Still standing ... but for how long? The severe flooding in Ayutthaya underscored the need to improve measures to ensure the ancient capital's archeaological treasures aren't threatened by the ravages of nature

Ayutthaya's historical sites have withstood centuries of flooding, but the latest deluge may have delivered a fatal blow to some of the ancient capital's World Heritage-protected sites.

Workers build a scaffold to sustain the dramatically leaning temple wall at Wat Phra Sri Sanphet temple.

Damage to the buildings was compounded by the floodwater both surrounding the sites too quickly, and then being released too rapidly.

Fine Arts Department civil engineer Therdsak Yenjura says the structures have brick bases resting on soil without proper foundations. 

When the soil is soaked, the walls of the structures subside and lean in on each other. Uneven weight distribution of the structures increases pressure points.

Subsidence and weakening of the structures can be eased if the floodwater surrounding a historical structure is let out slowly, but this year over-eager local officials pumped the water out too quickly.

"If we change the conditions too quickly, it is hard for the sites to adjust and then they can suffer 'shock' from the changing conditions," said Mr Therdsak.

Archaeologists need to conduct further inspections to determine how many of about 130 flooded ancient sites in Ayutthaya have been seriously affected.

As a precautionary measure, authorities have decided not to quickly drain two-metre-deep floodwater surrounding Wat Chaiwattanaram, a major tourist attraction, for fear it could cause further damage.

At Phra Sri Sanphet temple, a stupa on the western side has had its brick foundations broken, as if pushed out by pressure from within.

The stupa is now leaning forward and was only noticed by a group of experts from Unesco and the Fine Arts Department on a recent inspection to determine the extent of damage to the historical sites.

"The stupa has demonstrated this symptom, which has not yet been given serious attention yet," said associate professor Warakorn Mairaing from the Engineering Institute of Thailand, who advises the bodies.

Ayutthaya city, which gained World Heritage status in 1991, has undergone major development to cope with population growth and tourism demands, and it has a well-planned drainage system that has served it well in past floods.

But those protecting the status of the area now agree that a new plan may be needed to protect Ayutthaya better from future flooding.

Mr Warakorn said a group of experts would meet this week to discuss possible short and long-term strategies to help safeguard the region's historical sites.

The possibility of building dykes around the sites has been raised, but critics say this would be out of kilter with the historical value of the area.

Vasu Poshyanandana, assistant secretary of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, Thailand, an advisory body to Unesco, said lessons could be learned from the past to address the issue.

Mr Vasu, also an official at the Fine Arts Department, said Ayutthaya was originally built with the understanding that it was surrounded by major rivers and would inevitably be flooded on occasion.

He said one possibility was reviving the ancient flood control system which used high walls and canals to control waters inside the city boundaries.

"Ayutthaya is not just about old structures, but it's a city with knowledge and wisdom," said Mr Vasu. "Ancient wisdom can be revived to help the city survive in modern times."

Phra Maha Cherdchai Katapunyo, the assistant abbot at Wat Phanang Cherng temple outside the old city said long-term prevention against flooding for the old city of Ayutthaya was needed to preserve it for the next generation.

The temple narrowly avoided being flooded this year by quickly erecting a 3.5m sandbag dyke.

Phra Maha Cherdchai Katapunyo said the temple staff could not fight the floodwater on their own.

"Our ancestors knew well what the situation was and that's why they developed city planning and a drainage system that would help save the city," he said.

"What we need now is a vision that can help us deal with modern problems and that serves our best interests over the long term."

Floods reduce the number of foreign tourists

The total number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand this year is expected to be 18.8 million, falling short of the previous target of 19.5 million visitors, according to the Tourism Department.

It will take a while before the Ayutthaya Historical Park and other attractions in areas affected by the floods see tourist numbers rise back to normal.

The target was revised after 28 provinces in the central region, including Bangkok have been flooded for the past couple of months, leaving millions of people homeless, the World Heritage Site in Ayutthaya submerged and accessibility by land to various provinces hampered.

During the first eight months of 2011, foreign tourists arriving in the country increased by 28.6% from last year to 12.9 million visitors, making the original target achievable, but the number of international visitors started to decline in September.

On average, the number of international tourists arriving in the country is in the range of 1.5-1.8 million visitors a month, but during September, the number dropped to 1.4 million visitors and there were about 90,000 fewer visitors in October.

For November, there are about 25,000 foreign tourists arriving in Thailand each day and the forecast for this month will drop by almost half to 750,000 visitors.

Although the Tourism Authority of Thailand has worked hard to promote other parts of the country that have not been affected by the floods, the target of 19.5 million visitors seems too high to reach.

The Kasikorn Research Centre also predicted that the flood situation in Bangkok will cause the tourism industry losses of 15-25 billion baht during the fourth quarter of this year.

If the floodwaters recede this month and the tourists are confident enough to visit the country in December, the total number of foreign tourists could reach 18.9 million visitors with an estimated loss of 15 billion baht.

If the flood situation continues to December, the total number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand this year could decline to 18.6 million visitors and business lost for the tourism industry alone could reach 25 billion baht.

Heritage help

The government has asked the Unesco office in Bangkok to help with the restoration of the World Heritage Site of Ayutthaya.

A Unesco expert team will also help assess the flood impact and help organise training programmes showing how to handle the reconstruction of damaged buildings, roads and historic monuments, said Unesco expert on Technical and Vocational Education and Training Youngsup Choi.

Thailand also applied for emergency assistance from the World Heritage Fund which will cover emergency measures and help to draw up an emergency plan for the safeguarding of the site.

Thailand has been a member of the World Heritage Convention since 1987. The historic city of Ayutthaya was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1991.

Visit whc.unesco.org

Airlines update

- Thai Airways International has launched direct flights from Copenhagen to Phuket three times a week to promote the destination that has not been affected by the floods.

The first flight arrived in Phuket on November 12 with 88% of cabin capacity and the travel time was 10 hours and 35 minutes. On the return, passengers must fly back to Suvarnabhumi Airport to connect with THAI's flights to Copenhagen.

THAI also operates daily flights from Phuket to Hong Kong, Seoul and Perth. The percentage of passengers booked on these flights in December 2011 are 87, 80 and 65 respectively.

Visit www.thaiairways.com or call 02-356-1111.

Garuda Indonesia will increase its flights to Korea to serve the higher number of Korean passengers during the high season.

The airline will provide daily flights from Bali to Seoul this month and from Jakarta to Seoul in December.

"Korea is a prospective market for us and business between Korea and Indonesia is growing strongly," said the airline CEO Emirsyah Satar.

The number of Korean visitors to Indonesia topped three million last year, up 17% from the year before.

The airlines "Visa on Board" service with two immigration officers shortens the waiting time for passengers at immigration counters.

This service, which is currently offered on some Garuda flights, will soon be provided on the Seoul-Bali route, Emirsyah said.

Hotels update

- Anantara Rasananda Koh Phangan Villa Resort & Spa has been opened on Tong Nai Pan Noi beach, on the northeast of Koh Phangan in Surat Thani.

The luxurious resort offers 44 suites and villas, ranging in space from 100 to 250 square metres and each featuring a private plunge pool.


Other facilities include a restaurant, bar, beachfront infinity pool, spa, fitness centre, library with PCs, gift shop and 37-foot ocean cruiser for transfers and excursions.

Visit http://phangan-rasananda.anantara.com

- Cha Am Beach resort has been renamed Hotel de la Paix Cha Am Beach this month.

Owned by KS Resorts, the boutique hotel was originally known as Alila Hotel and Resort but was renamed Cha Am Beach resort after a management team change in April.

It provides 79 rooms, including seven villas with private pools and maintains the existing boutique design by well-known architect Duangrit Bunnag.

Based in Bangkok, KS Resorts also owns Hotel de La Paix Siem Reap, Hotel de la Paix Luang Prabang, 3 Nagas Luang Prabang, The Yamu Phuket and Park Hyatt Maldives.

Visit www.hoteldelapaixhh.com

Accor has opened Mercure Koh Chang Hideaway on Bai Lan Bay in Koh Chang, Trat.

Located about four kilometres from the popular Lonely Beach and three kilometres from Bang Bao fishing village, the luxurious resort provides 96 rooms and villas some of which also have private pools.

Other facilities include two restaurants, lobby bar, pool bar, swimming pool, fitness centre, spa and meeting room with a capacity to accommodate up to 200 guests.

Ayutthaya, after the floods Recovery and clean-up work under way for flood-affected areas in the ancient capital of Thailand

A group of French tourists were enjoying a buffet breakfast at the River View Place Hotel on U-Thong Road in Ayutthaya, a day after the floodwaters receded in the inner part of the ancient city, while hotel staff were packing food items for flood victims, which has become one of their routine jobs since the old capital of Siam was inundated.

Tourists travelled from Phitsanulok to Ayutthaya, a World Heritage site, after they were informed the water had been pumped out of the old town.

"Since November 8, about 10% of Ayutthaya has dried up," said Ayutthaya Governor Withaya Pewpong. The roads are now accessible to small vehicles and local officers have already started to collect garbage and clean up the city as of last week.

"We will spend the next 60 days draining out the water and reviving the city. We will bring normalcy back to the lives of the people affected by the floods by the end of this year as a New Year's gift," promised the governor.

For the past two months, floodwater has submerged 16 districts of the province, or about 90% of the land, including rice fields and five industrial estates, as well as historical sites and ruins.

"The flood losses total as high as three billion baht," said the governor. However, there are seven key places that have been spared from the floods: 

Wat Phanan Choeng Worawihan, Wat Phut Thai Sawan, Wat Nivet Thammaprawat, the Queen's summer palace, Bang Pa-In Palace and the Bang Sai Royal Folk Arts and Crafts. "They are part of the seven wonders," he added.

While the governor waits for the post-flood recovery budget that was approved by the Cabinet, he outlined the expected time frame for repairing basic infrastructure and helping flood victims, in which each flood-hit household will initially receive 5,000 baht in compensation, as well as making sure the five industrial estates will be able to resume operations next month. 

"I will do everything in my power to ensure that at the very least a couple of factories in each industrial estate will be able to resume operations on December 16, and that the rice fields will be ready for planting by January," he said.

As for the tourist attractions, the province has teamed up with local companies and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to encourage people to help restore various sites, mostly old temples, under a massive clean-up campaign called ''We Care for Ayutthaya'', as well as reviving visitor confidence.

The campaign kicked off on November 10 at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhol, where 300 volunteers from Bangkok and local residents armed with brushes, brooms, shovels and hoses helped to remove the dirt and debris remaining in the temple grounds and on different Buddha images.

The TAT has also prepared a list of 500 religion-related places, including Thai temples, 41 churches, 61 masjids and 45 Chinese shrines, for those who wish to participate in the big clean-up activity.

''If any organisation, group or individual would like to make a contribution, whether to help clean or offer financial assistance, they can do so by contacting our office,'' said Somchai Chompoonoi, the executive director of the TAT's Central Region. 

The massive clean-up campaign will be promoted until the end of January. And next year, TAT will coordinate with related agencies to help organise monthly marketing activities to encourage more tourists to visit this ancient town.

''Although the floods have shown no mercy, the Thai people have shown their generous spirit and helped each other. I am impressed to see the level of cooperation among the people to help get Ayutthaya back on track,'' said Qin Yusen, the cultural counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, who also participated in a clean-up activity.

Yusen added that the Chinese government will extend a hand and send a troop of performers to Ayutthaya to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Ayutthaya being declared a Unesco World Heritage Site on December 13, as well as the Chinese New Year, which falls on January 23.

''Ayutthaya is ready for visitors,'' said the cultural counsellor, adding, ''I give full moral support that Ayutthaya will soon be back on its feet and normal life will resume again _ and perhaps even better than it was before.''