Thailand earmarks $1.7B in aid for victims

[kuozzman]

BANGKOK, Jan. 13 (UPI) --
UPI - United Press International
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has pledged more than $1.77 billion in financial aid and credit plans for individuals and businesses hit by the tsunami.

A priority is rebuilding an estimated 3,600 homes destroyed by the tsunami -- of which officials say some 1,800 should be rebuilt completely by the end of March, The Straits Times reported Thrusday.

The government estimates that up to 300,000 shrimp farm workers and fishermen are unemployed or have had assets destroyed, and that rehabilitation will be a long-term job. Some 30 percent of Thailand's shrimp farms have been destroyed, according to government estimates.

Meanwhile, though the tourist industry in Phuket and Phang Nga is struggling back on its feet, many local businesses remain closed and places like Patong beach are shadows of their former selves