Disclaimer
This report was compiled by an ADRC visiting researcher (VR) from ADRC member
countries. The views expressed in the report do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADRC.
The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on the maps in the report also do
not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the ADRC.

Thailand country report 2023 | VR ADRC

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Contents
1.

General Information ............................................................................................. 3
1.1 Geographical Data ............................................................................................ 3
1.2 Climate Information ........................................................................................... 4
1.3 Demographic Data ............................................................................................ 5
1.4 Administrative Divisions .................................................................................... 6

2. Disaster in Thailand ................................................................................................ 9Disaster Statistical Data ........................................................................................ 17(1) Flood ................................................................................................................ 17(2) Drought ............................................................................................................ 17(3) Landslide ......................................................................................................... 18(4) Storm ............................................................................................................... 18(5) Fires ................................................................................................................. 18
3. Recent Major Disasters ........................................................................................ 20
4. Thailand’s Disaster Risk Management System .................................................... 25
4.1 Legal Framework ............................................................................................ 25
4.2 National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan 2021 - 2027 ....................... 25
4.3 Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation ......................................... 30
5. Recent Projects on Disaster Risk Reduction ........................................................ 33
6. Counterpart of ADRC ........................................................................................... 40
7. References ........................................................................................................... 41

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1. General Information
1.1 Geographical Data
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand,lies in the heart of Southeast Asia between latitudes
N 5°37’ to N 20°27’ and longitudes E 7°22’ to E 105°37’.
The country occupies an area of 513,115 km² with a total
coastline of 3,151.13 km, consisting of the Andaman Sea
Coast 1,111.35 km in the west and the Gulf of Thailand
Coast of 2,039.78 km in the east. (Department of Marine
and Coastal Resources, 2023) It is the third largest
country in Southeast Asia, after Indonesia and Myanmar.
The boundaries of Thailand with adjacent areas are:
North: Myanmar and Laos; East: Laos, Cambodia and the
Gulf of Thailand; South: Malaysia; and West: Myanmar
and the Andaman Sea. The highest point in Thailand is Doi Inthanon, at 2,565 meters(8,415 feet). The lowest point is the Gulf of Thailand, at sea level.

Thailand has different types of geography. It is divided into six regions and eachregion has a different characteristic geography:
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1) Mountains and Plains of the North
The North of Thailand is full of mountain ranges. It is covered with evergreen
forests and is an important source of water for the country. Notable mountains in the area are
Luang Phra Bang, Daen Lao, Thanon Thong Chai, Phee Pun Nam, and Phetchabun. The
tallest one is Doi Inthanon in Chiang Mai.
2) Central Plains
This region is rich in river basins. It is home to the densest and largest sediment
plains in Thailand. There are two rivers, the Ping River and Yom River, which merge at Pak
Nam Pho, Nakhon Sawan province, to form the Chao Phraya River, making the central region
the most fertile in the country. With these river lines and the flatlands of central Thailand, thecentral region is considered one of the most significant areas in the world for rice cultivation.
3) Northeastern Plateaus
Flanked on the western and southern edges by steep mountain ranges, the centerof the region lies the Korat Basin. The Chi and Mun Rivers, the main rivers in this region, flowfrom west to east, merging into the Mekong River in Ubon Ratchathani. Local mountains are
the Phu Phan, Dong Phaya Yen, San Kampaeng, and Pha Nom Dong Rak. The northeast
region consists of plateaus. The soil is dry and not always suitable for cultivation.
4) High mountains of the WestThis region is full of valleys and mountain ranges, extending from the North.
Sparse narrow plains weave between the dominating mountains of the west. Important
mountain ranges are the Thanon Thong Chai and Ta Naw Sri ranges.
5) Mountains and Coastal Plains of the East
The East is characterized by plateaus alternating with short mountain ranges. It
has a smooth, long, and curved coastline. The Chanthaburi mountain range, on the east
coast, forms a westward continuation of the Banthat range and forms the boundary between
Thailand and Cambodia. Between the Banthat and Chanthaburi mountains is a narrow plain,perfect for growing fruit.
6) Mountains, Plateaus, Coastal Plains and Islands of the SouthThe South sits on a narrow peninsula. Two Beach plains to the east and the west
are divided by tall mountain ranges running through the center of the peninsula. Notable
mountains in the area are San Ka Ra Kiri (which borders Malaysia) Phuket, and Nakhon Si
Thammarat. The narrowest part of the country is Kor Kod Kra, connected to the Malay
Peninsula.

1.2 Climate Information
Thailand is located in the tropical climate zone. The country is affected by two
seasonal monsoons: the southwest monsoon and the northeast monsoon. The southwest
monsoon starts in May and brings a stream of warm, moist air from the Indian Ocean towards
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Thailand causing abundant rainfall over the country. The northeast monsoon starts in Octoberand brings cold, dry air from China over the north and northeast regions, and also facilitates
abundant rain along the eastern coastline of the Southern region.
The climate of Thailand can be broadly divided into three seasons: 1) Rainy, frommid-May to mid-October 2) Winter, from mid-October to mid-February, and 3) Summer, frommid-February to mid-May. Thailand’s hottest months are April and May, while the coldest
months experienced during December and January. The months with the highest rainfall are
August and September. The average temperature of Thailand ranges from 18°C to 38°C.

Thailand is among the world's ten countries that are most exposed to climatechange. In particular, it is highly vulnerable to rising sea levels and extreme weather events.
Various studies report temperature increases across Thailand since mid-20th century. The
annual mean maximum temperatures in Thailand (year 1951 – 2020) recorded by the Thai
Meteorological Department indicates that a trend increasing temperatures is likely tocontinue. In recent years (2015-2021), the rainfall variation has fluctuated, with the lowest
rainfall in 40 years in 2019 (1,343.4 mm) since 1979 (1,332.3 mm). The highest annual rainfall
in Thailand was recorded in 2017 (2,017 mm).

1.3 Demographic Data
Total population of Thailand as registered in November 2023 was 66,057,967,
about 32.2 million males and 33.8 million females (The Bureau of Registration Administration,2023). There have been challenging signs of declining birth rate which might hit critical levels.
The number of newborns has been lower than 1 million people since 1984, and has been
continuing to drop since then until the number of deaths was higher than the number of births
for the first time in 2021. As of November 2023, there were 476,961 births and 518,992
deaths.
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Moreover, the proportion of people aged 60 years and older has increased to
20% of the total population in 2022 causing Thailand became an aged society. This
demographic transition translates into two challenges: 1) the development of a mechanism
to support aging and aged members of society, and 2) the development of national policies
and plans to promote social and health services for mothers and newborns. There were about
13 million elderly people in Thailand in 2023, and Bangkok has the highest number of elderly
persons. In addition, Thailand had about 2.2 million people with disabilities in 2023, whilealmost 1.3 million of them aged 60 years and older.
The number of employed people in October 2023 totaled 39.9 million, with thehighest number of employed people worked in agricultural and fishery sector. (Bank ofThailand, 2023)

1.4 Administrative Divisions
Thailand is governed under a system of parliamentary democracy with aconstitutional monarchy, with the King as Head of State. The sovereign power can be divided
into three branches:
1) The legislative branch consists of the National Legislative Assembly, House ofRepresentatives, Senate, and Parliament.
2) The executive branch consists of the prime minister, who is appointed by theKing in accordance with the resolution of the National Legislative Assembly. Upon
recommendation of the prime minister, the King appoints ministers. The prime minister is thehead of government in Thailand and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of thegovernment.

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3) The judiciary is the system of courts, consisting of the Court of Justice, theConstitutional Court, and the Administrative Court. The President of the Supreme Court ofJustice, the President of the Constitutional Court, and the President of the Supreme
Administrative Court are the heads of the judicial branch.
The administrative services of the executive branch of the government are divided
into three levels: (1) the central
government

consists

of

Prime

Minister’s Office, Ministries, Bureaus,
and Departments; (2) the provincial
government consists of Provinces,
Districts, Sub-district, and Villages;and (3) the local government consistsof Provincial Administrative Organizations (PAO), Municipalities, Sub-district Administrative
Organizations (SAO), Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), and Pattaya City.
Although BMA and Pattaya City are special governed districts, Pattaya City is still part of
Chonburi province, while BMA is at provincial level itself.
The provincial government comes under the concept of deconcentration, with agovernor and head officials appointed directly by the Ministry of Interior. The governor has
the statutory authority to direct and order government officials from other central ministries
and departments at the provincial level. As of 31 December 2023, the number of Thailand’s
provincial government are as follows: 76 provinces, 878 districts, 7,255 sub-districts, 75,086
villages. (The Bureau of Registration Administration, 2023) On the other hand, the local
government is based upon the concept of decentralization. It is divided into local government
executives and local government organization councils. Local government members in theexecutive branch and the legislative branch are elected directly by people.
The country divided into 6 regions and each region
comprises of provinces as follows:
1) North region (9 provinces): Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai,
Lampang, Lamphun, Mae Hong Son, Nan, Phayao, Phrae, andUttaradit
2) Central region (Bangkok + 21 provinces): Ang
Thong, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Chai Nat, Kamphaeng Phet,Lop Buri, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Sawan,
Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Phetchabun, Phichit, Phitsanulok,
Sukhothai, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram,
Saraburi, Sing Buri, Suphan Buri, and Uthai Thani

Thailand country report 2023 | VR ADRC

73) North-east or Isan region (19 provinces): Amnat Charoen, Buri Ram,
Chaiyaphum, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Loei, Maha Sarakham, Mukdahan, Nakhon Phanom,
Nakhon Ratchasima, Nong Bua Lamphu, Nong Khai, Roi Et, Sakon Nakhon, Si Sa Ket, Surin,
Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, and Yasothon
4) Western region (5 provinces): Kanchanaburi, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan,
Ratchaburi, and Tak
5) Eastern region (7 provinces): Chachoengsao, Chanthaburi, Chonburi, Prachin
Buri, Rayong, Sa Kaeo, and Trat
6) South region (14 provinces): Chumphon, Krabi, Nakhon Si Thammarat,
Narathiwat, Pattani, Phang Nga, Phatthalung, Phuket, Ranong, Satun, Songkhla, Surat
Thani, Trang, and Yala

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2. Disaster in Thailand
Thailand is exposed to a wide range of hazards due to its geographical location. The
country is currently affected by various disaster including floods, storms, landslides, wildfires,extreme heat, droughts, and earthquake. The effect of climate change has also magnified
the impact of hydrometeorological hazards and increased vulnerabilities to people andassets. Projections suggest that Thailand’s agriculture sector could be significantly affectedby climate change. However, their impacts vary. For example, communities located in steep
and mountainous regions are particularly vulnerable to landslides triggered by heavy rain, on
the other hand, the northern parts are more prone to wildfires occurring during the dry season,
while the country’s coasts are impacted by sea level rise and communities along thecoastlines are susceptible to the risk of storm surges and saline intrusion, which heighten therisks of contamination of aquifers and the soil. Moreover, the problem of air pollution is a
growing concern for the general public in Thailand. PM 2.5 ultra-fine dust becomes a serious
threat to harm people’s health, increasing negative impact to several health conditions suchas respiratory illness, heart health, and allergic symptoms affecting the eyes and nasal
passages. In addition, human-induced hazards, particularly technological accidents, are alsoa concern, especially in industrial areas.
Examples of major disasters that had occurred and causing significant damages andlosses on human’s lives and assets in Thailand historical record are as follows:
Year

1942

Event Description

PictureBangkok Floods
Heavy downpours in the Chao
Phraya Basin provinces caused
floods that lasted three months.
The highest water level was 2.27
meters during October. At that
period even the Bangkok’s Royal
Plaza and location around theGrand Palace were under water.
This was the worst flooding in
Thailand before large dams like
Bhumibol and Sirikit were build.

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Year

1962

1988

1989

Event Description

PictureTropical Storm Harriet
In October 1962, Tropical Storm
HarrietravagedThailand’ssouthern peninsula. The center ofthe storm was in Nakhon Si
Thammarat province as it moved
to the shore at Laem Talumphukwith 300 kilometers across andhad winds of 95 kmph. The
Tropical Storm Harriet caused awide-area storm surge and flash
flood. The 4-meter height wave hit
many villages along the seashore.
There were more than 900 dead,
250 serious injured, 140 missing,and 16,000 lost their houses.

Landslides and debris flow
Extremely intense rainfall foralmost 3 days and 3 nights
triggered a massive landslidecascading down from Khao Luang
Mountains where several villages
along their rims were almost wipedout by catastrophic debris flows.
Two villages in Nakorn Si
Thammarat Province - Ban Kathun
Nua, Phipun district and Ban
Kiriwong, Lan Saka district wereseverely hit by landslides anddebris flows. More than 100
people died and missing, 230
injured and damages worth about
1 billion Thai baht.

Typhoon Gay
The worst typhoon to affect the
Malay Peninsula in 35 years
formed in the Gulf of Thailand inearly November as a monsoon
and rapidly intensified, attaining
winds over 120 km/h. The storm
landed Chumphon on 4 November
with winds of 185 km/h, caused
more than 500 dead and 400
missing and about 500 fishingboats sank in the sea.
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Year

1990

1993

Event Description

PictureBangkok Gas Explosion
The gas explosion in Bangkok
took place on 24 September 1990,
when a liquid petroleum gas
tanker truck crashed on theexpressway
exit
at
New
Phetchaburi Road, and then theliquid petroleum gas, which may
have been improperly mounted tothe truck was spilt on the road
ignited causing large explosions
and 300-meter radius fires thatburned more than 40 shop-houses
and other buildings, including thewomen’s dormitory, along with
about 100 slum dwellings for over
24 hours. Total property damages
were estimated at over 300 million
baht and almost 90 people were
killed.

The Kader Toy Factory FireOn 10 May 1993, a small fire wasdiscovered on the first floor of one
building and spread quickly
because the parts of factory were
full of raw materials which easily toburn fast and none of the structuralsteel in the building was
fireproofed, and also, none of thebuildings
hadautomatic
sprinklers. 15 minutes after theburning,theBuildingOnecollapsed, and the blaze raged
through the Building Two andThree before the fire brigade could
effectively defend them. Fortunately,
all the workers from Building Two
and Three were able to escapeand the firefighters successfully
kept the fire from entering Building
Four. It took more than 3 hours
until the flame was under control.
It is considered the worst industrial
factory fire in history. 188 people
were killed, and over 500 wereseriously injured.

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Year

Event Description

Picture1994

Collapse of the Royal Hotel PlazaOn 13 August 1993, the Royal
Plaza, a 6-storey hotel complex in
Nakhon Ratchasima province ofThailand collapsed with little
warningwhile379
peopleattended meetings inside. The
hotel started collapsing at 10.10
hr. and within 10 minutes later thewhole building collapsed swiftly
and totally, leaving high only thefront elevator hall, which was
structurally independent from therest of the building. The collapse
was blamed on a substandard
structural addition to the building,which doubled the number offloors of the hotel from three to six,
resulting in killing 137 and injuring227. This incident contradicts thebroadly held notion that if abuilding
has
survived
theconstruction stage, it is very
unlikely to collapse without major
external forces, such as anearthquake.

1995

Thailand Big Floods
During August - October 1995,
Thailand was hit by a series oftropical storms, especially storm
Olis, passing through the country
from the South China Sea. Due tothe effects of several storms,
Heavy rainfall and floods occurredin Northern, Eastern, Southern,andNortheasternregions,
including Bangkok. The risingwaters in Chao Phraya River
reached 2.27-meter height as they
did in 1942. 68 out of 76 provinces
got affected, while, total 260 lives
had been lost. Some areas suchas White House Village in Pathum
Thaniprovince
had
been
inundated for 2 months.

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Year

1997

Event Description

PictureRoyal Jomtien Resort Hotel FireOn 11 July 1997, a fire ignited asa result of human error by a worker
who had identified a faulty valve
assembly on a gas cylinder in aground floor buffet of the hotel.
Instead of shutting off the valve,
the worker accidentally increased
the flow of gas and caused an
explosion. Authorities blamed the
management of the 17-story, 450room Royal Jomtien Resort Hotelfor neglecting fire safety measures.
More than 300 people, mostly
Thais attending seminars, were in
the hotel at the time the fire brokeout. More than 90 people were
killed and 74 were injured.

2001

Debris Flow and Debris Flood in
Nam Ko area
On 11 August 2001, a disastrous
debris flow and associated debris
flood (debris flow-flood) severely
damaged Nam Ko Yai village on
the alluvial fan just below thecanyon mouth of the Nam Ko Yai
stream, a major tributary of Pa Sak
River in Lom Sak district,Phetchabun province, central
Thailand. The floodwater, full ofdebris and fallen trees, destroyed
several houses on the stream
banks and claimed 136 lives, while
another 109 were injured. The
blame for the incident, once again,
was laid at the door of extensive
deforestation.

2004

Indian Ocean Earthquake andTsunamiOn 26 December 2004, magnitude
9.1 Sumatra, Indonesia earthquake(3.316 N, 95.854 E, depth 30 km)
generated a gigantic tsunami thatwas observed worldwide andcaused tremendous devastationand deaths throughout the Indian
Ocean region. The first giant waves
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Year

2004

2011

2019

Event Description
from the Indian Ocean tsunami
reached Banda Aceh, Indonesia,
and then traveled as fast as 500
mph, the speed of a jet plane, toother countries, including Thailand.
Tsunami wave hit all 6 provinces
along the Andaman coast, morethan 5,400 people perished, 8,000
were injured, and 2,000 went
missing.

PictureThailand Floods
The La Niña phenomenon and 5
storms unleashing heavy rains
brought severe flooding to 64 of 76
provinces as well as Bangkok. The
flooding began at the end of Julytriggered by the landfall of Tropical
Storm Nock-ten. These floods
soon spread through the provincesof northern, northeastern, andcentral Thailand along the Mekong
and the Chao Phraya river basins.
In October floodwaters reachedthe mouth of the Chao Phraya andinundated parts of Bangkok, andeven the runway complex of Don
Mueang airport was totallysubmerged. The impact was felt
globally as industrial sites wereinundated and caused a major
shortage of hard disk drives andother exports to the world.
Flooding persisted in some areas
until mid-January 2012, resulting
in a total of 657 deaths, with 3
missing. Overall, the total damage
and loss amounted to 1.44 trillion
baht, making this the mostexpensive natural disaster inThailand’s history.

Tropical Storm Pabuk
Pabuk made landfall in the Pak
Panang district of Nakhon Si
Thammarat province on 4
January 2019 with maximum
sustained wind speeds of 95
kilometers per hour (59 mph). It
was the tropical storm number one
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Year

2019

2021

Event Description
and is considered as the first storm
in 68 years to enter Thailand in
January. Fortunately, early warningand early action helped ensurethat tropical storm Pabuk passedwith limited loss of life. Because oflearning from the previous losses
caused by Tropical Storm Harriet
and Typhoon Gay, Thai authorities
had evacuated about 30,000
people living in the coastal districts
into shelters, and also, suspended
flights and ferry services, raised
red warning flags on the beach toban swimming, and advised
fishermen to stay ashore. The
storm affected 18 provinces, killed
5 people, and caused higheconomic losses (about 5 billion
baht) and considerable damage tocritical infrastructures such as
roads, water and electricity
supplies.

PictureMing Dih Chemical Factory
Explosion
The complexed chemical factory
explosion was one of the biggest
HAZMAT incidents Thailand has
experienced in decades. A
massive explosion and fire at foamand plastic pellet manufacturing
plant of Ming Dih Chemical Co.,
Ltd., located in Samut Prakan
Province, on July 5, 2021. The
explosion not only engulfed theentire factory but also caused
extensive damage to buildings,
houses, and property of theresidents living within a radius of
1 - 2 kilometer. Many firefighters
were injured and one of them was
killed. The report said there were
49 injured, and more than 2,500
houses damaged. Authorities
ordered residents living within a
5-kilometer area around thefactory to evacuate to avoid
inhaling any fumes and warning

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Year

2021

2022

Event Descriptionthat they could cause dizzinessand vomiting, and cancer in thelong term. DDPM was supporting
the incident by supplying 2
helicopters (KA-32), machineryand equipment, search and rescue
teams, and Incident Management
Assistance Team (IMAT) to assist
the operation at scene.

PictureTyphoon Noru
Typhoon Noru was an intense
tropical cyclone that affected
Vietnam,Thailandand
Philippines. The heavy raincaused severe flooding andlandslides
acrosspartsofThailand. Department of Disaster
Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM)
reported that 37 districts in 18
provinces in North Northeast andCentral region have been hit byflooding between 22 - 26
September 2022. Around 4.000
people were evacuated, 4,348
households were affected and 3
people were deaths. The heavy
rain has continued since then,causing further flooding and rivers
to rise. The authorities issued
warnings for communities close to
the Chao Phraya river and Pa Sak
river on 2nd October. Until 5th
October the rivers were above
critical level in 38 locations, mostly
in Northern and central provinces.
DDPM reported floods and flash
floods occurred in 25 provinces
due to the influence of Noru,
approximately 156,240 households
affected, 4 deaths and 2 injuries.
On 13 October, DDPM officiallyrequested resources support fromAHA Centre to release 3,500
Family Kits and 9,000 Personal
Hygiene
Kits
from
DELSA
Warehouse in Chai Nat province
to support the remaining 13
provinces affected by the storm.

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Disaster Statistical Data
(1) Flood
Impact of Floods during 2012 - 2022

Year
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022

AffectedAreas
47 provinces
74 provinces
58 provinces
49 provinces
62 provinces
68 provinces
65 provinces
60 provinces
65 provinces+ Bangkok
73 provinces+ Bangkok
75 provinces+ Bangkok

9
1
2
1
1
8
1

Affected
People2,353,027
5,923,380
1,810,748
885,915
1,706,832
3,678,474
1,009,289
1,593,430
3,576,314

DamagedHouses26,89160,416
10,296
4,707
29,76937,345
18,39833,773138,077

8-

2,515,313

241,480

12-

4,083,913

248,634

Dead

InjuredMissing

13
134
31
11
104
152
23
18
33

17
8
4
6
12
5
6

68
79

source: Disaster Data Center, DDPM
(2) Drought
Impact of Droughts during 2012 - 2022

Year

Affected Areas

2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022

53 provinces
58 provinces
49 provinces
40 provinces
43 provinces
2 provinces
11 provinces
28 provinces
33 provinces
6 provinces
3 provinces

Affect Villages/
Communities
40,723
37,11823,012
12,972
12,449159
4,604
13,014
9,334
379
124

Affected
Households
4,188,516
2,678,487
1,745,263
1,443,543
1,071,472
15,226
143,497713,737
365,683
N/A
N/A

DamagedAgricultural Areas
2,007,213 rai
4,327,240 rai
1,308,722 rai
2,393,460 rai
2,956,929 rai
12,238 rai
2,054,564 rai
17,638,913 rai
2,289,265 rai
N/A33,390 rai

source: Disaster Data Center, DDPM

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(3) Landslide
Impact of Landslides during 2012 - 2022
AffectedAreas
5 provinces
6 provinces
4 provinces
N/A
N/A
N/A
9 provinces
7 provinces
7 provinces
23 provinces+ Bangkok
35

Year
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022

Dead/
Missing
1
N/A
N/A
N/A
2
2
3

InjuredAffected
People

1
N/A
N/A
N/A
20
2
3

308
57
1,971

7

2,596

DamagedDamagedHouses Roads/Bridges
2
8 places
37 places
1
4 places
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
81
53 places
10
5 places
7
2 places
86
80 places
122

140 places

source: Disaster Data Center, DDPM
(4) Storm
Impact of Storms during 2012 - 2022

Year
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022

AffectedAreas
68 provinces
66 provinces
71 provinces
70 provinces
71 provinces
69 provinces
75 provinces
70 provinces
76 provinces+ Bangkok
76 provinces+ Bangkok
76 provinces+ Bangkok-

Affected
People26,182
133,423
107,299354,957
146,484
151,851
199,086
1,028,246
321,215

DamagedHouses
1,970
49,95659,066111,382
20,24347,074
77,977
181,508
129,85959-

203,286

78,99249-

200,850

93,570

Dead

InjuredMissing

14
24
7
67
11
19
29
46
25

27
28
38
68
12
24
37
43
37

33
23

source: Disaster Data Center, DDPM

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(5) Fires
Impact of Fires during 2012 - 2022

Year
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022

AffectedAreas
73 provinces+ Bangkok
74 provinces+ Bangkok
72 provinces+ Bangkok
70 provinces+ Bangkok
76 provinces+ Bangkok
75 provinces+ Bangkok
75 provinces
65 provinces
69 provinces+ Bangkok
74 provinces+ Bangkok
76 provinces+ Bangkok-

Affected
People13,600DamagedHouses
2,882

211

-

7,899

2,185

53

74

-

N/A

1,100

45

167

-

4,732

2,115

68

184

-

22,166

1,285

62

161

-

8,958

1,706

31
24
34

147
126
66

-

3,996
11,608
5,103

1,498
1,339
1,375

51

190

-

8,473

2,458

110

360

-

13,205

3,355

Dead

InjuredMissing

30

525

106

source: Disaster Data Center, DDPM

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3. Recent Major Disasters
The picture and table below show an accumulated data of disaster occurrences during
1 January - 31 December 2023:
FLOODSType of
DisasterFloodLandslide

Drought

Storm

Fire

Affected
Areas
72
provinces+ Bangkok
24
provinces
20
provinces76
provinces+ Bangkok
76
provinces+ Bangkok

LANDSLIDESDROUGHTSSTORMS

FIRES

Number of Disasters (Time)
JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

6

1

2

4

18

13

73

71

335

321

64

24

2

-

-

-

4

2

15

13

16

19

5

2

1

-

7

14

9

4

3

12

3

2

1

1

45

51

165

379

346

126

182

144

136

72

84

17

403

327

345

290

245

185

149

258

171

198

218

261

According to the disaster data summarized by Disaster Data Center, DDPM as of
5 January 2024, there were a total of 5,864 disasters in 2023 and 1,307,489 people affectedby these disaster events. The following tables show impact of the aforementioned disasters
to lives and assets:(1) Flood

Dead

InjuredMissing

Evacuate

Affected
PeopleDamagedHousesDamagedAgriculturalareas (rai)

26

5

2

64

742,574

105,661

1,064,207

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(2) Landslide

Dead

InjuredMissing

Evacuate

Affected
PeopleDamagedHousesDamagedAgriculturalareas (rai)

3

7

-

-

76

85

-

(3) Drought

Dead

InjuredMissing

Evacuate

Affected
PeopleDamagedHousesDamagedAgriculturalareas (rai)

-

-

-

-

332,161-494,546(4) Storm

Dead

InjuredMissing

Evacuate

Affected
PeopleDamagedHousesDamagedAgriculturalareas (rai)

29

59

1

12

224,479

99,68943,543(5) Fires

Dead

InjuredMissing

Evacuate

Affected
PeopleDamagedHousesDamagedAgriculturalareas (rai)

78

308

-

49

8,199

3,884

1,868

In 2023, Thailand suffered from fire incidents the most as they caused the greatest
number of losses of life and injury. Fires due to firework explosions in factories havecontinued to occur more than 20 times since 2008, and each time causing great damages
and losses. Forest fires also caused the worst air pollution especially at the northern part ofthe country during the burning season, which has sent nearly 2 million people to hospitals
with respiratory illnesses since the beginning of the year. Chaing Mai was ranked on top as
the world’s worst air quality. It is estimated that forest fires had burnt more than 180,000 rai
of forest areas. Furthermore, Thailand had to face extreme weather events that caused
strong wind and heavy rain throughout the year, resulting in floods in many provinces. The
major disasters in 2023 are as follows:

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Month

March

July

Event Description

PictureForest Fires, Nakhon Nayok
During 28 - 31 March 2023, a
wildfire
has
engulfed
two
mountains and part of a forest
park in Nakhon Nayok. The
mountain ablaze with orange
flames against a pitch-black sky
surfacebrought
dramatic
sceneries. The fire started at the
Khao Chaplu mountain on 28
March 2023. The steep mountainterrain prevented firefightersfrom reaching the blaze, whichquickly spread to neighboring
Khao Laem mountain on 29
March and Khao Nang Dam, aforest park, on 30 March
respectively. DDPM dispatchedmachines and equipment alongwith officers to support the 5-day
fire-fighting mission. Not only,
fire trucks, water trucks, andfirefighting machines that weredispatched,
two
KA-32
helicopters were also sent todump water on the forest fires.
The fires finally had subsided on
31 Marchandcompletely
extinguished on 3 April. The fires
destroyed about 1,805 rai offorest areas, and more than
700,000 liters of water were used
for
the
fire
extinguishing
operations.
Typhoon Talim
Typhoon Talim was forecasted tomake landfall in northern Vietnam
and likely bring very heavy
downfalls to 47 provinces innorthern, north-eastern, eastern,southern, and central Thailand,
including Bangkok during 17 - 20
July 2023, according to Thai
Meteorological Department. The
typhoon did not make direct
landfall in Thailand. However, five
districts in Ranong province,
southern part of Thailand wereseverely flooded. Three days ofheavy rain led to forest runoff
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MonthJuly

July

Event Description
gushing into its famed hot springs.
There was no report of death but it
is expected that the economic
losses in tourist sector was about
100 million baht. Moreover, there
werereportsabout
flood
inundation and a road that was cut
off due to flashflood in Chumphon
province as well.

PictureFirework Explosions in Chiang
Mai and Narathiwat
On 24 July 2023, a firework factoryin Doi Saket, Chiang Mai exploded
during lunch break, leading to 10
injured and 5 houses weredamaged. Then 5 days later, on 29
July 2023, the second explosion
occurred in Muno Market, Su-ngai
Kolok District, Narathiwat Province.
It was believed that the firework
explosion was caused by welding
during construction work on abuilding storing fireworks illegally.
The blast killed 12 people, injured
130 people, and destroyed 329
houses. There were more than
1,300 people affected by thisincident.

Flooding from a strong lowpressure system
A strong low-pressure system inthe central South China Sea
moved across upper Thailand
along the monsoon trough,meanwhile,thesouthwest
monsoon that blew over Andaman
SeptemberSea, the southern region, and the- October
Gulf of Thailand became stronger,
causing heavy rain in many areasof lower Northern region as well asNortheastern,
Central,andSouthern
region,including
Bangkok and surrounding areas.
During 26 September - 18 October
2023, 37 provinces 154 districts
586 sub-districts 2,978 villages andThailand country report 2023 | VR ADRC

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MonthEvent Description
62,180 households had been
affected from floods. Four affected
provinces: Tak, Phitsanulok, Ubon
Ratchathani, and Roi Et requested
DDPM to submit a request to AHA
September Centre for relief items deployment- October from DELSA Satellite Warehouse.
There were 4,080 Personal
Hygiene Kits (valued 56,712 USD)
releasedtosupporttheaforementioned four provinces in
November 2023.

December

PictureFlooding in the Deep SouthFlash floods occurred in the Deep
South of Thailand: Narathiwat
province and Yala province on 24
December 2023, followed by
Pattani province on 29 December
2023 due to the influence of thenortheast monsoon that blew overthe Gulf of Thailand and Southern
regionbecamestrongerincombination with a strong lowpressure system covering Sumatra
Island and lower Andaman Sea.
The intensity was considered like
50-year flood. According to
DDPM’s situation report, there
were more than 600 people
evacuated to the shelters andmore than 400,000 households
affected by floods (estimated) withtotal 14 dead in Narathiwat
province, 4 dead in Yala province,and 3 dead in Pattani province.
Roads were cut in some areas,
railway services route Yala station- Su-ngai Kolok station, and also,
more than 100 schools had to beclosed temporarily. DDPM delivered
food and water supplies to support
reliefoperation,andalso
dispatched one helicopter andmachines such as water trucks,
food trucks, water pumps, and flatships. Furthermore, 4,000 Personal
Hygiene Kits and 7,000 Family Kits
from DELSA Satellite Warehousewere also released to assist the 3affected provinces. The situation
eased up on 3 January 2024.
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4. Thailand’s Disaster Risk Management System
4.1 Legal Framework
The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act B.E. 2550 (2007) has replaced the old
and outdated 1979 Civil Defense Act and the 1999 Fire Prevention and Suppression Act,
entering into force on 5 November 2007. It has served as the principal legal mechanism fordisaster risk management practices in Thailand, coupled with an application of other disasterrisk management related laws / regulations / notifications / directives. Furthermore, there are
relevant laws supporting the disaster risk management such as Regulations of Ministry of
Finance on Contingency Fund Advances for Emergency Relief Assistance, Town Planning
Act, and Safety, Occupational Health, and Environment at Work Act, etc.

4.2 National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan 2021 - 2027
As the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act B.E. 2550 (2007) Section 44“In case of any changes of disaster prevention and mitigation facts as specified in disasterprevention and mitigation plans under this act, or if those plans have been used for five years.
Those responsible persons who oversee the formulating of plan shall have to revise or review
that plan rapidly.”. The National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan 2015 has been usedcomplete it’s period, so the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Committee work on
to revise the new plan. The plan has been completely revised and the cabinet has approved
the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan 2021 - 2027 on 5 July 2022.
The National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan 2021 - 2027 has the
purpose to be a national DRM strategic document that describes a concept of operation to
guide DRM operationalization for all relevant agencies across levels and sectors.

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National Disaster Prevention

National Disaster Prevention

and Mitigation Plan 2015

and Mitigation Plan 2021 – 2027

The Plan integrated the concept of global and regional disaster-related framework
such as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC), Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 - 2030,
and ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER),
also, consolidated the National Strategy and the National Economic and Social Development
Plan which are the national 1st and 2nd level of the plan respectively. The concept of SMART
DRM for 3s: SEP – SDGs – SFDRR has been applied to formulate Thailand’s disasterprevention and mitigation policies to achieve the vision which is “Enable Thailand toeffectively reduce existing and prevent new risks in order for ensuring national sustainablesecurity, safety and resilience”.

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The strategies in the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan 2021 - 2027
puts an emphasis on enhancing DRM capacity, effective and integrated crisis management
system, adaptation of innovation and technology in DRM, efficiency of recovery system andpromoting with multi-agency and multi-sectoral approaches as well as strengthening
international cooperation. The strategies are comprised of two parts:
Part 1: Effective Disaster Risk Reduction
Strategy 1
Enhance disaster risk management capacity
This strategy aims to reduce disaster risks and vulnerability while
enhancing disaster risk reduction capacity by utilizing the disaster risk
reduction concept of reducing the existing risks and preventing new risks.
• Develop and promote the utilization of disaster risk management
systems at all government levels (national, provincial, district, and local
administration) in accordance with disaster risk management practices
and guidelines in implementation of disaster risk reduction as well asbuilding awareness in disaster risk reduction in all levels.
• Develop measures in disaster risk reduction in line with practices
in risk avoidance, risk prevention and mitigation, risk transfer, and risk
acceptance.
• Institutionalize disaster risk reduction through the designation ofdisaster risk reduction as one of the national agenda and at the sametime encourage the participation and development of partnership indisaster risk reduction among all sectors and stakeholders.
Strategy 2
Advance the effectiveness of the disaster management plan andpromote the application of innovations in disaster management
This strategy is developed under the concept of Administrative andInnovation in promoting smart disaster risk management toward building
resilience. Innovative application of disaster risk management willaugment capacity in utilization of digital technology administration andcontribute to Thailand 4.0 Development Policies.
• Develop the Disaster Information System in accordance with
database standard, guideline for disaster database development,
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guideline in disaster database collection and analysis, and guideline indevelopment of decision support system on disaster management andaccess to disaster database.
• Enhance knowledge management capacity on disaster risk
management according to the guideline for research and development,
guideline for human resource development and standards for promoting
career and profession in disaster management, and directions on
promoting knowledge management in disaster risk management.
• Develop an effective disaster risk communication methods andmechanisms to focus on delivering disaster risk messages and warnings
to the public and multi-hazard End-to-End Early Warning System.
• Promote investment in disaster risk management throughparticipatory process with engagement from all sectors and levels ofgovernments as well as strengthening Public-People-Private Partnershipin disaster risk management, utilization of financing measures as a tool
for risk transfer, and implementation of disaster risk financing andinsurance.
• Promote the participatory process in disaster risk management inaccordance with guidelines for partnership development through disasterrisk management network and capacity building at the community level
through Community-Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM)
concept and method.
Strategy 3
Promote international DRR partnership
The focus of this strategy is “Partnership” and how to build
sustainable “Ownership” in disaster risk management among all
stakeholders both national and international level.
• Strengthen international strategic partnership in disaster risk
management (bilateral and multilateral)• Develop coordination mechanisms on humanitarian assistance,
including standard operating procedure for providing and receiving
international humanitarian assistance according to international
standards on coordination of humanitarian assistance.
• Upgrade national standards on providing and receiving
humanitarian assistance in accordance with the international concept of
National Single Window (NSW), one single point of entry andcoordination under single command mechanism.
• Promote Thailand’s leading role in disaster risk management,
both in providing humanitarian assistance research and academic
cooperation in the field of disaster risk management, through project
cooperations, visiting exchange, research and development ofinternational disaster risk management standards.
Part 2: Development of standards in disaster management
Strategy 4
Promote effective and integrated emergency management system
This strategy aims to elevate the standards in emergency
management in which all stakeholders can participate in the planning
process, the provision of care for the affected population, and therestoration of the affected areas to normalcy in an integrated manner
through the development of clear guidelines and concrete expected
outcomes.
• Develop the unified emergency management system which
follows the mandates of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act B.E.
2550 (2007). The system will be crafted according to the emergency
management standards and provide the guidelines on how to provide
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Strategy 5

information on level of disasters, establishment of emergency operation
center, announcement of areas affected by disasters, elevation of theemergency during disasters, and evacuation process.
• Develop system and mechanisms in supporting of emergency
operations including guideline for emergency communications, Incident
Command System (ICS), establishment of Emergency Support Function(ESF), and incident management assistant process.
• Enhance the effectiveness of disaster relief system andprocedure as instructed by related laws and regulations and include theutilization of Damage and Need Assessment (DANA) method as well as
provision of guideline for donation acceptance during disasters, guideline
for disaster situation reporting, and guideline for establishing temporary
shelter during disasters.
Promotion of sustainable disaster recovery“Build Back Better” is the core of this strategy. Sustainable
reconstruction and recovery should be able to provide the means for theaffected areas and population back to their normalcy and strengthen them
to be able to withstand the forthcoming disaster and ready for the “NextNormal” through building resilience and utilizing the Post Disaster Need
Assessment (PDNA) as the main tool.
• Develop the Post Disaster Need Assessment (PDNA) systemand the tool for effective recovery that follow the concept of “Build Back
Better”• Develop guidelines for sustainable recovery management which
include the standards in how to provide care for the affected population in
all aspects of life and restoration of social, economic, natural resources,and environment.
• Promote the concept of “Build Back Better and Safer” in theprocess of recovery and reconstruction by strengthening the local
community capacity in disaster risk management, providing sustain
infrastructure reconstruction as well as providing the multidimensional
recovery and reconstruction plans including plans and policies in
restoration of economic, social, environment, and cultural after disasters.

According to the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act B.E. 2550 (2007) and the
National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan 2021 - 2027, Thailand’s disaster risk
management mechanism comprises of two levels as follows:
1) Policy level1.1) National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Committee
This committee has been tasked to formulate national disaster management
policy, integrate the development on disaster prevention and mitigation mechanism among
government agencies, local administrations, and other relevant private sectors effectively,etc. The committee also has duty to determine and preapproval the National Disaster
Prevention and Mitigation Plan before submitting the plan to the Cabinet. After the plan has
been approved, other related government services and local administrations shall operate allof their activities according to the plan. The chairman of the committee is Prime Minister or

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appointed Deputy Prime Minister, and the Director-General of Department of Disaster
Prevention and Mitigation serves as secretary and committee member.
1.2) National Accident Prevention Committee
This committee has been tasked to propose the policies, measures, anddirections related accident prevention to the Cabinet as well as suggest concreate practices
and coordinate among the government agencies. The chairman of the committee is Prime
Minister or appointed Deputy Prime Minister, and the Director-General of Department ofDisaster Prevention and Mitigation serves as secretary and committee member.
1.3) National Disaster Warning System Management Committee
This committee has been tasked to propose the policies, measures, anddirections to formulate national early warning system management plan as well as related
projects for concerned agencies. The chairman of the committee is Prime Minister or
appointed Deputy Prime Minister, and the Director-General of Department of Disaster
Prevention and Mitigation serves as secretary and committee member.
2) Operation level
The structure of coordination center is set up for implementing disaster risk
management from national to local level. The incident commander is also designated to givecommands and control disaster responses in each level of disasters that occurs in authorizedareas. An emergency and incident management in Thai context is classified into four levels
based on a wide range of parameters.

4.3 Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation
As a result of the major government administration reform that became
effective on 3 October 2002, disaster management-related government agencies/units
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were brought together to form a new department under the Ministry of Interior entitled“Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM)”.

According to Article 11 of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act B.E. 2550 (2007),the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) is appointed to be the central
government unit to operate any related activities on national risk management, and have
responsibilities and authorities as follows:
1) Formulates the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan for thecommittee to seek for an approval by the Cabinet
2) Organizes and researches on procedures and measures to prevent andmitigate all impacts of disasters effectively

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3) Operates, cooperates, supports and assists other government services, local
administrations, and other relevant private sectors on disaster prevention and mitigation. And
provides aids to disaster affected people
4) Guides, and provides consultancy, and train other government services, local
administrations and other private sectors on disaster prevention and mitigation
5) Follow-up, assesses and evaluates all activities related to disaster prevention
and mitigation at all levels
6) Perform other duties in accordance to this and other law or as may be requiredby Incident Commander, Prime Minister, the Committee or the Cabinet.
DDPM headquarter is located at Bangkok. It has 18 Regional Centers, 76
Provincial Offices, and 30 sub-Provincial Offices. Additionally, it also has Disaster Prevention
and Mitigation Training Institute and Fire and Rescue Academy. There are 2,500 total staffs:
500 in headquarter and 2,000 around Thailand with over 2 million Civil Defense Volunteers
registered. The locations of DDPM regional centers are as picture below:

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5. Recent Projects on Disaster Risk Reduction
DDPM has been working closely with national and international partner organizations
as well as countries in all areas of disaster management including disaster monitoring, early
warning, prevention and mitigation and mitigation, preparedness and response, disaster relief
and recovery.
As the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan 2021 - 2017 has been
approved by the Cabinet, Thailand has followed its strategies in order to accomplish thevision to create sustainable resilience for the country. Following are examples of recent DRR
activities that DDPM has conducted and continued working on which are supporting theimplementation of Thailand’s disaster risk management strategies:
Strategy 1: Enhance disaster risk management capacity
1) Building awareness in disaster risk reduction in all levels
1.1 The Launch of The National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan 2021 - 2027
with the theme “Reduce Risk, Prevent Threat, Moving the society forward with National
DPM Plan” was held on 9 January 2023 at the Rama Gardens Hotel, Bangkok. The event
provided an opportunity for stakeholders to deepen their understanding of the newly
developed plan, therefore able to explore the roles and responsibilities to respond in thepotential risks by applying whole-of-the nation approach in systematic manner. The event
activities consist of 1) Opening Remarks by Deputy of Prime Minister and Chairman of
National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Committee 2) Keynote Speech by Minister ofInterior and 3) Panel Discussion on “Disaster Risk Management through Partnership”.
There were 11 partner international organizations attending the event as follows: UNDRR,UNESCAP, UNICEF, UN-Habitat, UN Women, UNDP, IOM, ADPC, GIZ, ICRC, and SDC.

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1.2 The First National Assembly with the theme “Reduce existing risks, and Prevent new
risks, as well as Promote DRR partnership for resilient Thailand” was held on 24 - 25 July
2023 at Miracle Grand Convention Hotel, Bangkok. The event served as a national platform
as mentioned in the National DPM Plan to provide an opportunity for all sectors of thesociety to sharer knowledge and experiences in order to seek solutions to commonly
recognized challenges, and to come up with recommendations for developing national
disaster risk management policy. The event welcomed Mr. Marco Toscano - Rivalta, Chiefof UNDRR Asia-Pacific Regional Office to deliver special remarks under the topic on“Linkage of Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management”. There were 5 panel
discussion which focused on 1) DRR implementation to build resilient community 2) Inclusive
DRR policy 3) Resilient recovery 4) Sustainable flood management in accordance with
Royal initiative and 5) Innovations for end-to-end early warning system.

1.3 Thailand’s Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction2015 - 2030 (MTR SF) by working with UNDRR Asia-Pacific Regional Office and ADPC in
conducting National Consultation Workshop in which more than 30 National DRR Focal
Points were able to report on their progress in DRR and SFDRR implementation to the
Voluntary National Report (VNR). The MTR SF Process in Thailand was one of the bestpractices because of utilizing easy to understand infographic to explain the core andprinciples of SFDRR, structure of VNR and its process, and the propose of MTR SF alongwith SFDRR Implementation Worksheet to attract and assist the National DRR Focal
Points in providing their implementation progress. The VNR was successfully submitted to
UNDRR on the early of the year 2023.

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1.4 Webinar series on promoting Bangkok Principles for the implementation of thehealth aspects of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 was
conducted on January 2022 in collaboration with UNDRR Asia-Pacific Regional Office withthe main objective in disseminating DRR knowledge especially on Sendai Framework and
Bangkok Principles, among Thailand’s DRR Focal Points and cultivate network andrelationship to enhance Thailand DRR Network. The webinar series were divided into 4
topics: 1) Introduction and Recap on the Health Aspects of the Sendai Framework for
Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and the Bangkok Principles 2) Reducing health risks
in vulnerable groups 3) Sharing experiences of local projects on integrating Health andDisaster Risk Reduction and 4) Inclusive risk communication during combination of multihazard and health emergencies and combating the Infodemic. There were more than 800
accounts joining total 4-day webinar series with 13 organizations joining as speakers.
About 90% of participants were satisfied with the webinar series and would like DDPM toincrease the duration time for each speakers’ presentation and discussion as well asorganize a repetitive session for their interested topic.

1.5 Crisis Response Conference was held on 5 - 6 September 2023 at Anantara Siam
Hotel, Bangkok, in collaboration with UK Embassy and Thailand’s Office of National
Security Council (ONSC). The objective of the conference is to bring together Thai andinternational partners in order to develop a collective understanding on crisis response
mechanisms in Thailand in consideration of responses to major incidents that might affectforeign tourists.

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Strategy 2: Advance the effectiveness of the disaster management plan and promote
the application of innovations in disaster management
1) Developing Disaster Information Collection and Database
Thailand’s national e-learning course on Disaster-related Statistics Framework(DRSF) was conducted from 20 June - 8 September 2023 in Thai language. The course
was jointly organized with UNESCAP, aiming to build national capacities for thecompilation of disaster related statistics for enhancing disaster risk management andpromote risk-informed sustainable development in Thailand as well as to facilitate national
monitoring and reporting on SFDRR and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
By the end of the course, more than 200 officials completed their learning and received acertificate.

2) Capacity building through Community-based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM)
concept and method
Since 2005 DDPM has conducted Community-based Disaster Risk Management(CBDRM) Program, which is an effective approach to building capacity and encouraging
the community to understand their risks and proactively develop the DRM plan inaccordance with their contexts, by giving priority to the 33,030 communities designated as
flood-prone area to be target group. As of 2023, 15,000 communities were trained.
Moreover, CBDRM concept can also be adapt to specific disasters, contexts, or vulnerable
groups. For example, in 2019, DDPM in collaboration with IOM has conducted CBDRM for
migrant people under MICIC initiative in Ranong, Chiang Mai, and Pathum Thani province.
Moreover, CBDRM also has been applied in developing community preventive plan fordisaster caused by wild elephants since 2020 targeting 20 risk areas.

3) Developing an effective disaster risk communication and multi-hazard EWS
DDPM on process to developing warning dissemination channel by Cell Broadcast to
increase access to early warning information. With Cell Broadcast it is possible to send atext message to Thousands or even millions of people at the same time in near real timewith specific location. Therefore, DDPM visited Japan to conduct the "Study Visit Programfor Enhancing the Capacity of a National Early Warning System and Establishing Cell
Broadcast System in Thailand", with support by ADRC in arranging a meeting withrespective organizations involved in the river early warning and information dissemination
system such as MLIT, FDMA, the Sumida City Office, NTT Docomo, and JTEC.
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Strategy 3: Promote international DRR partnership
1) Developing capacity in providing and receiving international humanitarianassistance1.1) Developing the National Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team that meets theInternational Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) standards as stated in
the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation 2021 – 2027 in order to support Thailand’s
DRM policy in increasing human resources with expertise in line with international
standards. Therefore, Thailand has been intensively participating in INSARAG activities aswell as hosting the INSARAG Asia-Pacific Regional Earthquake Exercise in 2019, and willenter the INSARAG External Classification (IEC) in the second half of 2025 under the
mentorship of Fire and Rescue NSW, Australia (AUS02). On February 2023, THA-10(USAR Thailand) deployed to assist the mission of Türkiye Earthquake M7.8 which was
the first experience in activating coordination mechanism for USAR fully deployment
oversea.

1.2 Developing experts in Damage and Need Assessment (DANA) according tointernational standards ex. United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination(UNDAC) and ASEAN-Emergency Response and Assessment Team (ASEAN-ERAT), as
well as supporting to host the UNDAC or ASEAN-ERAT training course and to deploy
trained staff for international mission. In 2023, one DDPM staff was deployed in ASEANERAT mission to assist Myanmar in case of MOCHA Cyclone.

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2) Promote Thailand’s leading role in disaster risk management in welcoming of thestudy visit from countries and international organizations
On 9 May 2023 General Anupong Paojinda, Minister of Interior, Mr. Boontham
Lertsukekasem, Director-General of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation(DDPM), and executives received His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Tupoto’a Ulukala
and Her Royal Highness The Princess Angelika Latufuipeka Tuk’aho of The Kingdom of
Tonga, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Tonga to the Kingdom of Thailand on the occasionof their Royal Highnesses visit to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
The Royal visit to DDPM was part of Their Royal Highness’s interest in Thailand Disaster
Management System, especially disaster early warning system. On this occasion, DDPM
provided briefing on the topics of National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan, Law
and Regulations, Structure of Incident Command and Early Warning Systems and the law
on emergency relief fund.

Strategy 4: Promote effective and integrated emergency management system
1) Developing guidelines for emergency management system and operations
DDPM places important on developing unified emergency management system as well as
disaster relief system which follows the mandates of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation
Act B.E. 2550 (2007). In these regards, DDPM has developed and published several
guidelines to provide standards for emergency management on level of disasters such as
guideline for governors to manage flood and earthquake incident, guideline for district andlocal government incident commander, guideline on Thailand incident command system,
and guideline for establishing andmanaging temporary shelter. Moreover, DDPM conducted
online training to uplift DRM capacity
for mayor during 2021 - 2022, and also
conducted exercise to test coordination
among DDPM executives and staff torespond to tsunami incident via LINE.
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Furthermore, DDPM in collaboration with IOM under MICIC Initiative has conductedtraining of trainers and table-top exercise on shelter management, which concerns special
needs of vulnerable groups including migrants, for DDPM staff as well as responsible
agencies such as Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Bangkok
Metropolitan Administration (BMA), and Thai Red Cross since 2020.

In addition, on June 6, 2022, the Ministry of Interior signed a Statement of Commitment
to Sustainable Thailand to promote cooperation in driving the Sustainable Development
Goals through collaboration with the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) under the theme:“77 provinces, 77 commitments towards the Sustainable Development Goals” and to
reinforce the intention to drive Thailand toward the Sustainable Development Goals in various
dimensions concretely. Thailand’s localization of the SDGs focuses on integration of 5 key
elements in the Provincial Development Plan in order to accomplish sustainable
development: 1) Food security 2) Circular Economy 3) Ecotourism 4) Bio-Circular-Green(BCG) model and 5) Disaster Risk Management Localization by applying UNDRR’s Ten
Essentials for Making Cities Resilient. The projects under SDGs Localization will accelerate
Thailand’s commitment to the 2030 agenda.

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6. Counterpart of ADRC
Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Ministry of Interior
Address: 3/12 U-Thong Nok Road, Dusit, Bangkok 10300 THAILAND.
Tel: +66 2243 5279, +66 2637 3669
Fax: +66 2243 5279
E-mail: foreign.dpm.th@gmail.com
Website: www.disaster.go.th.

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7. References
DDPM, Ministry of Interior. The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act B.E. 2550 (2007) andrelevant supportive legislations. Bangkok: Legai Division, Department of Disaster
Prevention and Mitigation.
DDPM, Ministry of Interior. (2022). National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan 2021 2027. Bangkok: Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
DDPM, Ministry of Interior. (2022). National Voluntary Report of Thailand. Bangkok:
Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
DDPM, Ministry of Interior. (2022). Thailand's Record of Extreme Disasters Occurrence from1942 - 2021. Bangkok: Disaster Data Center, Department of Disaster Prevention and
Mitigation.
DDPM, Ministry of Interior. (2023). Principle of Thailand's Disaster Management. Bangkok:
Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
DDPM, Ministry of Interior. (2024). Monthly Disaster Statistics as of December 2023.
Bangkok: Disaster Data Center, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
ONEP, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. (2021). Mid-century, Long-term Low
Greenhouse Gas Emission Development Strategy. Bangkok: Office of Natural
Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning.
ONEP, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. (2023). Thailand's Fourth Bieenial
Update Report. Bangkok: Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy andPlanning.
The Bureau of Registration Administration, Department of Provincial Administration,
Ministry of Interior. (2024). Demographic and Administrative Information. Available
from: https://www.bora.dopa.go.th/
The

Interactive

Country

Fiches.

Thailand's

ClimateChange.

Availablefrom:https://dicf.unepgrid.ch/thailand/climate-change
The Government Public Relations Department. Thailand's Geography Information. Available
from: https://www.thailand.go.th/page/land-area.
Tourism Authority of Thailand. Thailand's Geography Information. Available from:https://www.tourismthailand.org/Articles/plan-your-trip-history-and-geographygeology.

UNDRR (2020). Disaster Risk Reduction in Thailand: Status Report 2020. Bangkok,
Thailand, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Regional
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