Short flood news (update November 10)

Rama II, the main route to the South, is still under threat of flooding. The water is 1 km away from the road.

Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra expects it to reach the road today. The Phetkasemweg and the Ban Khun Thian-Bang Bonweg have already largely been flooded. The government seems to want to use the road to drain the water, while the municipality of Bangkok wants to spare the road. With the help of the Highway Department, the municipality wants to keep the road passable. [The message does not say how.]

• In Bang Phlat, one of the hardest hit districts in western Bangkok, the water has dropped 20 cm in several places. A section of road from the Krung Thon Buri Bridge to the Bang Phlat intersection is now passable. The water is 20 cm high. The situation on Sirindhornweg and Charan Sanitwongweg is difficult, because there is 20 cm of water in some places and 80 cm in other places.
• Residents of Bang Yai district hope that the water from Phetkasem road will not reach the Tha Phra intersection. There are 18 pumps at the Khlong Bangkok Yai dam. From there the water is pumped to the Chao Praya.
• Residents on the west side of the Chao Praya, in Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi and Pak Nam (Samut Prakan) should pay extra attention during high water today and Friday. The water of the river then rises 10 cm above mean sea level.
• The Bangkok municipality has told residents of the sub-districts of Ram Intra and Kannayao (Kannayao district) to evacuate. A warning applies to the sub-district of Lat Phrao (Lat Phrao district).
• The number of passengers arriving at Suvarnabhumi daily has fallen from 130.000 in the last week of October to 100.000. The decrease mainly occurs among international passengers. No airline has canceled flights. [This contradicts a message on November 3, which reported that several carriers reduced their frequency.] On average, 900 aircraft land and take off at Suvarnabhumi every day.
• The number of tourists this year Thailand is likely to reach 19,1 million, lower than the forecast of 19,5 million, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) expects. 958.000 international passengers arrived at Suvarnabhumi last month, an increase of 6,7 percent year-on-year. But only 72.000 tourists arrived in the first three days of this month, down 25 percent year-on-year. International arrivals at Phuket Airport are stable. Last month, the number rose 28 percent.
• The TAT has launched a campaign through its 25 international offices to inform tourists that major tourist destinations have not been flooded. On Monday, the TAT and the German travel agency TUI AG will receive 150 European journalists in the province of Phang Nga. A trip to Bangkok will be organized for 250 Southeast Asian travel agents and members of the media later this month.
• Some Pheu Thai MPs proposed to relieve Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra of his position during a group meeting on Tuesday. Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung did not think it was a good idea; moreover, it is not that simple because he was elected by the people of Bangkok. As is well known, relations between the Yingluck government and Sukhumbhand (Democrat) are rather tense.
• Water hyacinth and logs (perhaps illegally harvested) block the water flow of the Bhumibol Reservoir. They were carried away with the water that came from the North. At the request of the authorities, villagers have tried to clean up the mess, but it is too much. Their boats are damaged by the logs. The forest service must now solve the problem with large equipment.
• Narong Petprasert of Chulalongkorn University's economics department is considering holding the government liable for the damage caused by the floods, with the help of the Lawyers Council of Thailand. According to him – and he also says according to four to five thousand other people – the government has mismanaged the flood. The offered compensation of 5.000 baht per family is not enough, he thinks.
• Young children, the elderly, pregnant women and the sick should be evacuated before flood waters arrive. Pawin Naramethakul of the Emergency Medical Institute of Thailand makes this plea. These groups are difficult to transport because there are no sufficient means of transport, such as boats. The institute can help 10 people per day.
• Kuala Lumpur has donated a new supply of relief supplies collected by the Malaysian Red Cross. On Wednesday, the governor of Songkhla received the items, mainly drinking water, instant noodles and bread.
• On Friday, a section of Highway 9, the eastern outer ring road, to Bang Pa-in will be closed for repairs. The section between the Bang Pa-in interchange and an area near the Ram Intra interchange has been damaged by the water. Some lanes can be used again in two to three days.
• Many foreign workers who have taken refuge in the evacuation center in Ratchaburi want to return to their home countries when their employers cannot help them. The center is overcrowded which makes the stay extremely unpleasant. The center is home to 334 Burmese workers and 98 Cambodians. Some are still owed wages by their employer. The center mainly depends on donations. Some employers give food.
• Residents in Bangkok complain about the exorbitant prices charged by boat owners. Prices of 200, even 500 baht for a short trip are no exception. In Nonthaburi, the police have started registering the boats and regulating the fares. This will also happen in other flooded areas. On Monday, two brothers were shot dead by a rival boat owner during an argument over tariffs. Crow's feet have been put up in some places to prevent army vehicles from transporting people. They may have been placed by boat owners, but also by local residents who are annoyed by the waves caused by the vehicles.
• A thousand Russians have arrived from Moscow on five charter flights to celebrate Loy Krathong in Pattaya. Pattaya, Rayong and Trat are popular destinations for Russians. Up to now, 500.000 Russians have come to Thailand.
• Toyota Motor Corp. hopes to start production on November 21 and gradually ramp up after that. Although the three factories in Samut Prakan and Chachoengsao are not flooded, the company is struggling with a shortage of parts. Some suppliers have confirmed that they can start delivering again.
• Thai Beverage Plc (ThaiBev), the country's largest producer of beer and spirits, is losing billions of baht. It will take a year to restore the five factories in Ayutthaya. The main factory of the Oishi Group, the non-alcoholic subsidiary, in Nava Nakorn (Pathum Thani) has been damaged for 2,3 billion baht. That factory has been under water since October 17. The bottling plant on the ground floor needs to be replaced, which will take six months.
• A beer factory in Bang Ban (Ayutthaya) and a drinking water factory in Wang Noi are isolated by the water. The transport to Bangkok takes 6 to 8 hours compared to 2 hours normally. Deliveries from the factory in Kamphaeng Phet take 10 hours instead of 6,5 hours. Sales and logistics have moved from Bangkok to Chon Buri. On Wednesday, the company sent trucks of drinking water to Bangkok to sell Chang drinking water. Proceeds go to the Chaipattana Foundation to help victims.