Her royal highness princess Chulabhorn told flood victims yesterday to look to the people of japan as a modle of how to cope with hardship.
She gave her advice during her visit to flood-ravaged nakhon si thammarat and surat thani provinces.
Princess Chulabhorn also passed on the thoughts and care of their majesties the king and Queen to all flood victims in the South,especially the two provinces which had been previously devastated by severe floods 23 years a go,leading to several royal projects.
The princess travelled in a helicopter to nakhon si thammarat's nop phi tham in the morning and then visited villagers in Surat thani's Phunphin dis-trict later that afternoon.
She boosted their morale,asking them not to give up,and pointing out how the Japanese people are also dealing with devastation after the March earthquake,tsunami and continuing nuclear crisis with social discipline and calm.
"Look at them" she told the villagers,"and we will have morale to fight and band together to solve the problem"
The death toll from the floods has risen to 51, according to the disaster Prevention and Mitigation Deparment.
Of the total,21 were reported in Na khon si thammarat, 10 in Surat Thani,10 in Krabi, five in Phatthalung, two each in Chumphon and Trang and one in Phangnga.
Floodwaters in Phumphin have stared to recede, but the province has not yet been ableto resume its production of tap water, said Withayen Muttamara,deputy director of the government's flood relief centre.