Thais urged to intensify tsunami relief efforts ahead of PM's Phuket visit.

(From BBC Monitoring International Reports)

Text of report by Yuwadee Tunyasiri, published in English by Thai newspaper Bangkok Post web site on 25 January

An initial 3.5bn baht [about 91m US dollars] has been released to help tsunami victims and will be distributed speedily, Deputy Prime Minister Suwat Liptapanlop said yesterday. Mr Suwat, who chairs the government committee directing help for the six tsunami-struck southern provinces, said the cabinet had approved 5.97bn baht for relief operations.

The panel had allocated the first portion of this, or 3.49bn baht, to 10 subcommittees assisting wave victims. He said all tsunami relief tasks must be …