures for Disasters. This part comprises 14 chapters:(10) Flood and Landslide(11) Tropical Cyclone(12) Urban Fire(13) Chemicals and hazardous materials(14) Transportation – related accidents(15) Drought(16) Cold Snap
(17) Haze and wild Fire(18) Earthquake and collapse Building(19) Tsunami(20) Human epidemic(21) Plant epidemic(22) Animal epidemic(23) Cyber terrorism
Part III : Disaster Prevention and Mitigation in the Aspect of National Security Issues
comprise 5 chapters.
(24) Principle of National security(25) Prevention and Suppression of sabotage(26) Prevention and Mitigation of Disaster caused by Mines(27) Prevention and Mitigation of Disaster caused by Air Raid
(28) Prevention and Suppression of Riot and Violent Protest
Civil Defense for Security (Rear-Area Protection) Component:
This component comprises 6 chapters:(1) Civil Defence for Security(2) Disaster Prevention and Mitigation during War-Time (Rear-Area Protection)(3) Sabotage Prevention and Suppression(4) Prevention and Mitigation of Disaster Resulted from Landmine and Torpedo(5) Air-Raid Disaster Prevention and Mitigation(6) Civil Unrest Prevention and Suppression
DDPM has listed 29 disaster threats in the National Master Plan for Disaster Prevention
and Mitigation. This is to be done by conferring with relevant government agencies, local

Thailand Country Profiles 201113

administrations, and private sectors. Once the National Plan is approved, it will be used as amaster plan, upon which the provincial and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will be based.
Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation
Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), according to the Bureaucrat
Reform Act 2002, has been formed by different organizations responsible for disaster prevention
and mitigation as follows:(1) Civil Defence Division of Department of Provincial Administration;(2) Department of Accelerated Rural Development;(3) Department of Social Welfare, Department of Community Development; and(4) Office of National Safety Council
According to Article 11 of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act B.E.2550, DDPM is
mandated to be central government agency under the umbrella of Ministry of Interior toundertake the work on disaster prevention and mitigation at a national level. Aside its Head
Office in Bangkok, DDPM also has 18 Regional Operation Centers and 75 Provincial Offices
across the country. In 2004, Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Academy (DPMA) has been
established and 6 campus in Prachinburi, Songkhla, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Phuket,
Phitsanulok which is currently conducting training for its own staffs, some government
stakeholders and private organization.

DDPM STRUCTURE

Director-General

Deputy Director-General(Technical Affairs)

Deputy Director-General(Operational Affair)

15 Bureaus, Divisions and Units

Deputy Director-General(Administrative Affairs)

18 Regional Centers

75 DPM Provincial Offices

Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Ministry of Interior

In 2010, DDPM had 4,746 staffs. Among this number, were 2,118 civil servants and therest were 1,828 permanent employees and 800 temporary staffs. There is only a very littlechange in the number of personnel of DDPM in the year 2010.
DDPM’s responsibility :1.Materializing disaster and civil emergency prevention and warning
Systems and creating preparedness in all areas.
2.Directing and implementing disaster and civil emergency mitigation activity
systematically, rapidly, equitably and thoroughly.
3.Procurement of materials, equipments, and vehicles, indispensable for disaster prevention,
mitigation, suppression and for relief operation.

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4.Rehabilitation of damaged public utilities, physical and mental recuperation of disaster victim,
and restoration of livelihood. All these activities are carried out on thorough, equitable and rapid
basis, and be in harmony with the needs of the victims.
5.Mainstreaming and collaborating disaster prevention and mitigation system, programme,
the implementation evaluation with other national and international agencies.
Disaster Management in Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation( DDPM) and main activities
comprises 3 phases as follow;
1.Preparedness Phase : DDPM has supported the provinces to carry out preparedness related
activities as follow;(1) Formulating disaster prevention plan.
(2) Training the officials and Civil Defence Volunteer.
(3) Educating the general public.
(4) Procuring equipments, vehicles and other amenities and safety temperary
shelters.
(5) Conducting annual drills and exercise in different levels.
2. Prevention and Mitigation Phase : In the event of disaster or the potential disaster, DDPM
will implement the following activities.
(1) Early warning : After receiving the information of potential disaster from
Department of Meteorological and Department of Mineral Resources, DDPM will immediately
relay to the risk province to furtherly warn the people of the hazard or evacuate the people.
(2) Directing Unit : The National Committee will set up “Operation Center” tomanage disaster(3) Providing relief operation to the affected people thoroughly and rapidly.
4) Coordinating: In the event of large-scale disaster , DDPM will
coordinate with all agencies concerned to mobilize relief efforts to affected areas.
(5)Telecommunication : The Director of National Committee is authorized to utilize
all telecommunication facilities in the affected areas. DDPM will coordinate with
telecommunication concerned agencies to provide the substitute facilities in case thetelecommunication system in the affected area broke down.
(6) Public Relations : At national level, DDPM is responsible for disseminating thedisaster related information to the public continuously to protect the life and property of thecitizens. Moreover to alert the possibility of disaster just before a strong tremor is expected to
strike as “a warning”.
3. Recovery Phase : DDPM is responsible for(1) Providing relief to affected people : Provincial/District/Local authorities assess thedamages and losses and enlist the affected persons. DDPM will carry out to pay cash
compensation the victims.
(2) Clean-up: DDPM will coordinate with all agencies concerned to mobilize theequipments to conduct clean-up activities.
(3) Long-term Rehabilitation : DDPM is responsible for coordinating with all agencies
concerned to collect all relevant information on long-term rehabilitation projects and further
submit for cabinet’s approval.
5. Budget size on Disaster Management
Since its establishment in late 2002, the annual budget of DDPM has been increasing, from34 Millions USD in 2003 to 83 Millions USD in the year 2010 Fiscal year (see the tablebelow).

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Budget of DDPM Fiscal Year 2003-2010

Year

THB

USD

2003

1, 066,412,900

34

2004

1,312,578,500

42

2005

1,685,362,700

55

2006

2,437,850,700

79

2007

1,948,805,800

63

2008

2,184,972,800

71

2009

2,315,783,900

75

2010

2,541,163,000

83

Source : DDPM ( As of 24 February : 1 USD = 30.50 THB )6. Progress of Implementation of Hyogo Framework for Action
The progress on implementation of Hyogo Framework for action (HFA) 2005 – 2015 : Building
the resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters. To achieve the goal of HFA is“sustainable reduction of disaster losses, in lives and in social, economic and environmental
assets.” In adopting the Hyogo Framework, Thai government; DDPM committed to five priorities
for action; sets out the required actions – collectively known as “ disaster risk reduction” –measures that be continuously implemented in order to achieve resilience to future hazards.
Recently Activities of DDPM related to Disaster Risk Education(1 ) Ensure that DRR is a national and local priority with a strong institutional basis for
implementation by collaboration between government agencies the private sector and civilsociety organizations in the risk area.
After the Indian Tsunami struck Thailand's 6 southern provinces in 2004, the country had
revealed its disaster management system to the international community for the first time.
DDPM has identified many lessons concerning the Tsunami and recovery of the affected
provinces and communities. The need to reduce the risks of disasters, safety culture andtraditional knowledge are offered as a contribution to the ongoing process of learning how
nations, communities and individuals can become better prepared for the reduction or risk natural
hazards.
(2) Identity, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning. Enhancing disasterrisk information, early warning system, effective risk communication, and public education for
DRR
Early Warning System in Thailand :For warnings of earthquakes and Tsunamis, the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC)
receives information from Meteorological Department and various agencies through their seismic
stations located in Thailand such as Royal Thai Navy, the Electricity Generating Authority ofThailand (EGAT) and the Royal Irrigation Department. The National Disaster Warning Center
also receives information on seal level change from the Hydrographic Department of the Royal
Thai Navy. In addition the National Disaster Warning Center gets information from global seismic
networks such as the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), Hawaii, U.S.A., Japan
Meteorological Agency (JMA), Japan and from nearby countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia.
Telecommunication systems include telephone, facsimile and electronic mail. This is to issue
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notification messages within 5-10 minutes to VIPs, rescuers and related agencies involves suchas fire extinguishing stations, hospitals, schools and police stations.
The information is then analyzed by experts from Meteorological Department and Department of
Geological Survey and Earthquake before decision can be made to issue warning message inaccording to levels of severity as determined by the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
Manual.
To inform the policy makers and rescuers through the SMS system and mass media
Through television.
To do transmissions by the Television Channel 5 (the Army Television Station) as it is the main
authorized television station for dissemination of warning messages to the public on nation-widebasis by linking networks to broadcast via satellite communications.
To announce a warning on the Television Pool of Thailand through 42 communication systemsof the Mass Communication Organization of Thailand, 64 radio stations network of the Public
Relations Department and through 216 radio stations of the CAT Telecom Public Company
Limited and to link with SMS system about 20 million mobile phones to disseminate warning
information.
The relation between the early warning system and the rural villages on risk area by
DDPM supported.
The early warning system will also linked with the rural village through loud speakers to provide
alerting signal simultaneously. Until now, Royal Thai Government set up the “National Disaster
Warning Centre” and constructed completely 74 towers in 6 tsunami affected provinces along theAndaman Coast. The west phase, 48 more of towers will be constructed in the North, the Eastand along the eastern coast of Gulf of Thailand and 144 more towers will be constructed invarious vulnerable areas such as in the land slide prone areas in the North and Northeasternparts of the country.
However, the flood and mudslide/landslide are the severity of natural disaster in Thailand.
Therefore DDPM has initiated “the Flashflood and Mudslide Warning Program” to enhancecapacity of the local. In risk assessment and early warning. Under this program DDPM has
collaborated with Department of Provincial Administration, Department of Local Administration,
The Meteorological Department, National Park Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, andNational Disaster Warning Centre to design “Mr. Disaster Warning” training course.
Since in August 2006, DDPM in cooperation with the earlier mentioned government agencies,
had launched this training course in flood and mudslide prone villagers of 51 provinces (fromtotal 76 provinces) nationwide. The total number of 16,944 “Mr. Disaster Warning”(as of
October 2010) have been designated and tasked as the “village – based disaster warning
volunteers in their respective villages”.

(3) "Use knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilienceat all levels."
DDPM has been well aware of these disadvantages, particularly their vulnerability and difficulty

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of accessibility. Thus, the Office has attempted to reduce the risk and losses of lives andproperties of the villagers. Furthermore, our office has realized that without the villagers’
awareness and their intervention, in this attempt will lead to unsustainable achievements. As theconsequence, the community-based activities have been implemented as in the training course
on “Community Based Disaster Risk Management; CBDRM” within their villages.
Thailand has realized that it is essential to improve public safety for every sectors of the people,
particularly those who are at risk, is a greatly programme of understanding of threats posed bydisasters of various types. Due to CBDRM approach is to reduce vulnerabilities and tostrengthen people capacity to cope with the disaster risk they face, therefore to create theawareness and to implement the culture of safety for the people thought this approach.
(4) Reduce the underlying risk factors
Resilience to disasters built investing in simple, well - known measures to reduce risk andvulnerability, such as applying relevant building standards or protecting ecosystems in the riskarea. Countermeasures against unsafe buildings and the lack or non-enforcement of building
codes.
(5)Strengthen disaster preparedness for effective response at all levels.
Disaster preparedness for an effective response such as the development and regular testing ofcontingency plans and practical disaster preparedness drills in a community level.
To Strengthen national and local capacities for vulnerability & risk reduction, disaster mitigation,
response, and recovery. DDPM has realized the urgent need to be prepared and ready to act bythis approach, to set up efficient and skillful search and rescue team at provincial, district andlocal levels.
In this regard, DDPM has launched One Tambon One-Search and Rescue Team (OTOS) project,which contains ; at the provincial level, the training of provincial SAR teams were completed andhave been assigned to be SAR instructors ; at district level, district SAR team have been trained
to become instructors as well ; at Tambon level (Thailand’s administrative unit in between district
and village), it is expected there will be Tambon Search and Rescue Team SAR team in every
Tambon (7,255 in number) nation-wide at the end of 2008.

Emergency Response Team Project (ERT)
Emergency Response Team or ERT has been developing by DDPM to response for each type oflarge-scale hazards or incidents. Basically, ERT was set up 20 teams, 2 teams embedded in
DDPM, Bangkok Office, and the other 18 teams in each Regional Center of DDPM. Each ERT
will consist 10 members, including one (1) team leader, three (3) for planning, and six (6) for
operation. Team leader will be the chief officer to coordinate with Provincial Director and officersof the Ad-Hoc Directing Center in case of disaster occurring.

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pment of Civil Defencee Volunteerr Network ProgrameP
Develop
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P
2011

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severe weather, while in other cases, disaster can strike in an instant in the form of anearthquake or landslide or flashflood or fire. If people do not practice their responses, they willusually not be prepared when disaster does happen; while a disaster drill may not anticipate
every potential scenario, it gives people an idea of how to behave during a disaster.

On a basic level, drills can include responses by individuals to protect themselves, such aslearning how to shelter in place, understanding what to do in an evacuation, and organizing
meetup points so that people can find each other after a disaster. For emergency services andother first responders, disaster drills handle topics like what to do when communications are cut
off, how to deal with lack of access to equipment, tools, and even basic services like water andpower, and how to handle evacuations. A disaster drill also provides a chance to practice for
events such as mass casualties which can occur during a disaster.
Regular disaster drills are often required for public like local government offices and schools.
During the disaster drill, people are expected to practice things like evacuating the building andassisting each other so that they will know what to do when a real alarm sounds. People may
also organize disaster drills for their families so that household members will know what to do inan emergency.
Community-based disaster drills such as whole-city drills provide a chance to practice the full
spectrum of disaster response. These drills can include actors and civilian volunteers who playroles of victims, looters, and other people who may be encountered during a disaster, andextensive planning may go into such drills. A disaster drill on this scale should be done once or
twice a year.
Our past experience on evacuation drills
Since March 2005, the cabinet mandated the Secretariat Office to formulate master plan forevacuation and to conduct evacuation drills in 6 provinces affected by the 26 December Indian
Ocean Tsunami. DDPM has promptly responded to the policy by formulating the Tsunami
Disaster Evacuation Drill Master Plan along with a preparation for disaster evacuation drills.

The Ministry of Interior (MOI) has issued a request for 16 provincial governments along the Gulfof Thailand coast to formulate the tsunami disaster evacuation plan based on the DDPM’s
Tsunami Disaster Evacuation Drill Master Plan. The MOI also ordered the 16 government
governors to conduct drills for the plan testing. Besides, the ministry has suggested the provincial
governments to mandate the districts and local governments under control to formulate the local
evacuation plan and to conduct evacuation drills.
During April – June 2005, tsunami evacuation drills had been exercised in nearly all tsunamiaffected provinces. Phuket was the first province in the country to conduct the tsunami escapedrill on 29 April 2005 with almost 3,000 participants from all sectors. Ranong, one of the tsunamiaffected province is to perform a tsunami evacuation drill in late July 2005.

It should be noted that all provinces in the country are demanded to formulate disaster plans andto conduct drills as the top priority on a regular basis. Lessons and experience are being drawn
from the drills for future improvement, which is centrally initiated by DDPM.

8. Counterpart of ADRC
Contact person : Mr. Wiboon sanguanpong ; Director General of Department of Disaster
Prevention and Mitigation , Ministry of Interior

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Address: 3/12 U-Thong Nok Road, Dusit, Bangkok 10300 THAILAND
Web site : www.disaster.go.th

References
1. DDPM, 2009, Thailand’s Master Plan for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation
2. DPDM, 2007, Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act B.E.2550, Bangkok
3. DDPM, 2008, Annual Report 2008
4. DDPM, 2008, Handbook of Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation
5. DDPM, 2007, Master Plan of National Fire Safety Development
6. DDPM, 2009, Strategic National Action Plan (SNAP) on Disaster Risk Reduction 2010-2019
7. DDPM, 2007, Master Plan for Tsunami Hazard Prevention and Mitigation
8. Ministry of Education, 2009, Thailand Education System, URL:
http://store.tkc.go.th/multimedia/tun/Thai_learning/learning.html, accessed: 14:03 19/10/2552
9. DDPM, 2009, Thailand Country Report 200 9
10. DDPM, 2006, Report for the Disaster Preparedness in Primary School
11. Pinta, Arun, 2007, Report on Thailand’s Disaster Management System
12. DDPM, 2009, Budget of DDPM, URL: http://www.disaster.go.th
13. DDPM Press release on 1 December 2010 : http://www.disaster.go.th
14. www.siamweb.org/content/Thailand/131/index_eng.php
15. www.wikipedia

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