Dharma Drum Mountain Joins Hands with Taiwanese businesspeople in Southern Thailand to Deliver Emergency Flood Relief

Since the onset of winter in 2025, several Southeast Asian countries have been struck by successive tropical cyclones. Beginning on November 29, torrential rains battered southern Thailand, causing severe flooding in the provinces of Songkhla, Phatthalung, Narathiwat, Yala, and Pattani. According to official Thai statistics, as of December 11, more than 170 people had lost their lives, and over 1.5 million households were affected. In response to the disaster, the Dharma Drum Mountain Social Welfare and Charity Foundation and the Dharma Drum Mountain Association of Dharma Supporters in Thailand immediately activated their emergency response mechanisms. Venerable Chang Xing (常惺法師), Secretary General of the Foundation, and Ms. Su Lin Miao-Fen (蘇林妙芬), President of the Dharma Drum Mountain Association of Dharma Supporters in Thailand, promptly contacted Mr. Chiu Ying-Hua (丘應華), President of the Southern Thailand Taiwanese Business Association, and Mr. Lin Chi-Wei (林季緯), head of Laguna Grand Hotel & Resort, to form a joint relief team.

On December 8, after completing year-end care events in the Greater Taipei area, Venerable Chang Xing flew to Thailand and, together with President Su Lin Miao-Fen and the team, traveled to Hat Yai City in Songkhla Province, the area hardest hit by the floods. What they witnessed was devastating: floodwaters in the city reached depths of up to 3.5 meters; the emergency department and intensive care unit on the first floor of Hat Yai Hospital were completely submerged; schools suffered serious damage; communications and power supplies were cut; daily life came to a standstill; and even firefighting vehicles involved in rescue operations were flooded and damaged. Satellite images showed that the flooding affected 22 districts and 534 villages, impacting approximately 236,000 people. Multiple railway lines were disrupted, with some transportation routes only gradually resuming after December 6.

On December 9, the first shipment of relief supplies arrived at the Hat Yai District Administrative Center (Pacharamon Pacharabhudinan), including rice, cooking oil, dry food, and cleaning tools such as shovels. That afternoon, the relief team distributed emergency supplies to hundreds of affected households. In addition, they visited two kindergartens and one elementary school to provide relief supplies and financial assistance, thereby helping the schools resume basic operations.

On December 10, with the assistance of President Chiu Ying-Hua and Lin Chi-Wei, the relief team entered the hardest-hit areas of Hat Yai City to continue distributing supplies, as well as providing hot boxed meals and drinking water. They then visited Hat Yai Hospital, Hatyaiwittayalai Public High School, and Municipal 1 School (Eng Sieng Samakee) Elementary School, donating emergency relief funds and supplies in response to the severe losses suffered by medical and educational institutions.

As affected residents received supplies from Venerable Chang Xing, they shared their experiences: floodwaters had risen above the height of a single floor, and the water did not recede for six consecutive days. Entire families took refuge on rooftops, surviving for several days on the limited food they had on hand, eating only one meal a day. Although the water has now receded, the streets remain filled with debris, and recovery is slowly progressing.

President Su Lin Miao-Fen stated, "Although what we can do is limited, we hope the affected people know that they are not alone." She relayed feedback from local residents: "These past few days, the warmest thing hasn't been the sun, but this group of people who came from Taiwan." Venerable Chang Xing added, "Through this action, we hope not only to provide material assistance, but also to sow the seeds of spiritual environmental protection in the hearts of those affected. As they rebuild their homes, they may also regain inner peace."

Although floodwaters are gradually receding, post-disaster cleanup and reconstruction remain in their early stages. The Dharma Drum Mountain Social Welfare and Charity Foundation and the Dharma Drum Mountain Association of Dharma Supporters in Thailand will continue to monitor post-disaster needs and serve as a source of support for ongoing reconstruction, jointly putting into practice the spirit of the "compassion of realizing one nature of all".

After concluding the flood relief mission in southern Thailand, Venerable Chang Xing will continue on to Padang, Indonesia, to care for communities affected by flooding there.


Text: Wang Jun-Zhi (王軍智)
Photos: Dharma Drum Mountain Social Welfare and Charity Foundation
Translation: Patricia Yang 
Editing: Keith Brown