Thailand cabinet approves $313 million flood relief, official says

BANGKOK, Oct 20 (Reuters) Thailand s cabinet has approved 10.5 billion baht ($312.7 million) in flood relief, ​alongside other measures including ‌debt-payment suspensions and soft loans, government officials said on Tuesday. • The government had previously paid more than 5 ‌billion ​baht in flood ⁠assistance, government spokesperson Ekkapob ⁠Pianpises told a briefing • The cabinet also approved tax relief and customs duty exemptions for flood ​victims, a finance ministry official said • In September, Bangkok ⁠was declared a ⁠disaster-affected zone after nearly ​300 mm (12 inches) of rain hit ​the city in just three days, ‌as much as it typically receives in the whole of the month • Flooding disrupted operations of ⁠automakers and parts suppliers, and killed at least 80 people • Bank of Thailand ⁠Deputy ‌Governor Piti Disyatat told Reuters ⁠last week the floods ​would ‌not significantly affect the ​economy, which ⁠is expected to grow 2.3% or higher this year ($1 = 33.58 baht) (Report