Paradorn reveals that the Election Commission did not approve additional flood relief funds

Today (3 Feb) 9:30 AM at Government House, Mr. Paradorn Prisnanantakul, Minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office, in his capacity as supervisor of the Budget Bureau, gave an interview regarding the proposal to the Election Commission to approve additional funds for flood relief in the South. He stated that the Cabinet had already approved the 9,000 baht relief payment for flood relief from the North to the South in 2-3 rounds of approval. After the payments were made, additional surveys and registrations resulted in some funds being short. This included tiered relief payments in the Central and lower Northern regions, with some additional payments for the South, totaling approximately 2.1 billion baht. The Cabinet discussed and approved the funds in the past 2-3 weeks, but the matter was discussed and approved during the dissolution of Parliament. According to the law, permission must be obtained from the Election Commission (EC) before using central government funds. Last week, the EC considered this matter and concluded that it would not approve the allocation. The Cabinet will discuss this at today's meeting, and the EC's decision will be communicated to the Cabinet.

Mr. Paradorn stated that the next step will be for the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) to resubmit the request. After the Cabinet makes a new decision, the Secretariat of the Cabinet will resubmit it to the EC. This is because the project stems from the flood relief efforts, which the Cabinet has already clearly approved. The request was made because the allocated funds were insufficient for compensation and relief. He is unsure if the EC understood the true objective, and this will be discussed at the Cabinet meeting. The EC has stated that the matter needs to be revised.

Regarding the question of whether the potential inability to reach affected citizens in compensation payments has been used by political parties in their campaigns, Mr. Paradorn said that the Cabinet has fully prioritized flood relief. The 20-30 billion baht allocation was made very quickly and is a large sum, approved before the dissolution of Parliament, but additional surveys were conducted. The insufficient funds were addressed after the dissolution of parliament. If the Election Commission (EC) approves the process, including the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department (DPMD) and the provinces, it has already been completed by the committee. They are simply waiting for this funding. The Budget Bureau is also ready to disburse the funds, awaiting only a signal from the EC.

Regarding whether the EC's decision will be made this week, Mr. Paradorn stated that he believes it will be this week. After the EC's decision is announced, the Cabinet will immediately consider the matter. He expects a decision today, and the process will then go back to the EC, which will meet twice a week, likely on February 9-10, 2026.

As for whether this issue will be used in the election campaign, Mr. Paradorn said that some people have indeed used it as a political issue, and the Cabinet wasn't delayed at all. We approved everything completely. The only problem was the dissolution of parliament. Some say the dissolution was a way to avoid approval, but he insists that approval was granted before the dissolution. The only shortfall is the amount of funding itself, which resulted from additional surveys or reports submitted afterward.

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