US sends warship, offers aid to flood-hit Thailand

BANGKOK—The United States said Wednesday that it had sent a warship and was offering more than $10 million in fresh aid to Thailand to jumpstart relief as it copes with its worst floods in decades.

During a visit to Bangkok by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the United States said that the USS Lassen had arrived and that its crew’s first mission would be to restore operations at Bangkok’s second airport, Don Mueang.

“The United States is committed to supporting our ally’s speedy and full recovery,” the US embassy in Bangkok said in a statement, saying that aid would total more than $10 million.

The embassy said that the funding would also go to repair police stations to bring law enforcement back to full strength and that the United States would look into the restoration of cultural sites, such as the historic city of Ayutthaya.

A US official traveling with Clinton said that teams on the USS Lassen, which is based in Japan, would determine the exact projects for funding. The assessment would take seven to 10 days, the official added.

In October the United States offered a separate $1.1 million to Thailand as the floods began to engulf the country.

The floods have left at least 562 people dead around the kingdom and damaged millions of homes and livelihoods.