Mae Sai residents hire Myanmar workers for flood clean-up amid delays
People paying 500-700 baht daily or contracting workers for up to 8,000 baht per house to clean up piles of mud and debris left by devastating floods
Mae Sai residents and shop owners affected by the devasting floods have decided to pay more money to Myanmar workers to clear the thick mud left behind.
Despite the deployment of troops, police and civilian volunteers for a large-scale clean-up, most property owners decided not to wait for their turn.
On Tuesday, volunteers and the authorities began removing thick mud from main roads, including the stretch from the border checkpoint to the Guan Meng Mae Sai Foundation.
In the meantime, residents hired Myanmar workers for 500-700 baht per day or by contract. The rate varied between 2,500-3,000 baht for smaller houses and 7,000-8,000 for larger properties.
Additionally operators of backhoes and trucks arrived to offer their services for clearing houses, pledging to reduce costs for flood victims.
Earlier, residents in the outskirts of Mae Sai, especially those in Tham Pha Jom community, had called on authorities to help them remove the mud and soil piled high in their homes.
They said they felt helpless with the mud filling up their ground floors, leaving them unable to manage the clean-up on their own or to afford to hire workers.
