» 11/04/2011 13:22 THAILAND Floodwaters lapping the outer ring of downtown Bangkok by Weena Kowitwanij The Lat Krabang Industrial Estate in the eastern part of the capital is at risk. Floods also threaten the Victory Monument, in the city’s inner core. Some 10,000 wild animals at Safari World are in danger. Transportation is normal but could be paralysed. The authorities say water is still drinkable. Thai prime minister urges people not to damage the levees.
Bangkok (AsiaNews) – The situation in the rural provinces of Ayudhaya and Nakhon Sawan, in central Thailand, is improving. Residents have launched a ‘big clean-up’ day to repair the damages caused by flooding and slowly get back to normal. An emergency situation remains in place in Bangkok where several industrial facilities continue to be monitored, especially the Lat Krabang Industrial Estate, in the eastern part of the city. Meanwhile, damage to some levees could affect downtown Bangkok. For now, floodwaters are just lapping the area near the Victory Monument, the inner core of the capital.
Floods killed so far 437 people and now threaten large areas of Bangkok, including the city’s famous Safari World, an open zoo that is home to 10,000 wild animals. Officials closed the park for a week to move the animals to an upper level inside the facility. At present, there is enough food but if the water goes above a metre, the animals will be in real danger. “The company managing the zoo has already lost 80 per cent of its income.”
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said that three factors could plunge the capital into chaos. The main one is the effectiveness of the system of levees protecting the city. Hence, she urged media to convince people not to damage them, warning that any breach would be punished with prison and fines. “When the flood emergency is over, the government will look into the King’s idea about solving the problems caused by flooding.”
Even though railways and subway are still coping with the emergency, the public transit system as a whole is on the verge of “paralysis”.
“In case of an emergency, we are prepared to evacuate passengers from all trains in use,” said the subway acting chief.
The water situation is still manageable. Water is drinkable even though its “colour and smell may be strange”
The Thailand Industrial Council (TIC) called on the government to postpone a planned hike to the minimum wage (US$ 10) promised during the recent election campaign, from April 2012 to January 2013, to allow businesses to jumpstart their activities after they were affected by floods.
