Thailand Live Monday 24 Oct 2011

[webfact]

Thailand Live Monday 24 October 2011

News, Bits and Tweets

with webfact

Keep up to date with live updates from the news, hour by hour.

For breaking news,national, regional and international news updates on a daily basis only, this thread is closed to commentary so that those who wish to follow the news can find it here...

Commentary is still open for Thailand news in the relevant thread posted in News Clippings.

FOLLOW US:

You can also follow us on

- Twitter: http://twitter.com/georgebkk

- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ThaiVisaNews

- Google+: http://plus.google.com/116866638430460700577/

- Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/564113621/

- Breaking News via SMS text messages to your mobile phone or handheld device

To subscribe dial *424010011 on AIS, One-2-Call, DTAC or True Move networks

14 days complementary subscription for Thaivisa members.

If you have questions about the Breaking News SMS service,

email: sms [at] thaivisa.com

________________________________________________________________________________

Thailand's current weather and forecasts: http://weather.thaivisa.com/

________________________________________________________________________________

Related topic: Thailand Live Sunday 23 Oct 2011

[webfact]

Today's Thailand weather and forecasts:

Follow this link: http://weather.thaivisa.com/

[webfact]

Vital Kheo Khaika pier dyke repaired

The Nation

Troops, residents work around the clock to reinforce barrier; Chitralada Palace, Siriraj 'adequately protected' from flood water

The breach of a Chao Phraya River dyke at Kheo Khaika Pier in Dusit district was plugged in time yesterday after soldiers and volunteers worked hard day and night to repair and reinforce the sandbag barrier.

Water was still gushing through a large leak through a fence at nearby Rajinee Bon School but the level was not too high. Both spots are now under surveillance around the clock for any more leakage.

Some nearby residents have evacuated and electricity has been cut off to prevent any short circuits. Sandbags have been stacked up at nearby Bang Krabue Intersection to serve as a backup barrier just in case.

The surge in the Chao Phya near the pier was a temporary "spillover", said Vice Admiral Nirut Hongprasit, chief of the Navy’s Hydrographic Department.

"The peak Chao Phraya swelling reached 2.20 metres above mean sea level (MSL) then, and it is now 1.65 metres," he said.

Both Chitralada Palace and Siriraj Hospital were more than two metres above MSL and adequately protected from floodwater, he said.

A network of communities in threatened Lat Krabang and Lak Si districts issued an open letter calling for immediate measures to address the flood now engulfing Bangkok, include evacuation plans at the district level and an easy-to-understand information service from the government.

In Nonthaburi, Bang Bua Thong district was still severely flooded with assistance not yet reaching stranded residents in many communities. Deliveries of relief supplies were being documented to discourage hoarding by flood victims, which is now reportedly widespread.

Two large crocodiles were sighted in the district - one two metres long near Bang Kruay-Sai Noi Road and the other four metres long at an unspecified location. A shelter in Khema Phirataram Temple along the Chao Phaya off Phibulsongkhram Road has been flooded but the occupants have not moved away. An operation is underway to drain the floodwater and is expected to be completed by today.

Tenants of the Bua Thong housing estate in Bang Bua Thong district complained about not being given relief supplies due to red tape. They, as renters, could not produce house registration papers.

In Samut Sakhon, Preecha Sirisaeng-aramphee, head of a fishery association in Maha Chai district, called for price controls on commodities and flood-relief supplies after locally-made barges were now commanding Bt10,000 instead of the regular price of Bt4,000.

-- The Nation 2011-10-24

[webfact]

Be vigilant: Bangkok governor

Follow this link:

[webfact]

Thai govt bid to restore investors' faith

Follow this link:

[webfact]

Thai govt worried about locals destroying flood barriers

Follow this link:

[webfact]

Expect to be flooded for a month, MP tells Bangkok

Outspoken Science Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi yesterday urged the government to come clean with the people of Bangkok, as all parts of the capital would be submerged for more than a month.

Follow this link:

[webfact]

STOCK EXCHANGE

2012 Targets to be scaled down

SIRIPORN CHANJINDAMANEE

THE NATION

The Stock Exchange of Thailand plans to lower several targets of its 2012 business plan because of the flood crisis.

"What we have revised downwards in our business plan next year is our target for new listings, for example, in accordance with the new situation. We will propose a new business plan to the SET's board on October 26," said the president of the exchange, Charamporn Jotikasthira.

He said the SET would focus more on promoting mergers and acquisitions as part of the Capital Development Market Plan. It will do this by making the tax rules related to M&A clearer.

"Companies that operate the same business should merge to strengthen their competitiveness, making for lower operation costs. Recently, PTT Aromatics and Refineries and PTT Chemical merged into a new company, |PTT Global Chemical, with combined market capitalisation of Bt240 billion, the largest market cap among listed petrochemical firms."

Chanitr Charnchainarong, vice president of SET, said it would push M&A on to the national agenda, boosting such activities internationally and not just domest-|ically.

The Cabinet has approved relaxing some levies imposed on merged companies.

"Acquiring businesses overseas would give Thai companies a short cut for starting businesses out there," he said.

Chanitr said the SET was looking into how to boost M&A by small Thai companies and not only large ones.

Given the financial crises in other countries, Thai firms should be ready to buy cheap assets overseas. Currently, only 15-20 of the SET's 50 largest listed companies (those in SET50 Index) have plans to go abroad.

-- The Nation 2011-10-24

[webfact]

Later semester for floodprone

The Nation

The new semester for all Bangkokrun schools, not just those in nine districts, will now open on November 15.

Makeup classes will be held on weekends, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said in a statement yesterday.

On Friday, Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said 116 BMA schools in the nine districts at risk of flooding would delay their second semester to November 15, but all other schools would start the new term as scheduled on November 1.

-- The Nation 2011-10-24

[webfact]

RTAF provide shelters, police offer routes to the north

The Nation

The Royal Thai Air Force has opened two shelters within its Don Mueang compound to accommodate 500 flood evacuees.

The shelters are located inside the RTAF Chantharubeksa stadium and nearby RTAF Noncommissioned Officers Club, said spokesman Air Vice Marshall Monthol Satchukorn.

A C130 cargo plane yesterday airlifted 23 seriously ill patients to and from various hospitals in and outside Bangkok. Another 58 patients and 40 relatives from Thammasat University hospital north of Bangkok were moved to Maharaj hospital in Nakhon Ratchasima.

After the flooding of many key roads, the Highways Police Department has advised several alternate routes heading to the North and Northeast.

People heading north may use the Outer Ring Road, then Rangsit Nakhon Nayok road, then enter Saraburi at Hing Kong intersection, then to Lop Buri and Route 11. Northeast bound motorists should use Route 305, then Kaeng Khoi intersection, and Mitraphab road to Nakhon Ratchasima.

An Abac Poll survey found that respondents were tired of political games between Pheu Thai and Democrat Parties’ during their handling of the current flood situation.

Of 1,305 people surveyed on October 1522, 81 per cent said they wanted to see cooperation between the coalition and opposition parties, and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. A large portion said they were hearing about political conflict during the relief operations caused suffering.

The respondents also called for solutions to handle flood and water management in the long run: onestop centres in all provinces to enable easy implementation of postflood relief efforts; a fund to support such efforts; an information centre where residents living in frequently flooded areas can access details useful in an emergency.

They also called for an independent body to monitor and evaluate the government’s flood relief works; and a government regulated mechanism to make sure flood victims received assistance equally or proportionally to damage caused.

-- The Nation 2011-10-24

[webfact]

Migrant workers given flood refuge

The Nation

A shelter has been set up in a temple just west of Bangkok for migrant workers affected by the floods.

The government has designated RaiKhing Temple in Nakhon Pathom an evacuation centre for Burmese workers to try to prevent more from heading home because of the crisis, which has forced of thousands of factories to shut down.

With industrial estates in Ayutthaya, Nakhon Sawan and northern Bangkok swamped and many factories closed, tens of thousands of Burmese have returned home after being temporarily left without work.

The move yesterday to set up the shelter follows comments by the Lawyers Council of Thailand, which said migrant workers had been turned away from evacuation centres set up for people and workers displaced by the floods.

The announcement came on the same day that more than 2,000 Burmese hired trucks to take them from Pathum Thani, just north of the capital, back to Mae Sot, from where they will cross back to their homeland.

Government officials have said they would prefer registered Burmese workers to remain and would find work for them instead of having them return home.

More info: call 08 98141584 Anurat at Ministry of Labour.

-- The Nation 2011-10-24

[webfact]

Lessons from floods: What's missing from textbooks?: Thai opinion

Follow this link:

[webfact]

PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT:

Floods in the Inner Districts of Bangkok Controllable (24/10/2011)

The flooding situation in the inner districts of Bangkok is controllable, but the situation in Don Mueang and Lak Si districts is still worrisome. As Bangkok is the country’s most important economic area, measures have been implemented to protect the city from flooding.

At the Flood Relief Operations Center in Don Mueang, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said that since flood water is passing through Bangkok before being released into the sea, Bangkok residents might be affected by the huge volume of water.

Even so, she said, flood water in the city is likely to be between 50 centimeters and one meter high, depending on the situation in each area.

In his explanation of the situation in Bangkok, former Director-General of the Royal Irrigation Department, Pramote Maiklad, who is also a water expert, said that the water level in the city is now stable and will be changed following high tides. An overflow problem might occur, but it would be under control by all relevant agencies.

Speaking at the Flood Relief Operations Center, Mr. Pramote stated that flood water would be drained into the inner districts of Bangkok under appropriate controls. After that, it would be released into the Chao Phraya River and later into the sea. Officials would take necessary steps to ensure the least impact on the local residents.

Minister of Science and Technology Plodprasop Suraswadi said that, based on an assessment, stagnant flood water would remain for about one month, or one month and a half. The most critical period for Bangkok would be this week when the water level is high.

He said that officials had created better understanding with the local people who gave good cooperation by not obstructing the opening of sluice gates. With good cooperation, he believed that the situation would continue to improve.

Experts believe that following high tides by the end of October, the water level in the Chao Phraya River will return to normalcy, thus enabling the river to accommodate more stagnant water from various areas, and the flooding situation will ease.

Foreign Office, The Government Public Relations Department

Source; http://thailand.prd.go.th/view_inside.php?id=5940

[webfact]

Boat services on Saen Saeb Canal are working today from Wat Sribunruang to Pratunam /via @js100radio

Chao Phraya express boats have stopped running until 7th November. Call 02-6236001-3 /via @js100radio /via@RichardBarrow

Highest tide level of 24 Oct; 02.59AM (1.70 m. MSL) & 04.36PM (2.28 m. MSL) (via @js100radio ) /via@Porpich

[george]

Thai Officials Give Conflicting Flood Warnings

Full story:

[webfact]

Residents of 6 districts brace for possible floods

Residents of Sai Mai, Don Mueng, Laksi, Bang Khen, Bang Sue, Chatuchak districts of Bangkok were warned at around midnight Sunday to move to higher grounds as flood could reach 80 cm. deep and the dykes may not hold up.

-- The Nation 2011-10-24

[webfact]

Don Muang: @NokAirlines is operating as normal, please allow extra time for your journey to the airport /via@RichardBarrow

8.21 Water on Phahonyothin Rd. in front of Muang Ake is by waist level (via @fm91trafficpro ) /via@Porpich

[webfact]

Water from Rangsit overflows Vibhavadi-Rangsit Rd. & more 500 m. to FROC office (via @Rawangpai ) /via@Porpich

"@CandyJoana: 40cm flooding water now occupying the Sirithorn rd in front of Tang Hua Seng deptt store. #thaiflood"( 8.30am) /via@Aim_NT

[webfact]

08.34 Pic of Sirindhorn Rd. This morning http://lockerz.com/s/149795898 (via @js100radio & @manekarn1 ) /via@Porpich

Moving 4,000 evacuees from TU Rangsit to Ratchamankhala Stadium. Many volunteers needed there (via @ktnews & @adisaklive ) /via@Porpich

[webfact]

Thammasat Rangsit requests for 300-400 volunteers to help relocate flood victims to Rajamangala Natl. Stadium in Hua Mak /TAN_Network

Skilled volunteers needed for jet ski rescue team! (Flood Fight Team) Must own jet ski. More info ☎088-4175776 /via@jjetrin

[webfact]

Thammasat Rangsit Shelter Flooded, Evacuees to Be Relocated at 11 AM

The Thammasat Univsersity, Rangsit Campus turned flood shelter is now flooded. With no electricity or running water, officials are forced to relocate over 3,000 flood victims currently taking shelter there to be relocated to Rajamangala National Stadium in Hua Mak.

The center is asking for 300-400 volunteers to help move the flood victims. The relocation effort is expected to start at 11 AM today.

-- Tan Network 2011-10-24

[webfact]

08.00 Highest water level on the road in front of National Memorial is 50cm, Zeer Rangsit is 70 cm. (via @ktnews )

Tunnel under Tha Phra intersection is now closed until 31 Oct (via @ktnews & @MrVop )

/via@Porpich

[george]

The Nation offers free download PDF of the full newspaper

Download here: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/pdf/

[webfact]

Thammasat University to transfer evacuees to Rajamangkala Stadium; Rangsit campus now used as temporary shelter submerged /MCOT

[webfact]

Reminder: Both Bangkok Administration and FROC issued warnings for residents in Don Muang, Bang Kaen, Lak Si, Chatuchak, Sai Mai to be prepared for flood today. /TAN_Network

[webfact]

Evacuation's begun for 3,000 at TU shelter to Rajmangkala stadium. Many volunteers needed. @tulsathit @thepchaiyong #ThaiFloodEng

Volunteers needed at Rajmangkala stadium /via@tulsathit

[webfact]

FROC declares readiness to help BMA deal with possible flooding in six districts

The Flood Relief Operations Centre announced Monday that it would be ready to provide assistance to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to deal with possible flooding in six Bangkok districts.

FROC chief Justice Minister Pracha Promnok made the announcement after BMA Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra alerted residents of Don Mueang, Lak Si, Bang Khen, Chatuchak, Bang Sue and Sai Mai to make preparations for possible flooding.

-- The Nation 2011-10-24

[webfact]

3,000 evacuees at Thammasat evacuated to National Stadium

About 3,000 flood victims who were taking shelter at the Thammasat University's Rangsit Campus were furtherer evacuated to the Rajamangala National Stadium Monday morning, Thai PBS reported.

The evacuees had to be relocated after floodwaters gushed into the university's compound and kept rising.

Officials called for volunteers to help take care the evacuees at the stadium.

-- The Nation 2011-10-24

[webfact]

Govt should start approaching owners of potential shelters- Supachalasai stadium, Chula Uni, Lumpini park, Bitec, etc /via@tulsathit /via@adisaklive

[webfact]

Six areas in Bangkok to brace for floods

BANGKOK, 24 October 2011 (NNT) – Bangkok Governor M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra has suggested residents in six areas of the capital to brace themselves for the approaching flood water.

The run-off from Rangsit area in Phatum Thani is on its way to Don Muang, Laksi, Bang Khen, Chatuchak, Bang Sue and Sai Mai. The Bangkok governor asked people in those areas to move their belongings to the upper floor. Those living in high-risk locations are advised to take a shelter at the evacuation centers for the time being.

The Foreign Ministry will inform foreign embassies in the flood-prone areas of the situation, and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will post the governor’s announcement on the BMA website.

M.R. Sukhumbhand asked the public not to panic but instead follow his reports closely, adding that emergency and medical officials would be on hand to help them. The BMA will assess the situation again today and the governor will inform the public immediately if the situation turns critical.

-- NNT 2011-10-24