Thailand's Teflon tour industry to weather floods

A foreign tourist walks past a shopping mall fortified with sandbags in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Nov. 11, 2011. Thailand is once again in tourist turmoil as floods linger, but ever resilient industry unfazed.

BANGKOK—The tuk tuk drivers outside the Holiday Inn in Bangkok's still-dry downtown sit idle, calling to passers-by in hopes that someone, anyone will climb in for a ride in their colorful pedicabs.

Fares are hard to come by as the floodwater creeping ever deeper into the Thai capital have washed the streets of tourists.

Trying times like these are nothing new for those in Thailand's all important tourism industry, and with each new calamity come dire predictions that the kingdom's image and its allure to foreign tourists may be irreparably harmed. 

But each time it recovers and its beaches, jungles, spas and urban malls are soon swarming with visitors again.

Call it "Thailand's Teflon tourism industry," said Imtiaz Muqbil, the executive editor of Travel Impact Newswires, which writes about tourism in Asia.

The past decade has seen Thai tourism -- which accounts for about 6 percent of the economy and employs more 2 million workers -- rocked by crisis after crisis. Among the disasters: 

The SARS epidemic, a tsunami, a military coup, the occupation by anti government protesters of the capital's two airports and multiple rounds of deadly street fighting.

The most recent violence, in April and May last year, ended with nearly 100 people killed and several landmark Bangkok buildings set ablaze, but Thailand had a record 16 million international visitors in 2010, showing how quickly tourism can bounce back -- even from from frightening images of mayhem broadcast worldwide.

The country's worst flooding in half a century, which began in July and has steadily worsened through an epic monsoon season, has killed more than 500 people nationwide and left everyone from street vendors to restaurant owners to hoteliers saying business in Bangkok is down.

"This is high season now and a lot of tourists have just disappeared," said tuk tuk driver Thongdee Thongrin. His business has been cut in half since sections of northern and western Bangkok began to flood two weeks ago.

But as a whole Thailand seems to once again be weathering the latest storm, with tourists still coming but skipping Bangkok and heading south to beach resorts like Phuket and Pattaya or north to Chiang Mai, all of which have been spared flooding.

"The public and private sectors have been hit by so many crisis over the years that they are really good at managing it and have the responses worked out to a T," Muqbil said. 

"In Boy Scout terminology, they are perpetually prepared and ready with the response and recovery drill the moment it is necessary."

International tourist arrivals at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok's international gateway, were up 6.7 percent in October over last year, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Arrivals at Phuket's airport were up 28.5 percent for the same period.

Most international airlines were still operating normally to Bangkok, while domestic airlines have been adding flights due to strong demand from people heading to other parts of the country not affected by the flooding, said Andrew Herdman, director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines.

he floods will obviously have some effect on tourism, but the recovery will be quick -- perhaps as short as a month, said Martin J. Craigs, CEO of the Pacific Asia Travel Association.

"Resilience is built into the DNA of Thai tourism," he said.

Craigs and several others in the industry mentioned that some of the "disaster movie" images going out to the world were not an entirely accurate reflection of the situation on the ground. 

He said photos of planes sitting in floodwater at Don Muang airport gave the impression that both of Bangkok's airports were closed.

"Frankly its all down to the old expression: If it bleeds it leads. In this case, if it leaks it leads," he said.

While many key tourist sites and downtown areas are still dry, vast parts of the northern and western outskirts have been turned into inland lakes, submerged by fetid floodwater that have led to calls for the evacuation of 12 of the city's 50 districts.

Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Suraphon Svetasreni said his agency was working hard to get the word out that Thailand was still very much open for business. He said he hoped the disaster would affect international arrivals by only 2 percent.

While specific numbers are yet to be calculated, the floods "have affected the number of bookings in Bangkok for sure," said Sakkarin Thorsawai, the director of the Thai Hotels Association.

Joey Tulyanond, owner of the Old Bangkok Inn and the soon to open Bangkok Tree House hotel, said "maybe about 80 percent of our guests have canceled even though neither of our properties has seen a single drop of floodwater."

At Soul Food Mahanakorn in Bangkok's trendy Thong Lor neighborhood, owner Jarrett Wrisley said he felt lucky to still have a restaurant that was dry and operating when so many others in Thailand had lost everything.

He said his business was off 60 to 80 percent last week, but it has already started to bounce back.

"Thailand, for the past several years, has been in this strange cycle of crisis and rebirth, and I suspect that the country will rebound in a few months," he said. "But first we have to put the pieces back together."

Thai PM pledges flood relief as fight for Bangkok goes on

A woman uses a plastic tub to transport her children through floodwater in Bangkok November 9, 2011.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra pledged more than $4 billion on Wednesday to help Thailand recover from the worst floods in half a century, as workers slowed the flow of water threatening the commercial heart of the capital, Bangkok.

Evacuation orders have spread to a third of Bangkok's districts, mostly in the north of the densely populated city of 12 million people, since late October, as floodwater strewn with trash slowly seeps in from northern and northeastern provinces.

Yingluck, a political novice elected this year, said about 120 billion baht($3.9 billion) had been set aside for a flood recovery effort, a figure that rises to 130 billion baht ($4.2 billion) when local government funds are added.

On the streets of Bangkok, few see an end to the slow-moving disaster that began after tropical storm Nock-ten battered Southeast Asia in late July. Since then, at least 529 people have been killed, many electrocuted or drowned, in floods that have affected 63 of Thailand's 77 provinces.

Some hard-hit regions have started to recover since the end of the August-to-October monsoon season, with only 24 provinces now classified as flooded. But for low-lying Bangkok, the disaster is far from over, as the authorities struggle to keep inner-city neighborhoods and business districts dry.

"I'm concerned about more water reaching Bangkok and I just want to know when it will recede. It's rising and it should recede but when will that be?" said Bangkok resident, Nee Jiranantawat, 53.

Others said they feared they may run low on food and other supplies, especially in homes flooded in waist-high water.

Nikom Teo-au, a 56-year-old garage owner, said he was facing difficulty delivering food to his family at his home on a street under up to 1.5 meters (4.9 ft) of water in Bangkok's Din Daeng neighborhood, just 7 km (4.3 miles) from the main Silom business district where buildings are ringed with sand bags.

Yingluck, a 46-year-old former businesswoman and sister of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, said the money would ease the suffering of victims and repair damaged infrastructure.

She spoke at a special session of parliament called to debate the flooding and her management of the crisis a day after announcing she had pulled out of a weekend summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in Hawaii to concentrate on relief work.

ECONOMIC TOLL

The toll on Thailand's economy and hundreds of global manufacturers who rely on its low-cost factories keeps rising.

The central bank has slashed its economic growth forecast for this year to 2.6 percent from 4.1 percent, citing the repercussions of floods which forced seven big industrial estates to close in central provinces in October.

The economic impact will be even worse if Bangkok, which accounts for 41 percent of gross domestic product, is overrun.

Workers and soldiers are trying to hold the line at the city's Bang Sue canal, pushing water into the Chao Phraya river and stopping it from overflowing to the south. Reuters reporters in the area said they had mostly achieved this so far.

Even so, with each week, the water has slowly drawn closer to the business district and the Ratchaprasong intersection, whose swanky shopping malls and five-star hotels were closed for weeks by political protests in April-May last year.

The major north-south Ratchadaphisek and Viphavadi-Rangsit roads were flooded in the vicinity of the Bang Sue canal. A Reuters reporter said the area was under 60 cm (2 ft) of dark, foul-smelling water in places, with trash on the surface.

Chatuchak market, whose 11,000 stalls are a draw for tourists and residents alike, opened last weekend but was now submerged, with vendors' carts and tables washed away and stray dogs taking refuge on the rooftops, the reporter said.

Barefoot soldiers were ushering people from the elevated Sky train -- still working across the capital, like the MRT underground railway -- onto buses crammed with passengers.

In the east of the capital, floodwater still threatened two big industrial estates, Bang Chan with 93 factories including Nestle SA and Lat Krabang with 254 including Unilever Pcl and Honda Motor Co.

"The water level situation in Beung Kratiem on the north side of Bang Chan Industrial Estate is still a concern. Even with the water pumps there, water keeps rising," said Thanes Weerasiri, secretary-general of the Engineering Institute of Thailand.

"The water level has risen by 3 cm (1.2 inches) from yesterday," he told Reuters, adding that efforts to divert the water into a major canal nearby had been stepped up. Channel 3 television said water had got into one factory compound.

However, the situation inside the Lat Krabang Industrial Estate was still normal.

The estates are about 10 km (6 miles) north of Bangkok's main Suvarnabhumi airport, which is functioning normally inside a reinforced dike at least 3 meters (10 ft) high.

The Chao Phraya river snaking through Bangkok has another phase of high tides from Thursday to Monday and riverside communities are braced for floods, especially on the relatively dry east bank, although a navy official said the river should not reach the record high levels seen at the end of October.

Thursday sees the Loy Krathong festival, when Thais like to float offerings of food, flowers and candles on rivers and lakes, a symbolic pushing away of bad feelings and bad luck.

But Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra has canceled a big event on the fast-flowing river scheduled for Thursday and urged people not to float their offerings in flooded areas. They would add to the tonnes of rubbish lying in sodden piles in the streets, he said, and the candles were a fire hazard.

Thais celebrate water festival despite floods

A woman helps her son pray before releasing a traditional Krathong float into a pool during the Loy Kratong festival in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011. Every year when the moon is full and the rainy season draws to an end, Thailand's waterways fill with millions of floating lotus-shaped lanterns - a symbolic, centuries-old gesture once meant to placate to the country's goddess of water. This year, flood-ravaged Thailand has plenty of reason to pray for rebirth - and little reason to celebrate.

BANGKOK—Sahattaya Vitayakaseat placed a tiny crown-shaped boat made from curled banana leaves and marigold flowers into the murky brown water and let it drift toward a park bench submerged by Bangkok's surging Chao Phraya river.

She then closed her eyes and prayed, silently begging forgiveness from Thailand's goddess of water -- who some believe is responsible for a three-month wave of cataclysmic flooding that has killed more than 500 people.

"I hadn't planned to come out tonight because there's been so much loss and so much grief," Sahattaya, 45, said Thursday as the Southeast Asian kingdom celebrated Loy Krathong, a full-moon festival held every year when the rainy season comes to an end. "But this is a chance to let our misery float away."

Thais believe the candlelit boats launched during the Loy Krathong holiday can carry misfortune away with them, allowing life to begin anew. But this year the tradition, begun hundreds of years ago to pay tribute to water itself, has taken on a profound new irony.

Floodwaters born from months of intense monsoon rains have swept the country, engulfing whole cities in one of the worst natural disasters in modern Thai history. 

In the last few weeks, areas of outer Bangkok have also been submerged, forcing residents to flee neighborhoods where the best way to get around now is on boats made from anything that can float -- plastic foam, empty water bottles, bamboo poles.

The threat is not yet over, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand responded by canceling all official Loy Krathong celebrations in the capital this year.

The Chao Phraya river -- normally filled with tens of thousands of floating lanterns during the holiday -- was dark and mostly empty Thursday night.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Authority had urged people not to float krathongs on the river or in any flooded zones. 

Officials are worried they cold trigger fires in abandoned homes or clog drains and canals critical to helping ease the massive pools of runoff bearing down on the metropolis of 9 million people.

Still, hoards of smiling Thais came out to celebrate, packing parks across Bangkok where festive vendors sold boiling noodles, balloons and krathongs made of ice cream cones. One hint that things were different this time: donation boxes set up to help flood victims.

At the riverside Santi Chai Prakan Park, teenagers set off firecrackers. A dozen candlelit paper lanterns floated into the night sky above a floodlit fort.

Revelers set loose hundreds of krathongs on the water, in a spot where the overflowing river had submerged a set of park steps. The krathongs were kept from the river, contained in a barricaded zone beside it.

"She's cruel," Vilasini Rienpracha said with a lighthearted laugh, referring to the Thai water deity called Phra Mae Khongkha. "She wanted to come into our streets and to see what the city is like. But we've had enough, it's time for her to go."

Loy Krathong has its roots in an era when most Thais lived in stilt houses made of wood, dependent on rivers and rain-fed agricultural land for their sustenance and survival.

That life is being erased by modern development, which critics say has exacerbated the current crisis. Over the last few decades, canals that once allowed annual floodwater to pass through the capital unimpeded have been paved over to make room for roads, highways, shopping malls and housing estates.

Sahattaya said Thais have treated the nation's rivers poorly, polluting them with garbage, and exacerbated annual floods with deforestation and poor urban planning.

"If we as humans don't change our behavior, more catastrophes will come," she said. "It's time to start doing something positive instead of destroying the environment. 

We've been greedy. We've treated Mother Nature poorly. And now she's come back to hurt us."

Thai community celebrates emotional Loy Krathong festival

Thai women release traditional banana leaf rafts decorated with candles, jasmine, rose, and incense sticks in a body of water in Dubai on Wednesday.

Dubai: The Thai community in the UAE on Wednesday night celebrated the Loy Krathong festival or the Festival of Lights in remembrance of their families and friends who have been affected by the floods back home.

Celebrated annually on the full moon of the twelfth lunar month usually in November, the Loy Krathong festival is one of the oldest and well-preserved traditions in the Thai culture.

Loy in Thai means "to float" and krathong refers to the traditional banana leaf rafts decorated with candles, jasmine, rose, and incense sticks. 

They are set adrift in rivers and bodies of water when the moon is at its brightest, the tide at its highest, and the waters are well illuminated.

"This is the time when we ask for pardon from the river, to float something bad from us and to pray for good things for our lives for the next year," Thai Ambassador to the UAE Somchai Charanasomboon told Gulf News.

Dubai: The Thai community in the UAE on Wednesday night celebrated the Loy Krathong festival or the Festival of Lights in remembrance of their families and friends who have been affected by the floods back home.

Celebrated annually on the full moon of the twelfth lunar month usually in November, the Loy Krathong festival is one of the oldest and well-preserved traditions in the Thai culture.

Loy in Thai means "to float" and krathong refers to the traditional banana leaf rafts decorated with candles, jasmine, rose, and incense sticks. They are set adrift in rivers and bodies of water when the moon is at its brightest, the tide at its highest, and the waters are well illuminated.

"This is the time when we ask for pardon from the river, to float something bad from us and to pray for good things for our lives for the next year," Thai Ambassador to the UAE Somchai Charanasomboon told Gulf News.

The practice comes with a number of beliefs among them being a ritual to pay homage to the spirits of the water within which they get their source of livelihood.

"After that, the people would enjoy their local life thinking of and meeting each other and having fun within the community," the ambassador added.

But the flood water currently affecting Central Thailand makes it an even greater reason to participate in the tradition, Thai officials said.

"We have some relatives who have been affected by the flood but they have high spirits, they know that this happens once in our lives and will not happen again," said Charanasomboon.

"This time as you know we have excessive flood in Bangkok, so it's also time to float our thoughts and our support to our friends, our brothers, and family in Thailand who are suffering because of the flood.

It signifies that we let our sorrow and everything float away," Thai Consul-General to the UAE Chalotorn Phaovibul told Gulf News.

The nearly four months of flooding in Thailand, which has claimed more than 500 lives, is considered the worst flood crisis in the country's recent history.

Currently, around 5,500 Thais live and work in the UAE.

Thailand Tries to Help Companies, as Floods Spread

Thailand on Thursday offered more help to businesses affected by a national flood crisis as the waters spread deeper into Bangkok and risked cutting off a major highway.

The flooding since late July has killed 533 people and caused billions of dollars in damage, closing hundreds of inundated factories north of the capital.

The water has nearly surrounded Bangkok, flooding a dozen of its outer districts and threatening chaos in the crowded city of more than 9 million people.

The floodwater are trickling onto the main route south from the city, Rama II Road. If the water gets deeper, it will cut off the last dry highway to Thailand's south and likely swamp so-far unflooded areas of southwestern Bangkok.

The industrial closures have had an effect well beyond Thailand, since the factories supply key components for several industries, particularly the automotive and computer sectors.

A Thai resident looks out from a truck as they pass a flooded street in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011. The flooding began in late July and the water has reached parts of Bangkok, where residents are frustrated by government confusion over how much worse the flooding will get.

Thailand's Board of Investment, which grants tax holidays and other privileges to investment projects, already has taken steps to mitigate flood damage, such as giving tax write-offs for damaged raw materials and easing rules on bringing in foreign nationals to help with recovery.

New measures announced Thursday include allowing companies to temporarily outsource all manufacturing in order to maintain customer deliveries and extending by six months import tax exemptions on replacements for damaged machinery.

Especially hard hit by the flooding have been Japanese companies, led by Honda and Toyota, that were forced to close assembly plants in flooded areas. 

Some have complained they were not given timely and accurate information that would have allowed them to prepare for flooding.

On top of Thailand's political instability in recent years, the floods have raised the possibility foreign investment projects may relocate elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has tried reaching out to Japanese businesses. Japan's ambassador accompanied Yingluck on an inspection this week in Ayutthaya, just north of Bangkok, where several flooded industrial estates have begun cleanups.

Virabongse Ramangkura, a former finance minister heading a reconstruction and development committee established this week, said he would consult in Tokyo with officials from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on how best to aid the stricken businesses.

Thai confidence at 10-year low; floods hit more firms

Thai consumer confidence fell to a 10-year low in October because of flooding that has taken 533 lives and shut thousands of factories, with another industrial estate threatened on Thursday as water spread in the east of the capital, Bangkok.

The flooding has dragged down consumer confidence and it will probably fall further if the economy is severely affected and the government can't speed up rebuilding within 3-6 months," said university economist Thanavath Phonvichaisaid.

The consumer confidence index from the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTTC) slumped from 72.2 in September to 62.8 in October, its lowest level since the aftermath of the September 2001 attacks on the United States.

The flooding began in the north of the country in late July, ruining a quarter of the main rice crop now being harvested and overwhelming industrial estates north of Bangkok in October.

Now the capital itself is in danger. Residents in a third of its districts, mostly in the north of the densely populated city of 12 million people, have been advised to get out.

Water has seeped into parts of Bang Chan industrial estate in the eastern suburbs, home to 93 factories run by local and international companies including Nestle SA, instant noodle maker YumYum and President Bakery Pcl, which makes buns for McDonald's and Farmhouse bread.

Yongyuth Thongsuk, deputy permanent secretary of the Industry Ministry, said 16 companies had temporarily shut.

"Most operators who have stopped are in the painting and industrial glue businesses," he said. "Major food producers like Nestle, Farmhouse and YumYum are still operating as normal.

Industry Minister Wannarat Channukul told Reuters factories had been advised to raise machinery from floor level but the estate was only at flood alert level one, meaning firms could decide for themselves whether they should continue operations.

Wannarat said 10 more pumps would be brought in on Thursday to add to the 44 the estate already used to push water into a nearby canal. "If all goes as planned, we should still be able to defend this estate," the minister said.

Idthipol Patimavirujh, deputy managing director of Daily Foods Co Ltd, the third-biggest milk producer in Thailand, said its three plants at Bang Chan were still working.

"We can't stop producing. Bang Chan is now the only big kitchen left for Bangkok people," he said.

ECONOMIC TOLL

The central bank has slashed its economic growth forecast for this year to 2.6 percent from 4.1 percent and may have to cut it further if the flooding spreads right across Bangkok, which accounts for 41 percent of the country's gross domestic product.

"We still cannot tell the exact damage, but it will be higher than 120 billion baht ($3.9 billion)," Deputy Governor Suchada Kirakul told reporters.

The UTTC put the damage at 300-400 billion baht and forecast economic growth of 1.5-2.5 percent this year. If rebuilding did not start quickly and Europe's debt crisis worsened, it may be just 0.5 percent, it said.

The floods would cut foreign tourist arrivals this year by up to 800,000 from the 18 to 19 million expected, at a cost of more than 20 billion baht ($651 million), Suchada said.

Suvarnabhumi international airport in the east of Bangkok is functioning normally inside a reinforced dike at least 3 meters (10 ft) high, but the old Don Muang airport in the north of the city, used mainly for internal flights, is closed.

In streets south of Don Muang, stagnant water chest-high in places was starting to leave dark stains on buildings in places, a Reuters reporter said. Many locals have refused to evacuate, some getting around on bamboo rafts, others waiting at flooded bus stops for transport provided by the military or aid groups.

Workers are trying to hold the line at the city's Bang Sue canal running from east to west, pushing water into the Chao Phraya river and stopping it from overflowing to the south.

Reuters reporters in the area said workers had largely managed this so far. But highways to the north of the country are inundated and Rama II Road, the main route to the rubber-producing south, which has not been flooded, is under threat.

Thursday sees the Loy Krathong festival, when Thais like to float offerings of food, flowers and candles on rivers and lakes, a symbolic pushing away of bad feelings and bad luck.

But Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra has canceled a big event on the fast-flowing river and urged people not to float their offerings in flooded areas. That would add to the tonnes of rubbish lying in sodden piles in the streets, he said, and the candles were a fire hazard.

The Chao Phraya river snaking through Bangkok has another phase of high tides from Thursday to Monday but a navy official said water should not reach the record high levels seen at the end of October, when banks overflowed in places.

($1 = 30.70 baht)

(Additional reporting by Ploy Ten Kate, Martin Petty, Boontiwa Wichakul, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Orathai Sriring and Thin Lei Win; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Hardship makes us stronger

Sleepless nights, with dozens of cockroaches escaping the floodwater from the sewers; days of worry about parents who refuse to flee their flooded homes; countless rides in military boats and trucks through road-turned-canals which take three times longer than usual.

Walking barefoot along the flooded roads, wading waist-deep in fetid water in the sois, buying an overpriced boat, hitchhiking, getting help from strangers and counting the days when this ordeal will end.

My personal account of Thailand's worst flood disaster in several decades might be similar to the stories told by other millions of flood-hit people.

However, what each of us has learned from this major deluge or how we have changed after this natural disaster  will not be the same.

There are many more people who are suffering greater losses and facing far more difficulties than myself. I saw a father and daughter living on small pieces of plank-wood surrounded by floodwater over a meter deep.

I saw an old, blind man try to hitch a ride on a military truck to Nawong Temple where he uses a crematorium as his temporary shelter. 

I saw a wife helping her seriously ill husband onto a 10-wheeled truck after she did failed to get any help from an emergency hotline.

I've seen the strength of the people and the ability to adjust themselves to hardship. In the first few days of the flooding, most people were fighting against the incoming water. They tried to block it, pump it out and even prayed that the water level would stop there. 

Then, we lost the battle and accepted our defeat. We moved up to the second floor, trying to think that the situation would not become too bad. But we were wrong. Electrical shocks, poisonous reptiles and hygienic problems have become major concerns. 

Toilets cannot be flushed and the piles of garbage have become bigger and bigger. Many of us decided to leave our homes, but our old folks wouldn't flee with us. They refused to live in an unfamiliar places and worry about the house, the dogs, burglars, etc.

We have no choice but to let them stay while we do everything we can to make their living condition as good as possible, while we still have to move on with our work.

At one point, everything seemed to be under control, thanks to the help of all the soldiers, state officials, rescue workers and volunteers working on the ground.

Public buses and military vehicles are my true heroes in this flood disaster. They make traveling to and from flooded areas possible. People go out to buy food and other supplies, children can go back to look after their parents and inspect their houses.

The city bus agency has been criticized for the poor condition of its vehicles. But in this time of crisis, the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority's staff and its bus fleet have proved to be a big help.

The BMTA modified its buses to be able to run on flooded roads. Where the roads along their normal route became impassable, they changed the route to serve the commuters. 

Most of the bus drivers and conductors I met were working very hard to help ease the hardship of people traveling in flooded areas.

It is basic facilities like these that help people get through a crisis, not the complicated, mulch-million-baht schemes which cabinet ministers dream up.

It has been three weeks now since the northern runoff hit the first parts of Bangkok in Don Mueang district, followed by Sai Mai, Bang Khen and Lak Si. It is good to see that many people managed to find the means to live with the water.

I recently took a ride on a crowded 10-wheeler from Chaeng Wattana Road to my house on Ram Intra Road. It was a distance of 10km and was totally flooded; it took me about two hours.

It was a pleasant trip (even if I did have to stand all the way, carrying three heavy bags of food and supplies). People from all walks of life from construction workers to well-to-do people got together on this truck. 

These strangers exchanged their flood experiences and consoled each other like friends and relatives.

I listened to them, trying to forget the growing pain in my back and legs. A famous quote of Nietzche came to mind: "What does not kill (us) makes (us) stronger."

BMA: Water receding, gradually

Floodwater has receded by one to four centimetres in several eastern and western districts of the capital city, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration spokesman Wasant Meewong said on Wednesday.

The districts where water had dropped by 1-4cm were Sai Mai, Bang Sue, Nong Chok, Lat Krabang, Khannayao, Lat Phrao, and Thawi Watthana.

In Bang Phlat district alone, the water level dropped another 10cm to about 40cm high.

However, the water levels in Min Buri and Khlong Sam Wa districts east of Bangkok went up 1cm.

The floodwater on Phahon Yothin and Vibhavadi Rangsit roads did not spread further to elsewhere.

The water levels in Khlong Lat Phrao, Khlong Bang Bua and Khlong Prem Prachakorn which took water from Khlong Hok Wa were still high but stabilised.

More water pumps have been installed at Khlong Samsen, Bang Sue, Bang Khen Mai, Phraya Ratchamontri and Sanamchai stations and are all running in full capacity.

Soldiers have helped to clear garbage and weeds from in front of water pumpting stations and district offices have been allowed to seek an additional budget to hire more workers to clear garbage and other objects obstructing water flows, the BMA spokesman said.

Damage estimate needs revision Central bank

The Bank of Thailand will further revise its estimates of economic damage from the floods to take into account factors such as disruptions to the services sector and commercial activity in Bangkok, says Suchada Kirakul, deputy governor for monetary stability.

The central bank on Oct 19 estimated losses of 120 billion baht in industrial output from floods that damaged industrial estates and severely inundated the western side of Bangkok.

The most significant impact has been on electronics and automotive firms and consequently on global supply chains for those industries.

The fact that large companies normally have insurance coverage for their assets would help to mitigate damage to some extent, she said.

JP Morgan said the severe impact on local makers of hard-disk drives and other components would cut global PC production by up to 15% this year, but a recovery would begin in the first quarter of next year.

The floods are also expected to reduce tourism revenues by 20 billion baht with up to 800,000 visitors cancelling plans, Mrs Suchada said.

She also noted that bond yields had been falling as investors expect the central bank to cut its interest rate to help the recovery.

"The central bank could play a role to help the private sector through decisions by the Monetary Policy Committee," she said. "This is a straightforward thing that we can do."

The MPC is due to hold its next meeting at the end of this month. At its Oct 19 meeting it left its interest rate unchanged at 3.5%. 

The central bank currently has enough policy space to adjust to accommodate private-sector activities, after continual interest rate increases," Mrs Suchada said.

"Demand for bonds] in the central bank's auctions has recently increased, compared to a shortage of demand in the past. This showed that the market has priced in the MPC's future rate cuts. It is currently a good time to issue bonds."

Highway 340 expected to reopen today

Rama II Road may not be flooded 'right away'

The flooded Highway 340 is expected to reopen today for use as an alternative route to the south in case the deluge cuts off Rama II Road, Transport Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat says.

ACM Sukumpol yesterday said authorities would start draining floodwater from two sections of the highway where the floodwater was deepest.

This would take about four to five hours since the deepest area is only 45cm under water.

After pumping water from the road, the flooding on the highway from Taling Chan to Suphan Buri should improve and southbound traffic would be able to resume today, he said.

ACM Sukumpol said it was possible water could reach Rama II Road soon but that did not mean the road would be flooded right away as it depended on the direction of the water flow.

He said authorities have already removed debris along a 30km section of Rama II Road and asked the army to help clear five canals along the road to facilitate water flow.

As for flood prevention on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, ACM Sukumpol said authorities would install sand barriers on the road near the Din Daeng expressway entrance to prevent the deluge from advancing to the inner part of the city.

The minister said the government had called off a plan to create a 3km big bag barrier in the Taling Chan area in the western part of Bangkok for fear the barrier would cause floodwater to flow into Khlong Bangkok Noi, creating problems for surrounding areas, especially Siriraj Hospital.

Meanwhile, City Hall yesterday declared more communities in Bang Bon, Chom Thong and Bangkok Noi district as flood evacuation areas.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) announced the evacuation of people living in certain communities in Bang Khun Si, Bang Khun Non, and Arun Amarin sub-districts of Bangkok Noi district.

Evacuations were also announced for a number of communities in Bang Bon sub-district of Bang Bon district as well as more in Bang Khunthian and Bang Kho sub-districts of Chom Thong district.

The flood drainage efforts had not been as successful as expected in the western districts of Bangkok, namely Chom Thong, Bang Bon, Bang Khunthian, Thon Buri and Rat Burana, Chom Thong district councillor Suthichai Wirakulsunthon said.

He was speaking after chairing a meeting on updates on the flood situation in the five districts.

Up to 30 million cubic metres of floodwater was entering the districts every day but only about 20 million cu/m was being successfully drained.

As for the flood situation in eastern Bangkok where at least two main industrial estates _ Bangchan and Lat Krabang industrial estates _ are located, Anond Snidvongs, an academic on the Flood Relief Operation Command's water-draining committee, said the overall situation there was expected to begin improving in about a week.

The projection was made on the basis there would not be another massive amount of northern runoff coming into the capital, Mr Anond said.

BMA spokesman Wasan Meewong said floodwater levels in Nong Chok, Min Buri, and Lat Phrao districts fell by between 1-4cm yesterday due to round-the-clock draining of water.

Floodwaters also receded gradually in Khlong Bang Sue where a large number of water pumps have operated around the clock.

This canal is one of the main routes being used to empty floodwaters in inner Bangkok into the Chao Phraya River.

Thailand faces security and political test

The widespread floods in central Thailand have added another dimension to the security threats to the country which, since 1932, have largely been domestic ones. 

The flood damage to basic security infrastructure will cost at least S$1.9 billion, according to the police and military analysts. In times like these, it is political will that will secure the support of the people.

Strong political leadership can shift the impact of a crisis. Given the sea of security problems, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has surprised critics by displaying calm resolve.

The first woman Prime Minister in Thailand has taken a strong stand in facing the disaster. She recently empowered herself with the Natural Disaster Law to control all operations. 

Despite the reticence of army commanders, the PM is doing a remarkable job for someone who has had no previous political experience.

Yet, some Thai political commentators believe she reacted too late. The trigger point was when Ayutthaya overflowed. Ayutthaya is where some major industrial parks are totally submerged. 

There is concern over the general lack of coordination, confusion and miscommunication that have propelled images of discord. Yet, at the ground level, the Thais are really working together and they appear to be shelving the Red-Yellow divide, at least for now.

What is clear is that Thailand needs a long-term strategy to combat all environmental disasters and not just the annual flooding. The question remains as to the strength of the leadership's political will.

Another undercurrent is financial security. Thai economists believe the flood damage estimate of about S$1.9 billion is an understatement. 

Total damage to infrastructure and industry is likely to range between 3 and 5 per cent of Thailand's GDP in purchasing power parity terms. With the lowering of the economic growth forecast by the Finance Ministry, the recovery period will take up to two years longer than expected.

The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department reports a death toll of no fewer than 527 with over 2 million people affected across 26 provinces. The Menam Chao Phraya is the main channel for the floodwater.

It is also a conduit for human trafficking, which was an issue raised during the visit of the United Nations Rapporteur. Illegal Myanmar workers in Thailand are also scrambling for safety and security. 

The Bangkok Metropolitan Police and the police across 26 provinces are hard-pressed to maintain law and order, as well as to save lives.

The police's post-flood claims will increase pressures for a larger part of the national budget to fight the floods - and sometimes, fight the people. For example, locals in Khlong Sam Wa destroyed the sluice gates that are preventing the flooding of the Bangchan Industrial Estate. 

While negotiations continue with the locals, repairs have been made to prevent further flooding downstream. The basic strategy is to allow the flooding of areas north of Bangkok and diverting those flood waters to the east or west of Bangkok.

Thailand is the world's major exporter of premium grade rice. Over 20 per cent of the rice crop may be damaged, which will increase costs to consumers over the next two quarters. 

Rice storage bins left in any state of disrepair will suffer the consequences of the flooding and the rains. Stored rice has one worst enemy: Water. It takes only a few minutes for a dry rice grain to soak up water.

Damage to major properties along the rivers and klongs now runs into the billions of baht. This will lower yields on the real estate markets for at least another two quarters. 

Foreign direct investments are unlikely to return immediately. These factors, combined with a global recession, will make life in Thailand a less-than-pleasant investment experience.

The Royal Thai Army was not prepared for the flood. Troops are scrambling to save their equipment and simultaneously save lives. 

But army commanders are uncomfortable with the Prime Minister's emergency natural disaster powers. The army wants to avoid conflict with locals destroying embankments, big dykes, and sluice gates.

Military hardware is also being moved but not mobilized. In order to avoid floodwater, there are light armored cars parked on the motorway outside Don Muang airbase. The military will have to raise its annual budget for the millions of dollars lost in the wake of the floods.

The greatest impact of the flooding in Thailand has yet to come. The likelihood of diseases and pestilence from stagnant water is high. It is too early for airborne pests to inflict their own wave of damage. People will also protest because they sacrificed their homes to save Inner Bangkok.

These protests will lead to another round of clashes between the Reds and Yellows. But if Yingluck survives that test, she will be in a better position to avoid future coups d'etat. And plan for the drought ahead.

Antonio L Rappa is Associate Professor and Head of Management and Security Studies at UniSIM Business School. He is also an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.

Extraordinary times require exceptional people

All Bangkok now realize one cannot force nature to act as we desire all the time. Humans may be able to divert and temporarily change the course of nature, but in the end nature wins. We just have to learn to live more in accordance with the rules of nature rather than trying to beat it with our belief in modernization and human superiority.

A woman prepares krathong floats for sale in the flooded district of Lat Phrao in Bangkok, on the occasion of Loy Krathong festival yesterday.

So, as the unprecedented mass of water flows relentlessly down from the north and floods the lower basin, Bangkok's citizens are are beginning to accept the inevitable _ that part, if not all, of this City of Angels will experience flooding; and eventually it will be time to pick up the pieces.

Whatever we can do to let the floodwater pass _through man-made canals and pumping systems as well as natural waterways _ we must try. And if the water has to overflow onto the roads and into homes, so be it.

But nature _ water in this case _ seems to enjoy playing games with our minds. We all waited anxiously for weeks for the water to reach Bangkok and pass through to the Gulf of Thailand, with our attitude of "just get it over with". 

But the water seems to be taking its time, by drowning parts of Bangkok especially in Thon Buri on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River and the suburbs of eastern Bangkok, laying siege to the inner city for yet another weekend.

For the inner city, the front-line is now at Klong Bang Sue. The "Big Bag" line constructed by the Transport Ministry is designed to slow down waterfowls so that the pumps of the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) at Klong Bang Sue can effectively divert the water into the river. 

If that does not hold, then the next line of defense will be Klong Samsen. And that means Victory Monument will become the front line. Finally, if water overflows the last line of defense which is Klong Saen Sap, then people working and living in the financial district and embassy row of Wireless and Silom roads will have to wade to work.

The window of opportunity to try and manage water diversion as best as possible will remain open till the end of this month, when another period of high tides is predicted.

If the Royal Irrigation Department and the BMA can work together without another shouting match, then we may be able to save the inner city from meter-high flooding. But even then, there is no definite guarantee that there will not be dampness to a lesser degree.

Apart from the bickering over bureaucratic turf and the politicking (both at the local and national levels) which impede the fight to defend homes and businesses within the flood-way, there is also the human traits of carelessness and irresponsibility. 

Garbage of all sorts which has been dumped into our rivers and canals, is stopping up sewage drains and much of it is now floating around flooded homes.

The amount of garbage is such that makes one wonder how the provinces and the BMA have been coping in the past: is all of it simply swept out of sight under somewhere, only to appear when water flushes it out? 

This huge amount of garbage is becoming a challenge for the government and local administrations to collect and destroy, as it is now causing water contamination and could become the main source of diseases and epidemics.

It is also amazing to see the amount of used foam boxes which are primarily used as food containers, and plastic bags flowing in the canals and stuck along the pumping areas. Others bigger throwaways include mattresses (yes, I did not believe it at first, either), which when absorbed with water become heavy and can cause damage to the pumps.

In the larger context, the government has appointed prominent personalities to work on two national committees. The first is the Strategic Committee for Reconstruction and Future Development (SCRF) and the second is the Strategic Committee for Water Resources Management (SCWRM). 

The first is headed by Virabongsa Ramangkura and the second by Deputy Prime Minister, Kittiratt Na-Ranong, with Sumet Tantivejakul, a close confidant of His Majesty the King, as the chief adviser.

Both are high-powered committees working to map out the coming reconstruction of the country. Mr Virabongsa has a broader mandate, from strategic planning and implementation, to rebuilding Thailand's credibility in the eyes of investors and international partners.

His committee members include Pansak Viyaratn, a close adviser to ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra; Prasert Bunsumpun, former president and CEO of PTT Plc; Visanu Krue-ngam, a respected lawyer and former deputy prime minister; and others whose personal credibility is recognised within and outside Thailand.

Mr Kittiratt's committee will concentrate on water management planning and implementation. This will be as equally difficult as the first committee's tasks, since Mr Kittiratt will be chairing meetings with water experts who do not necessarily see eye to eye. 

Each sees the problems differently. Most of them are involved in the day-to-day fight against the flooding, making final decisions hard to reach. And they also envision the long-term solution in distinct ways.

But both committees and their extraordinary members are necessary. The force of nature's destruction is understandable, but the relief and reconstruction, if mismanaged, will not be excusable. 

At stake is not only the personal credibility of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and that of her administration, but also the credibility of Thai state, which includes the bureaucracy and its technocrats, and the entire Thai private sector.

Thailand must prove that, as a nation, it has the will and capability to face the threat of destruction and survive; to be able to pick itself up and walk on. The Thai state must prove it can take care of its population and stakeholders, including foreign investors and friends, and exert enormous effort in rebuilding what has been lost.

The government must therefore not let the two national committees become a mere talking shop or bodies to deflect political attacks. These committees must be equipped with full support, especially in terms of budget, and invested with full authority in both the planning and implementation stages. Petty politics must not be allowed to interfere with the reconstruction efforts.

At the same time the committee members must set aside their individual egos and aspirations and ensure that the work process is non-partisan and incorruptible. These are extraordinary times which require exceptional people with strong political will to make the changes necessary to rebuild our nation.

Bangkok appoints crocodile hunters

BANGKOK, Thailand: Fear of crocodiles in Bangkok floodwater has prompted the creation of a special unit  the Crocodile Rescue Team -- to investigate sightings.

Sightings of crocodiles lurking in the floodwater have sent jitters among  residents of flood-hit Bangkok.

However, there has been no confirmed reports of crocodiles attacking humans amid the floods.

Crocodiles only attack humans when they fear for their own survival.

In fact, crocodiles are just as scared of humans as humans are of the reptiles.

But it is no comfort to frightened residents, who have reported chickens and dogs suddenly going missing.

The Crocodile Rescue Team is a specially set up unit from the Fisheries Department to investigate these claims.

A Thai crocodile-sighting witness said: "I saw a crocodile, so I called authorities. It was around 3am when I saw it. I could see its whole body, from head to tail."

He reported that three chickens kept in his coop had disappeared, but officials said witnesses may confuse other reptiles -- such as monitor lizards -- for crocodiles.

Monitor lizards are common in Thailand, can bite severely and eat small animals.

Officials added that debris floating in the brackish water can cause injuries.

Bundit Kullavanijaya, chief of Ladkrabang Fish Inspection Office, Department of Fisheries, said: "In flooded areas, there might be some construction materials such as metal roofing or bolts, left on the ground.

"These materials can cut people's feet and they might think that they were bitten by poisonous creatures or a crocodile."

Experts said there is almost no chance of spotting a crocodile in the day and the best time to hunt for crocodiles is at night.

They use chicken-baited hooks to trap crocodiles.

They added that reptiles, being cold blooded, need to get out of the water to warm themselves to digest their prey.

Crocodile-catching expert Chaliew Busamrong said crocodile hunters would first try and shock a crocodile on the base of the skull to knock it unconscious.

They would then tie it up and remove it from the area.

It is only in extreme cases that they would kill a captured crocodile.