Exodus In Flooded Areas As Waters Near Bangkok

[webfact]

Exodus in flooded areas as waters near Bangkok

by Apilaporn VECHAKIJ

BANG BUA THONG, October 20, 2011 (AFP) - Distressed Thais hurriedly packed up and fled their homes in flood-stricken areas just north of Bangkok on Thursday as a sea of muddy water moved ever closer to the capital.

Bang Bua Thong, only a few kilometres (miles) outside Bangkok in Nonthaburi Province, had for weeks been spared the worst of the disaster, thanks to the district's hastily assembled defences.

But a mass of water from further north fuelled by months of unusually heavy monsoon rains proved too much -- and by Thursday, the district was submerged.

"It was very scary when the water came. It came up so fast through drains, toilets and the floor tiles under my cabinet. I have no idea how it came up through the floor tiles," Ruchuda Balisee, 40, told AFP.

"Roads near my house are destroyed."

An exodus was seen with people wading from their homes with bags, boxes and suitcases, while others searched for isolated relatives facing shortages of food, water and electricity.

Rescuers prioritised the safety of children and the elderly, a number of whom were greatly distressed after several days in isolation.

In front of the hospital, fire trucks were immersed up to the top of their wheels.

The street became a vast expanse of murky water, on which all kinds of boats moved in silence, instead of the usual flow of cars and motorcycles.

The fear was palpable. Many Thais are unable to swim but people had no choice but to wade through chest-deep waters. Some residents settled on bridges to await rescue.

At the hospital, patients were heard complaining about the lack of boats to rescue them, but others in the district were more accepting of the situation.

"I am fairly satisfied with the government's support," said Chat Thongthammachat, 62, waiting for a boat. "I know that many people need help so I do not blame them."

It is a scene that residents of Bangkok fear will be repeated in the capital, which has so far been protected by beefed up flood defences.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra warned Thursday it was impossible to stop the floods gushing into the city and ordered sluice gates to be opened to allow water to flow through canals and out to sea.

"The longer we block the water the higher it gets," she said.

The floods have killed 320 people around the country, damaged the homes and livelihoods of millions of people -- mostly in the north and centre -- and forced tens of thousands to seek refuge in shelters.

The prospect of serious flooding sparked a new round of stockpiling of food and water, while police warned residents to stop parking their vehicles on the elevated highways around the city.

"It is both dangerous and inconvenient," said General Panu Kerdlapphol, adding that many vehicles had already been towed away by the authorities.

Many homes and businesses in the capital have piled sandbags outside their entrances and soldiers have been deployed to protect floodwalls as anger grows among residents upriver bearing the brunt of the crisis.

Adding to the fearful mood, the fisheries department said a special "rapid movement" team has been set up to catch crocodiles which escaped from flooded farms, mostly in central Thailand.

"If you encounter a crocodile, don't panic," it advised in a statement. "Normally they are afraid of human beings. So just use a wooden stick or your hand to bang the water and the crocodile will swim away."

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2011-10-20

[melvinmelvin]

Would just like to commend TV for an excellent effort in bringing up to date news re the flooding.

You're providing pretty good coverage of what is going on.

Cheers.

[Firefan]

I love the advise on the crocodiles! I feel safer already with my stick!

Cheers!

[pogal]

"If you encounter a crocodile, don't panic," it advised in a statement. "Normally they are afraid of human beings. So just use a wooden stick or your hand to bang the water and the crocodile will swim away."

Strange, thats how they attract crocodiles in Africa (seen it on Discovery Channel the other night:) .... must be the breeding makes them react differently here...

[metisdead]

A profanity post has been removed.

[bulekee]

Cannot we go back to what the ordinery Thai accepts,election time,I will sell my vote.Can an educated Thai tell me what it takes to change the physche in this country.,because it totally confuses me,bar the money.I have been here 9 years ( I now have a beautiful daughter but I am fearful for her future as this country has gone backwards).Before all you farang experts slang me off,I came here with the best intentions ( Love to rub it in but I am very fiancially secure).Not enough time to plead my case (but as I said lucky enough to have money,and by the way I still own a house in the UK).For those discerning people,I worked for my money there and have never made a penny here.it would be great to get an inteligent comment for a change.

[DeeMaiDee]

Quick, bring back Thaksin he will make the waters recede.

[Dag]

Quick, bring back Thaksin he will make the waters recede.

Part more likely..

[londonthai]

in that area are as well waterworks for the west side of bangkok.

When water is contaminated by the flood, they will have to switch off pumping water. Authorities warned already yesterday to fill up all containers with water for drinking and sanitation

[Credo]

This whole flooding is starting to feel like an epic movie, such as Exodus. We do need a Moses who can part the waters, but I don't think it is going to happen.

Where will all the people go?

[zydeco]

This whole flooding is starting to feel like an epic movie, such as Exodus. We do need a Moses who can part the waters, but I don't think it is going to happen.

Where will all the people go?

I've been wondering about this for awhile. Some 660,000 people and their families put out of work in the various industrial parks, from Ayutthaya to Bangkok. Combine that with unknown tens or hundreds of thousands flooded out, and you have a fragile social order. I did hear that some of the industrial park workers had headed back to the provinces. To do what, I wonder? Nothing causes unrest like rising expectations colliding with collapsing reality. And we had millions with expectations that were verging on the stratospheric.

[GazR]

Cannot we go back to what the ordinery Thai accepts,election time,I will sell my vote.Can an educated Thai tell me what it takes to change the physche in this country.,because it totally confuses me,bar the money.I have been here 9 years ( I now have a beautiful daughter but I am fearful for her future as this country has gone backwards).Before all you farang experts slang me off,I came here with the best intentions ( Love to rub it in but I am very fiancially secure).Not enough time to plead my case (but as I said lucky enough to have money,and by the way I still own a house in the UK).For those discerning people,I worked for my money there and have never made a penny here.it would be great to get an inteligent comment for a change.

To change the mentality of the people you have to start bt providing them with a decent education - not the outmoded Confucian-based East Asian Brainwash Education

that is forced upon them. Then you have to make sure that Thaksin doesn't come back to complete his plan of turning Thailand into a capitalist dictatorship. And you better not forget to stop the Red Shirts from turning it into a communist dictatorship. I could go on...and on...and...

BTW why anyone would want to slag you off from what you've said (especially the 'old hands') is not clear to me.

I mean, you've got a lovely daughter so you've obviously "done IT with a lady" which means you're not completely gay!

Bottom Line: 'Laugh and the world laughs with you...'

[GazR]

This whole flooding is starting to feel like an epic movie, such as Exodus. We do need a Moses who can part the waters, but I don't think it is going to happen.

Where will all the people go?

I've been wondering about this for awhile. Some 660,000 people and their families put out of work in the various industrial parks, from Ayutthaya to Bangkok. Combine that with unknown tens or hundreds of thousands flooded out, and you have a fragile social order. I did hear that some of the industrial park workers had headed back to the provinces. To do what, I wonder? Nothing causes unrest like rising expectations colliding with collapsing reality. And we had millions with expectations that were verging on the stratospheric.

They'll do what they always do - retreat, regroup and return.

[zydeco]

By the way, just how many evacuation centers are there? They can only hold a dop of the amount of people affected by floods. As long as my house is not covered, I don't see the point in leaving. For what? I've got food and water, which I might not find in abundance elsewhere. Besides, this is my home, now. I'm not going anyway. I'm in it with all the rest. To quote Martin Luther (in an entirely different context, of course): "Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me."

[xthAi76s]

Cannot we go back to what the ordinery Thai accepts,election time,I will sell my vote.Can an educated Thai tell me what it takes to change the physche in this country.,because it totally confuses me,bar the money.I have been here 9 years ( I now have a beautiful daughter but I am fearful for her future as this country has gone backwards).Before all you farang experts slang me off,I came here with the best intentions ( Love to rub it in but I am very fiancially secure).Not enough time to plead my case (but as I said lucky enough to have money,and by the way I still own a house in the UK).For those discerning people,I worked for my money there and have never made a penny here.it would be great to get an inteligent comment for a change.

I think it will take education and especially education on the concept of personal liberty (a more historically Western concept) for Thais to get themselves out of the funk. A majority of the populace will need to feel confident that each individual has inherent worth no matter his/her original station in life.

I think the other thing they will require is a rethinking or re-executing of the concept of 'face'. I was talking to my wife about this over the past couple days. To sum (although I'm aware it's quite a complex topic) 'face' can be used for good -- like perhaps the Japanese / South Koreans and their culturally enforced work ethics which teach them to gain 'face' and to protect it through hard work, sacrifice etc -- or it can be used for bad -- unfortunately, like Thailand where 'face' is often not really earned honorably at all and is rather often 'won' by default or bought, for example, and which is protected at all costs even in the face of true honor lost due to some wrong doing.

These two things are good starts, but I don't think this is an our lifetime kinda thing. I would anticipate it happening pretty slowly. I'm sure you'll impart the right balance of knowledge to your daughter; good luck.

[passon]

I love the advise on the crocodiles! I feel safer already with my stick!

Cheers!

Hey, at least the crocodile won't eat the stick!

[rogerdee123]

"If you encounter a crocodile, don't panic," it advised in a statement. "Normally they are afraid of human beings. So just use a wooden stick or your hand to bang the water and the crocodile will swim away."

Strange, thats how they attract crocodiles in Africa (seen it on Discovery Channel the other night:) .... must be the breeding makes them react differently here...

Yeah I'm watching "Swamp People" on the history channel and that's how they attract alligators in Louisiana (Katrina land) too.

[Steely Dan]

"If you encounter a crocodile, don't panic," it advised in a statement. "Normally they are afraid of human beings. So just use a wooden stick or your hand to bang the water and the crocodile will swim away."

Strange, thats how they attract crocodiles in Africa (seen it on Discovery Channel the other night:) .... must be the breeding makes them react differently here...

Yeah I'm watching "Swamp People" on the history channel and that's how they attract alligators in Louisiana (Katrina land) too.

I suppose every person who gets eaten is one less person to worry about at the flood evacuation centers.

[SantiSuk]

Went to the alligator show in 3 million year stone park today (Pattaya) with the family. Poking one with a stick - clearly enrages the beasts - even the drugged-up-to-the-eyeballs ones they obviously use for the show!

Splashing the water (with or without a stick) seemed to be used for getting their attention.

Best play dead. No, on second thoughts don't take any advice from me, I haven't a clue how to avoid an alligator (phew, nearly made the classic Thai politician mistake then)

Edited October 20, 2011 by SantiSuk

[rogerdee123]

"If you encounter a crocodile, don't panic," it advised in a statement. "Normally they are afraid of human beings. So just use a wooden stick or your hand to bang the water and the crocodile will swim away."

Strange, thats how they attract crocodiles in Africa (seen it on Discovery Channel the other night:) .... must be the breeding makes them react differently here...

Yeah I'm watching "Swamp People" on the history channel and that's how they attract alligators in Louisiana (Katrina land) too.

I suppose every person who gets eaten is one less person to worry about at the flood evacuation centers.

Yeah, the Nana Katoy patrol should be sent out to round them up. As another poster said .... as soon as them crocodiles eat their first katoy, they will thereafter lay off the humans.

[dumpling]

Quick, bring back Thaksin he will make the waters recede.

well he does hold a parallel to Moses in certain Thai hearts

[anotheruser]

This whole flooding is starting to feel like an epic movie, such as Exodus. We do need a Moses who can part the waters, but I don't think it is going to happen.

Where will all the people go?

I am not sure. Perhaps Laos or Burma because nobody in the region likes Thais.

[rogerdee123]

This whole flooding is starting to feel like an epic movie, such as Exodus. We do need a Moses who can part the waters, but I don't think it is going to happen.

Where will all the people go?

I am not sure. Perhaps Laos or Burma because nobody in the region likes Thais.

I don't think they like them in Laos either.

[h90]

"If you encounter a crocodile, don't panic," it advised in a statement. "Normally they are afraid of human beings. So just use a wooden stick or your hand to bang the water and the crocodile will swim away."

Strange, thats how they attract crocodiles in Africa (seen it on Discovery Channel the other night:) .... must be the breeding makes them react differently here...

Yeah I'm watching "Swamp People" on the history channel and that's how they attract alligators in Louisiana (Katrina land) too.

I suppose every person who gets eaten is one less person to worry about at the flood evacuation centers.

Yeah, the Nana Katoy patrol should be sent out to round them up. As another poster said .... as soon as them crocodiles eat their first katoy, they will thereafter lay off the humans.

Nana Katoy patrol: that would bring Thailand a lot complains from Greenpeace

[rogerdee123]

Quick, bring back Thaksin he will make the waters recede.

well he does hold a parallel to Moses in certain Thai hearts

I think Big Jiew, the former commander in chief of the Red shirt army, should take the role of Moses and lead the flood refugees to Burma, his old logging grounds.

[GazR]

"If you encounter a crocodile, don't panic," it advised in a statement. "Normally they are afraid of human beings. So just use a wooden stick or your hand to bang the water and the crocodile will swim away."

Strange, thats how they attract crocodiles in Africa (seen it on Discovery Channel the other night:) .... must be the breeding makes them react differently here...

Yeah I'm watching "Swamp People" on the history channel and that's how they attract alligators in Louisiana (Katrina land) too.

I suppose every person who gets eaten is one less person to worry about at the flood evacuation centers.

Yeah, the Nana Katoy patrol should be sent out to round them up. As another poster said .... as soon as them crocodiles eat their first katoy, they will thereafter lay off the humans.

I don't know about you, but if I was a crocodile I might not know how to eat a pre-op katoey.

I might however find a couple of unexpected hors d'oeurvres.

Bottom line: Been there, done that (No, guys - just the picture)

[SantiSuk]

Went to the alligator show in 3 million year stone park today (Pattaya) with the family. Poking one with a stick - clearly enrages the beasts - even the drugged-up-to-the-eyeballs ones they obviously use for the show! .......

Whoops. Spot the (non-deliberate) mistake!

Edited October 20, 2011 by SantiSuk

[nowork114]

Bang Bua Thong Today

Edited October 20, 2011 by nowork114

[japanic13]

It's difficult to figure out exactly where the flooding will take place - i live in Ramkhamhaeng - does anybody know the threat level here (or in Bang Kapi)

thanks!

[Gonsalviz]

Would just like to commend TV for an excellent effort in bringing up to date news re the flooding.

You're providing pretty good coverage of what is going on.

Cheers.

TV had nothing to do with it. It was the posters.