Reservoir in Prabat, Lampang burst leading to speedy evacuation of locals; Bhumibhol Dam's discharge of water floods 4 districts in Tak /TAN_Network

Red-shirt leader Kwanchai to launch red loves Monarchy group on Sat in 20 provinces and distribute 200,000 T-shirts /TAN_Network

HM the King bestows 3,000 sets of necessity bags for flood victims in Sakhon Nakhon, Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai /TAN_Network

PATA: Phuket should brace for a ‘new breed of tourists’

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SET index midday Wed up 13.39 pts, 1.57 pct /The Nation

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Flooding in many parts of Phuket incl. Phuket Town, Patong, Chalong. Landslip blocks highway 4 between Phuket and Krabi near Phang Nga. Avoid the areas.

Phuket floods: roads closed, landslide hits Patong

The scene along Chao Fa West Road this morning.

Photo: Fraser Morton

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Last day of 2011 Phuket Vegetarian Festival

Soaked devotees receive the blessing of a ‘mah song’ spirit medium

during the Jui Tui Chinese Shrine procession yesterday morning.

Photo: Fraser Morton

One of the many processions that happened during this year's Phuket Vegetarian Festival.

Photo: Dean Noble

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22-year-old student surrender for hacking PM Yingluck's twitter account

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Yingluck makes official visit to Burma

The Nation

Prime Minister Yingluck left for an official visit to Burma Wednesday.

She left on a special flight on an Air Force plane at 1:30 pm, heading to Naypyidaw.

She was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth Wichaidith and Government Spokeswoman Thitima Chaisaeng.

-- The Nation 2011-10-05

Flood death toll rises to 237, three missing

The Nation

The toll of flood-related deaths has risen to 237 and three other people were reported missing, the permanent secretary for Interior Ministry announced Wednesday.

Phranai Suwannarat, the permanent secretary for Interior Ministry, told a press conference that so far 28 provinces were still inundated.

The floods affected about 2.6 million people from 826,377 families in 11,208 villages.

Phranai said 7.52 million rai of farmland were affected.

-- The Nation 2011-10-05

FLOOD CRISIS

46 factories in Ayutthaya inundated

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Volunteer seriously wounded in Yala shooting

The Nation

A volunteer was seriously injured in a shooting by suspected insurgents in Yala's Bannang Sata district on Wednesday.

Police were alerted at 10.30am that Abdulloh Muyadeng, 27, who was riding a motorcycle from an army base in the district to a village, had been shot in his right cheek.

Rushing to the scene, police found traces of blood and his motorcycle abandoned there.

Abdulloh was rushed to Bannang Sata Hospital and then transferred to Yala Hospital in a critical condition.

The initial police investigation revealed that an unknown number of insurgents hid along the roadside and fired at the victim before speeding away. Abdulloh had previously joined security teams to crackdown on the insurgents.

Police believe that the insurgents wanted to create a disturbance in the area.

-- The Nation 2011-10-05

AFP: Thailand rushes condoms to flood victims

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Police Make Big Drug Haul in Surat Thani

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Sirikit Dam confirmed strong, no cracking as rumored

UTTARADIT, 5 October 2011 (NNT) – The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has confirmed the strength of Sirikit Dam in Uttaradit province and its ability to retain water amid incessant rains while denying the rumor that the dam has begun to break.

In the wake of a report of a breakage and a looming collapse of Sirikit Dam, Mr Thanarat Phummakasikorn, director of the dam, dismissed the news as groundless and clarified that the facility still remained in a sound condition. In a bid to guarantee safety for people living below the dam after they were put in a state of panic by the report, a thorough inspection has been conducted.

As a result, both the main Sirikit Dam and the saddle dam were found to be secure even though the amount of water had already surpassed 9.43 billion cubic meters or about 99.16 percent of the total capacity of 9.51 billion cubic meters. Since the dam is filling up quickly, the stored water has been released at the rate of 60 million cubic meters per day into the Nan River. However, the move has not caused the river to overflow thus far.

Mr Thanarat then encouraged local residents to remain calm and contact telephone number 0-5544-1840 should they have any concerns regarding Sirikit Dam.

-- NNT 2011-10-05

SET index closed at 862.65, up 7.20; Bt/USD31.01; GBP47.77; AUD29.50; EUR41.21; CAD29.30; HKD3.98; SGD23.58; JPY40.22

People in Nakhon Sawan warned of more floods as Ping and Chao Phraya Rivers will overflow their banks

BANGKOK, 5 October 2011 (NNT) - The governor of Nakhon Sawan Province has warned residents along the Ping and Chao Phraya rivers to prepare for more floods as the two rivers should overflow their banks on 6 October due heavy rains in watershed provinces.

Mr Chairote Meedaeng said the water levels in both rivers should rise by about one metre tomorrow due to heavy downpours in Tak and Kamphaeng Phet provinces, sending more water into the Ping. The situation could be aggravated as the Bhumibol Dam in Tak planned to release additionally 100 million cubic metres of water per day as its reservoir has stored water to the maximum capacity.

As Nakhon Sawan is where the rivers of Ping, Wang, Yom and Nan converge to form the Chao Phraya River, the water level at this section can be 2.19 metres higher than the river banks. The governor said such a mass of water could destroy rock barriers the province has built to prevent flood water and cause heavy damage to residents and their property. He urged people on both sides of the mentioned rivers to move their valuable belongings to a safe place or to evacuate to prepared shelters at schools, monasteries and the provincial sport stadium.

The governor also reported that many roads in the province have become inaccessible due to floods and mudslide. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department announced today that a south-western monsoon would bring widespread rain showers to Thailand in the next 1-2 days, and heavy rain was expected in the central and eastern regions, as well as the western side of the southern coast.

-- NNT 2011-10-05

to continue:

Thailand Live Thursday 6 Oct 2011

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