Thailand Live Monday 10 Oct 2011

[webfact]

Thai stock index opens on Monday at 903.33, down 5.84 points /MCOT

[webfact]

US Ambassador: On my way to Thai Flood center. Looking at more ways US can help. /via@KristieKenney

[webfact]

Mystery surrounds Aussie death plunge in Phuket

Follow this link:

[webfact]

Jet skis being used in Ayutthaya search and rescue, as currents are strong in some areas. /via@tulsathit

From 25baht, the sandbags now cost 35 baht each (via @phubes_ThaiPBS) /via@Juarawee

[webfact]

Evacuation siren heard in parts of Nakhon Sawan as flood barriers giving way. /via@wat_springnews /via@tulsathit

Part of flood wall around Nakorn Sawan municipality collapsed Mon.,flood 70 cm.deep,residents evacuating,repair underway /NATION

[webfact]

Evacuation in Nakhon Sawan downtown now!!! /via@Aim_NT

[webfact]

Sirikit Dam Slows down Water Drainage to Alleviate Flooding

The Sirikit Dam in Uttaradit Province has slowed down its drainage of water to help alleviate the flooding.

However, Bhumibol Dam in Tak Province is still draining water at full capacity as the water level in the dam is approaching the maximum level.

Sirikit Dam Director Thanarat Phumimakasikorn said he has informed the Royal Irrigation Department that the dam, located in Uttaradit Province, has slowed its water drainage from 60 million cubic meters a day to 50 million cubic meters to help alleviate the flooding situation in the Lower North and the Central regions since yesterday.

This should help particularly at this time when the sea tide is rising.

Thanarat said the dam will decrease its drainage even more if less water flows into it.

The dam used to receive as much as 150 million cubic meters of water a day when storms hit but now that rain has stopped, the level has dropped to 50 million cubic meters.

However, the situation at the Bhumibol Dam in Tak Province is still severe with water drainage at full capacity of 100 million cubic meters for the fifth straight day yesterday.

This has caused flooding in Yokkrabat, Wangman and Wangchan subdistricts in Samngao District.

In some areas, flooding is as high as one meter so residents have had to relocate and move their belongings to the road.

The water level in the Bhumibol Dam was recorded at 13.36 billion cubic meters yesterday, just 0.76 percent short of the maximum capacity of 13.46 billion cubic meters.

Dam officials are still hopeful the situation will improve in a few days as the volume of water entering the dam has dropped this past week.

They hope drainage can be slowed to help with the flooding situation in Tak, Kampaengpetch and Nakhon Sawan provinces and the Chao Phraya River basin.

-- Tan Network 2011-10-10

[webfact]

9 canals in BKK may see overflow; flooding from heavy rain seen on Vipavadee, Paholyothin, Ramkamhaeng and Lardprao roads /

Flooding affecting 30 prov w 269 people reported dead; Irrigation Dept:flooding in Ayutthaya will remain until end of month /

Nakhon Sawan's downtown flooded after barriers collapsed; 10 patients at Ayutthaya Hospital died while awaiting evacuation /

/TAN_Network

[webfact]

AFP: US citizen pleads guilty to insulting Thai royals

Follow this link:

[webfact]

Nakhon Sawan's Bon Kai market flood prevention dyke fails, water inflow floods city one metre deep; residents evacuated /MCOT

PM asserts flood situation stable, no plan to announce disaster zones; orders more dykes in Bangkok /MCOT

[webfact]

Residents in Sa Kaew are being warned after at least 10 crocodiles crossed the border from Cambodia /via@RichardBarrow

[webfact]

PM speeds up combined relief effort for flooded provinces

BANGKOK, Oct 10 -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Monday chaired a meeting at the government’s Flood Relief Operations Centre at Don Mueang airport to help flood-victims in many provinces before boarding a helicopter to inspect hardest-hit Ayutthaya where the floodwaters raged into parts of major industrial estate.

Two people were reportedly electrocuted to death near the Rojana Industrial Park Sunday night.

Meanwhile, Ang Thong Hospital began transferring 20 patients in critical care to other hospitals after flooding threatened the hospital. The loss of power might also cause problems for patients needing respirators.

Ang Thong Hospital director Narong Apikulwanit said although flooding has yet to reach the hospital, the surrounding areas have been submerged, where hospitals were forced to evacuate patients needing critical care. The Emergency Medical Service sent one helicopter to select a landing zone for patient transport in case of emergency.

The premier addressed the nation Sunday night on all television networks, urging the public not to panic but to closely follow news and warnings from agencies concerned.

Prime Minister Yingluck said the Royal Irrigation Department reported that rainfall in the northern and upper central regions was declining, and it was expected that the water level in Chao Phraya River would rise slightly and projected the highest Chao Phraya River water flow in Nakhon Sawan Oct 12-13 at 4,800-4,900 cubic metres per second, a rate maintained for one week before gradually receding.

The water level in the Chao Phraya will rise on average 20 centimetres in all areas, she said, urging concerned agencies to closely follow through with their response to the flood and maintain strong flood prevention dykes to handle the increased water volume.

Areas under close watch are the left bank of the Chao Phraya River from Ayutthaya’s Uthai, Bang Pa-in, and Wang Noi districts.

As for the flood response in Bangkok, she reported that 188 water pump stations and 214 water sluice gates on the west side of the capital while the southeastern side of Bangkok, near Suvarnabhumi Airport, if the water increased, the five canals would be used to drain water into the sea.

Eight pumping stations in southern Bangkok are located to push water into the sea.

Ms Yingluck said Bangkok residents living outside the flood prevention dykes and along Chao Phraya River were considered an at risk group, and are urged to prepared for evacuation with necessities in the event of too high water levels, moving to higher ground and safe areas.

The premier ordered the authorities to make every effort to protect the economic zones of Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi.

Ms Yingluck has assigned the industry minister to mobilise cooperation from agencies concerned to help protect the Rojana Industrial Park and other industrial zones as it could cause severe impact to the country's economy if they were damaged by the flood.

The premier said she received reported that Phase 1 of the Rojana Industrial Park has been flooded and was being salvaged by agencies concerned, but the Phases 2 and 3 have no flood problem.

She said the army is the main agency to handle flooding in Ayutthaya, Lop Buri and Nakhon Sawan, while seven other at risk provinces would be handled by provincial governors, police and the National Police Bureau. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2011-10-10

[webfact]

TU Rangsit shelter needs slippers, milk bottles, brush (to clean bottle), kid's clothes and medicne. /via@veen_NT

[webfact]

US envoy has offered American flood assistance in term of equipment and personnel. /via@tulsathit

[webfact]

Over 900 Policemen to Assist Flood Victims

The national police chief has ordered more than 900 local police officers to examine the flood situation in the area and provide assistance to victims.

Acting National Police Chief, Police General Priewpan Damapong has ordered more than 900 police officials from Sector 2, Sector 7, the Central Investigation Bureau, and the Border Patrol, to assess the areas where flooding is most severe-- starting with Ayutthaya Province.

They are being tasked with rescuing and caring for victims.

In addition, after a number of car thefts were reported in Ayutthaya Province, police have been ordered be on heightened alert and to hunt down the suspects.

Regarding traffic on the Preedee Bridge in Ayutthaya Province, where villagers have parked their cars blocking road lanes, officials have cleared the road and opened one lane for traffic to get through.

The owners of the vehicles have removed their cars from the area already, which has helped ease traffic congestion.

-- Tan Network 2011-10-10

[webfact]

Flood-relief centre in Nakhon Sawan, call ์056-803604-056-803567-70 ext 131 /via@baby_nnanorth /via@veen_NT

[webfact]

Thai composite stocks index (SET) at midday Monday stood at 900.99, down 8.18 points /The NATION

[webfact]

Briton Arrested For 530,000 Baht Bank Robbery In Chiang Mai

Follow this link:

[webfact]

FLOOD CRISIS

Bangkok sets up flood monitoring centre in Minburi

The Nation

The Bangkok authority will set up a flood monitoring centre in Minburi district, one of the districts said to be the hardest hit by the inundation, city governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said Monday.

The centre will be responsible for monitoring the flood situation and providing assistance to floodhit people in the eastern part of the capital; comprising Klongsamwa, Lat Krabang and Nong Chok districts

The districts are under risk of flooded as they are outside the city’s flood embankment line. So far Bangkok is not yet under water while other provinces in the upper north of the Chao Phrya River, including Ayutthaya, Lop Buri, Angthong, Nakhon Pathom, Ratchburi and Pathum Thani are already inundated.

Sukhumband said that his office will closely monitor the flooding situation between October 16 and 18 because that is when the water from the northern region is scheduled to reach Bangkok and the situation will be complicated by high tides and expected heavy rains. "Therefore the Bangkok authority will be at its most prepared to lessen the impacts of the flooding," he said.

The governor said the decision to set up the centre came shortly after flood barriers in Nakhon Sawan collapsed on Monday morning, resulting in water flowing into crowded communities in Muang district.

Most local residents did not prepare for the flood in the belief that the barriers would be able to block the flood waters.

The Bangkok governor has instructed all district offices to prepare flood prevention equipment such as water pumps, and reinforce sandbag embankments and dykes to protect atrisk areas while a one billion baht emergency budget has been allocated to address the floods, the deputy governor said.

-- The Nation 2011-10-10

[webfact]

Phuket dinghies join flood relief effort

Members of the ten-man Phuket rescue team prepare to depart

from the bypass road at dawn this morning.

Hans Peter Martin and the boat provided by his Cholamark Boat Company.

Follow this link:

[webfact]

Sukhumbhand warns Bangkok could be hit by severe flooding next week

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra warned Monday that several parts of the city could be inundated on October 16, 17 and 18.

The governor said flood waters from upstream provinces would reach Bangkok on October 16, 17 and 18 when the situation would be worsened by high tides.

He said the city adminstration has set up a flood relief centre in Min Buri to provide assistance to residents of Min Buri, Klong Samwa, Lat Krabang, and Nong Chok districts.

-- The Nation 2011-10-10

[webfact]

Thammasat Rangsit shelter needs toothbrushes, toothpastes, diapers, combs, baby powder milk and unisex lingeries. /via@veen_NT /via@msnkkii

[webfact]

12 Army bases used as evacuation centres

Twelve Army bases have been transformed into evacuation centres to house flood victims.

The Army has used its nine bases in Lop Buri as evacuation centers for flood victims by having the Special Warfare Command act as coordinator to distribute the victims to the nine camps.

The three camps in Saraburi - the Adisorn Base, the Fourth Cavalry Division and the Fifth Cavalry Division - have also been used as evacuation centres.

The Army also has also been operating four evacuation centres in Nakhon Sawan by using four schools in the province.

-- The Nation 2011-10-10

[webfact]

Finance Minister: Bank of Thailand estimates nationwide flooding costs Bt60 bln in damages -- 0.6% of GDP /MCOT

[webfact]

Floods Hit Nontaburi; Prep for Evacuations in 6 Districts

The governor of Nontaburi Province, which is located on the northwest of Bangkok, has revealed that flood waters have inundated the areas of Bang Bua Thong, Bang Kruay, and Tsai Noi. Officials are now preparing for evacuations in six districts.

-- Tan Network 2011-10-10

[webfact]

Bts planned to purchase 5 trains,each with 4 cars for Silom extension-Wongwian Yai-Bang Wa to be opened next year /via@BTS_SkyTrain

[webfact]

PM confident flood situation under control; army chief asks flood victims to evacuate from their homes with help from soldiers /TAN_Network

[webfact]

Woman shoots herself in the head at her boyfriend’s south Pattaya home

Follow this link: http://www.pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/40425/woman-shoots-herself-in-the-head-at-her-boyfriend%E2%80%99s-south-pattaya-home/

[webfact]

Museum And 4D Theater Destroyed In 10 Million Baht Central Pattaya Fire

Follow this link:

[webfact]

Transsexual caught-on-camera attempting to steal luxury vehicle in Jomtien

Follow this link: