Thailand floods: More than 200 die, temples threatened Skip to main content

Thailand floods: More than 200 die, temples threatened

A man rows his boat past Chaiwatthanaram temple which was hit by floods in Ayutthaya province, central Thailand, 4 Oct Flooding in Ayutthaya threatens ancient Buddhist temples
More than 200 people have died in monsoon flooding in Thailand since mid-July, officials say.
More heavy rain is forecast, reservoirs are at full capacity and rivers are overflowing.
Water has inundated 58 of Thailand's 77 provinces, with 25 still badly hit. Huge tracts of farmland are submerged, threatening this year's rice crop.
Water is also lapping at the walls of Buddhist temples in the ancient capital of Ayutthaya, a World Heritage Site.
Officials are struggling to drain water from one of the ancient city's best known temples, Wat Chaiwatthanaram, after a makeshift dyke on the Chao Phraya river was breached.
'Worst ever seen' The northern city of Chiang Mai, another popular tourist destination, has also been badly hit by floods.
The capital Bangkok has so far been spared, but it is under threat as Tropical Storm Nalgae is expected to bring more rain in the next few days.
Flooding has affected more than two million people.
"The current flood situation is the worst that I have ever seen and it will last until the first week of November," said independent flood expert Royal Chitradon, the director of Thai Integrated Water Resource Management.
The government says it will draft a plan to improve prevention measures and warning systems.
But the BBC's Southeast Asia correspondent, Rachel Harvey, says the new administration is under pressure to get a grip on the current crisis before planning for the future.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15178872
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chronology of the Press in Burma

1836 – 1846 * During this period the first English-language newspaper was launched under British-ruled Tenasserim, southern  Burma . The first ethnic Karen-language and Burmese-language newspapers also appear in this period.     March 3, 1836 —The first English-language newspaper,  The Maulmain Chronicle , appears in the city of Moulmein in British-ruled Tenasserim. The paper, first published by a British official named E.A. Blundell, continued up until the 1950s. September 1842 —Tavoy’s  Hsa-tu-gaw  (the  Morning Star ), a monthly publication in the Karen-language of  Sgaw ,  is established by the Baptist mission. It is the first ethnic language newspaper. Circulation reached about three hundred until its publication ceased in 1849. January 1843 —The Baptist mission publishes a monthly newspaper, the Christian  Dhamma  Thadinsa  (the  Religious Herald ), in ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera

The Life Story of A Distinguished And Outstanding Bhikkhu The Most Venerable Saradawpharagree Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera The Buddhist missionary Saradaw Ashin U Chandramani was endowed with great gifts and led a famous and long life. He was a very well known, distinguished and outstanding Bhikkhu Mahathera. While living in the Kushinagar Monastery, a place close to where the Lord Buddha had passed away to Nirvana, the Government of India had offered, and he had accepted, the highest, most honourable and respected title "Guru Guru MahaGuru". He became the first ever President of all Buddhists in India.A World Buddhist Conference took place in Kathmandu during the reign of King Mahindra of Nepal. The Conference was very well attended by over one hundred thousand Buddhists from various parts of the world and it was opened by King Mahindra himself. As requested by the King, Saradawpharagree blessed all the participants with the power of Triple Gems...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do...
1 comment
Read more