Thai Evacuees Find Refuge After 'Fleeing Death'

[webfact]

Thai evacuees find refuge after 'fleeing death'

by Apilaporn Vechakij

DON MUEANG AIRPORT, October 21, 2011 (AFP) - Where travellers once queued for flights to exotic destinations, hundreds of tents in a Bangkok airport are now shelter for families who fled a torrent of floodwater.

A disused terminal building in the capital's second-largest airport, Don Mueang, has been opened up for 1,500 flood victims, some of whom recounted fearing for their lives as they escaped the rising waters.

"My husband and I fled death," said Nonglak Yodnankham from nearby Pathum Thani province, describing how the mass of brown water swelled at a terrifying pace.

"Within five minutes, it came up to my waist already," the 33-year-old told AFP at the airport, which now serves mostly domestic destinations since the opening of the modern new international gateway east of Bangkok in 2006.

Wannee Chaasamrong, also from Pathum Thani, said she had to swim through water up to her chin to rescue her belongings before escaping.

"Even the army in the area cannot control the water. Six barriers collapsed. The water didn't stop rising. Some people were waiting and staying on roofs. They wanted to leave but the boats were too small," she said.

Chunjit Panjanuwat, a government coordinator at the airport shelter, said it was key to reassure distressed families they were safe after their ordeal.

"The most difficult thing is dealing with people's emotions when they arrive. We have to reassure them so they will trust us to find them somewhere to stay and food to eat."

Three months of unusually heavy monsoon rains have killed more than 340 people across the country, damaged properties and livelihoods and forced tens of thousands to seek refuge in shelters.

Winai Kotbaan, 29, said he carried her parents through chest-deep water from the third floor to get to safety.

"My dad has to walk with a walking stick. I still have to go to work because now I am the only breadwinner," she added.

Inside the former departures hall, volunteers handed out free meals and water to elderly people sitting in front of their green, red or blue tents, while in the children's corner youngsters crafted paper airplanes.

Elsewhere, teenage girls huddled together charging their mobile phones and gossiping over magazines.

Chunjit said some 700 tents had been erected on the groundfloor and the centre was not yet at full capacity.

"The shelter can handle 2,000 evacuees with tents and 3,000 without tents," she said.

Despite the close proximity of the living quarters and the occasional complaint about having to wait in line for the bathroom, the atmosphere appeared calm and relaxed.

"We console one another. We understand one another because we all faced a natural disaster," said Wannee.

While the authorities have reinforced flood barriers around the airport, areas nearby were already starting to be submerged, raising doubts about how long the shelter would remain a safe haven.

The refuge has opened its doors not just to flood-affected men, women and children -- dozens of families have brought their dogs along, setting up camp outside the terminal to allow the animals to run free.

Not everyone at the shelter was comfortable sharing a space with man's best friend, and it was not an arrangement coordinator Chunjit wished to encourage.

"I understand that some people want to rescue their dogs first but they misunderstood and came here thinking we were dogs-sitters," she said.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2011-10-21

[BigBikeBKK]

Heartbreaking report. Infuriating too when you consider that government incompetence continues to only make things worse...

[falangjim]

"My dad has to walk with a walking stick. I still have to go to work because now I am the only breadwinner," she added.

You work to support your father because your country can't get its act together and offer a decent social security system. So what do Thai parents do? Lean on their children, of course. Totally unfair when the government could easily enact a social program to ease such burdens. But you go ahead and keep supporting your aging father. You'll have kids someday and if by miracle your Thai man actually sticks around to bear some of the financial burden of your offspring, you too can burden your children with taking care of you. And so on...and so on.

Oh, and the floods are an embarrassment to Thailand as well. Way to go Yingluck. You're over your head...perhaps literally by now.

[philw]

"My dad has to walk with a walking stick. I still have to go to work because now I am the only breadwinner," she added.

You work to support your father because your country can't get its act together and offer a decent social security system. So what do Thai parents do? Lean on their children, of course. Totally unfair when the government could easily enact a social program to ease such burdens. But you go ahead and keep supporting your aging father. You'll have kids someday and if by miracle your Thai man actually sticks around to bear some of the financial burden of your offspring, you too can burden your children with taking care of you. And so on...and so on.

Oh, and the floods are an embarrassment to Thailand as well. Way to go Yingluck. You're in over your head...perhaps literally by now.

Are loonies like you for real ??

If so, please drop dead.

[falangjim]

"My dad has to walk with a walking stick. I still have to go to work because now I am the only breadwinner," she added.

You work to support your father because your country can't get its act together and offer a decent social security system. So what do Thai parents do? Lean on their children, of course. Totally unfair when the government could easily enact a social program to ease such burdens. But you go ahead and keep supporting your aging father. You'll have kids someday and if by miracle your Thai man actually sticks around to bear some of the financial burden of your offspring, you too can burden your children with taking care of you. And so on...and so on.

Oh, and the floods are an embarrassment to Thailand as well. Way to go Yingluck. You're in over your head...perhaps literally by now.

Are loonies like you for real ??

If so, please drop dead.

I'm for real. Which part of the truth was too much for you to handle? I'll drop dead when I am good and ready.

[BKKdreaming]

I must say that I like the Asian idea of helping the family , yes it gets in the way sometimes but its the right thing to do,

As for social security , well the SS in the USA and many other countries is almost bankrupt and going to get worse with the baby boomers retiring ,

But anyway this is about a flood , and I am glad they are helping each other with the little they have

BK

[FalangBaa]

"My dad has to walk with a walking stick. I still have to go to work because now I am the only breadwinner," she added.

You work to support your father because your country can't get its act together and offer a decent social security system. So what do Thai parents do? Lean on their children, of course. Totally unfair when the government could easily enact a social program to ease such burdens. But you go ahead and keep supporting your aging father. You'll have kids someday and if by miracle your Thai man actually sticks around to bear some of the financial burden of your offspring, you too can burden your children with taking care of you. And so on...and so on.

Oh, and the floods are an embarrassment to Thailand as well. Way to go Yingluck. You're over your head...perhaps literally by now.

Patronizing and moralizing rubbish. I bet you think you're superior to the Thai people who surround you. And I bet this illusion gives you a fake sense of self-esteem that you never had in your own country. Western countries NEED a welfare state system because individual children are too self-centred to want to support their parents in old age. Anyway, now the Western countries are in serious financial trouble, the notion of a welfare state is going to fall by the wayside. Pensions will have to be cut, and people will have to work longer. The Western economies, the USA included, are struggling to grow at 0 - 1 % per annum whereas China is still growing at over 9% and Thailand at 4% (possibly revised down to 3% this year due to this disaster), i.e. 4 times faster growth than the West. The gap is narrowing.