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470 places in Bangkok truly 'under water'

Published: 7/11/2011 at 05:11 PM

Online news: Local News

A total of 470 spots in Bangkok are now under 80cm of water or more, affecting more than 800,000 people, Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said on Monday.

A survey by district offices of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration showed this was the case at 95 places in Sai Mai, 81 in Nong Khaem, 71 in Bang Phlat, 48 in Khlong Sam Wa, 34 in Bang Khae, 31 in Min Buri and the rest in other flood-hit districts.

"The BMA has ordered the district offices and their agencies to pay special attention to these places because a large number of people, especially the elderly, have not evacuated the area," MR Sukhumbhand said.

"The BMA will have to give them food, drinking water and other items for survival," he said.

Bangkok authorities today declared Bang Chan sub-district of Khlong Sam Wa district and more sub-districts of Lat Phrao evacuation areas because of heavy flooding.

The entire district of Khlong Sam Wa is now an evacuation area.

The sub-districts of Lat Phrao that have been declared as evacuation zones are the whole of Chorakhebua sub-district and parts of Lat Phrao sub-district (along both sides of Khlong Lat Phrao to the east to Lat Pla Khao road, both sides of Lat Phrao-Wang Hin road, north of Prasert Manukit road, and both sides of Sena Nikhom road.)

The people in the two sub-districts are advised to seek refuge at a BMA evacuation centre.

The administration also declared more areas under special watch in Huay Khwang district.

They are communities along Khlong Bang Sue, Khlong Lat Phrao, and Lat Phrao road.

This morning, the water level along Phahon Yothin Road from Kasetsart University to Ratchayothin and Lat Phrao intersections was 50 to 80 centimetres deep, reports said.

The road was impassable to small vehicles and commercial buildings, shops, offices and banks along the road have been closed.

The Bangkok Transit System (BTS) skytrain and Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) underground trains are still operating as usual although the floodwater around Phahon Yothin and Chatuchak stations was over 50cm deep. They are the fastest modes of transport for people travelling to and from the city.

The floodwater was creeping toward Saphan Khwai intersection, in an inner district of Bang Sue.

The flood this morning inundated the Kampaeng Phet intersection near Chatuchak market. The water was 30 to 40 centimetres deep, impassable for small vehicles.

Shops in Saphan Khwai area were reinforcing their floodwalls, placing more sandbags.

On Vibhavadi Rangsit road, the runoff from Lat Phrao intersection arrived at headquarters of the country's largest local daily newspaper, Thai Rath, flooding all lanes of the main road outside the building.

The water was reported at 50cm deep and impassable for small cars.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/265141/470-spots-in-bangkok-under-water

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BMA to get 71 water pumps

Published: 7/11/2011 at 05:39 PM

Online news: Politics

The government's Flood Relief Operations Centre will provide a total of 71 pumps for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to use to drain water out of the capital city, Froc director Pracha Promnok said Monday.

Pol Gen Pracha, the justice minister, said that of the 71 water pumps, 48 were bought with Froc's budget from China, 17 borrowed from the Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning, and six borrowed from the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry.

The BMA originally asked Froc for 60 pumps.

All the water pumps were expected to be in place in 15 days, as some of those from China had not yet arrived, he said.

The minister said the people could rest assured that both agencies were working as one to prevent more water coming into the capital and were draining existing water out of the capital city.

Froc spokesman Thongthong Chandrangsu said the water pumps from China were expected to arrive in Bangkok tonight.

BMA city clerk Charoenrat Chutikan thanked Froc for its help.

With no fresh runoff arriving from the North, the water pumps would greatly relieve the people's suffering and reduce that damage to inner Bangkok.

Mr Charoenrat said the BMA and the Interior Ministry's public works and town and country planning departments had laid agreed where to install the water pumps, which were expected to be in place in a few days.

Most would be placed at various pumping stations at Khlong Phra Khanong, Khlong Ratchamontri, Khlong Bangkok Yai, Khlong Dao Khanong, Khlong Bon, Khlong Bang Khen Mai, Khlong Bang Khen Kao, Khlong Thewet, Khlong Bang Sue, and Khlong Bang Na which are scattered over inner and outer Bangkok, as well as the Thon Buri side of the Chao Phraya river.

Mr Charoenrat said it could not yet be assessed how many days it would take to completely drain the floodwater from Bangkok, because it was not known how much water would still seep into the protected area of inner Bangkok from the flooded areas to the north.

BMA deputy city clerk Jumpol Samphaothong said the water pumps would be of much help and most of them would be used to drain water out into the Chao Phraya river.

Flood centre spokesman Palangkoon Klahan said Froc now would launch an operation to "hold back" water flowing into Bangkok by laying a wall of "big bags" along the eastern flood barrier and speed up draining water out through areas east and west of Bangkok.

Gen Palangkoon said the big bags had proven effective in holding back water flowing to Bangkok and cushioning the impact of the flood torrent.

The big bags were proving better than the defences of Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi provinces, which were hard-hit, he said.

The spokesman said the flood situation in Bangkok was no longer worrying. The BMA, meanwhile, was required to speed up dredging shallow canals and removing water hyacinth and other weeds which obstruct the flow of water.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/265145/froc-71-water-pumps-for-bma

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Be careful who you are sending donations to:

Donations siphoned off

The deluge is no deterrent to the callousness and creativity of criminals

Published: 7/11/2011 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: News

Police are hunting a criminal gang which rigged the telephones of a flood donation centre and redirected money meant for flood victims to a private bank account.

The theft _ involving an unknown amount of money _ was uncovered after a private firm, Workpoint Entertainment Co, filed a complaint with the Crime Suppression Division.

Workpoint had discovered money promised to the centre had not been recorded in its bank accounts and suspected its phone lines had been tapped.

Workpoint is the producer of TV show Ratcharot Ma Koey ("good fortune befalls you") which is aired on Monday to Friday on Channel 9.

The company has been encouraging viewers to call the donation centre to offer aid to flood victims.

Just before the company filed the complaint with the CSD, its executives had met Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group which pledged a large sum of money through the TV show.

However, the donation did not appear in the show's bank accounts.

The CSD swung into action and found the telephone system used by Workpoint Entertainment to receive donors' calls had been tapped.

Incoming calls were being automatically redirected to an unidentified person who then told the donors to transfer money to his own bank account.

Other donated items such as boats were also believed to have been stolen by the gang.

A CSD detective said it was thought the gang had at least three members and evidence was now being gathered to seek arrest warrants.

A police source said CSD commander Pol Maj Gen Supisarn Phakdeenaruenart had assigned Pol Col Piya Charoensuk, chief of the CSD's Sub-division 1 to lead the investigation.

The source said there were suspicions the gang may have tapped into other flood donation centres to siphon off money without their knowledge.

Meanwhile, thefts at heavily-flooded communities in Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani have become rampant.

Provincial Police Region 1 commander Khamronwit Thupkrachang said many break-ins had been reported in Bang Bua Thong district in Nonthaburi and Muang district in Pathum Thani.

In an effort to catch the thieves in these areas, police have set up a security checkpoint in Bang Bua Thong district and one in Future Park department store in Pathum Thani.

Police from several stations have been formed into a patrol to protect the flooded areas at night, when the thieves usually sneak into abandoned houses to loot them of their wares.

It appears nothing has deterred the thieves. Some simply swim into flooded houses and grab whatever they can and flee. Others are more methodical, scouting in boats during the day for abandoned houses, noting them and returning at night to steal everything they can carry.

"These thieves usually pose as fishermen, so police on patrol have been instructed to take pictures and the names of everyone they find roaming the swamped areas at night," Pol Maj Gen Khamronwit said.

Householders who want to visit their homes should do so during the day, to avoid being taken for thieves, he said.

City police teams have also begun regularly patrolling bridges and expressways where many cars have been parked.

This follows a rise in complaints that valuables have been stolen from the vehicles. Recently, a gang of eight was arrested and charged with stealing valuables from cars parked in those areas.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crimes/265033/donations-siphoned-off

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Sinking Bangkok - floods a precursor

Bangkok - The Thai capital, built on swampland, is slowly sinking and the floods currently besieging Bangkok could be merely a foretaste of a grim future as climate change makes its impact felt, experts say.

The low-lying metropolis lies just 30km north of the Gulf of Thailand, where various experts forecast sea level will rise by 19 to 29cm by 2050 as a result of global warming.

Water levels would also increase in Bangkok's main Chao Phraya river, which already overflows regularly.

If no action is taken to protect the city, "in 50 years... most of Bangkok will be below sea level," said Anond Snidvongs, a climate change expert at the capital's Chulalongkorn University.

But global warming is not the only threat. The capital's gradual sinking has also been blamed on years of aggressive groundwater extraction to meet the growing needs of the city's factories and its 12 million inhabitants.

As a result Bangkok was sinking by 10cm a year in the late 1970s, according to a study published last year by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan Bank for International Co-operation.

That rate has since dropped to less than 1cm annually, they said, thanks to government measures to control groundwater pumping.

If those efforts continued, the report authors said, they hoped the subsidence rate could slow by another 10% each year.

But Anond disputed their projections, saying Bangkok was still sinking at "an alarming rate" of 1 to 3cm per year.

Sinking feeling

While scientists may argue over the exact figures, they agree about what lies in store for the sprawling megacity.

"There is no going back. The city is not going to rise again," said the ADB's lead climate change specialist David McCauley.

Faced with the combined threats of land subsidence and rising temperatures and sea levels, the World Bank has predicted that Bangkok's flood risk will increase four-fold from now by 2050.

And the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has classified the Thai capital among the 10 cities in the world facing the biggest potential impact from coastal flooding by 2070.

For now, Bangkok is relying on a complex system of dykes, canals, locks and pumping stations to keep the rising waters at bay.

The flood protection efforts, however, failed to prevent an onslaught of run-off water from the north from swamping at least one-fifth of the capital.

The murky floodwaters, triggered by three months of heavy monsoon rains, are edging in on Bangkok's glitzy downtown area, threatening luxury hotels, office buildings and shopping malls.

Rapid urbanisation is one reason why the inundations are affecting the sprawling city so badly, according to experts.

As the area that needs flood protection gets larger and more built-up, the water "has fewer places to go", said Francois Molle, a water management expert at France's Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement.

Move the city

Molle said that in the long term, Bangkok would eventually be under water. "The only question is when."

Experts say Thai authorities must address the capital's land use and planning challenges and consider relocating factories or industrial parks in flood-prone areas.

Or even moving the entire city.

"It may be appropriate for the people who want to be dry 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to be setting up a new city," said Anond.

"We do have areas where we can develop a new city that would be completely dry. There's a lot of land in this country," he said.

It may sound like a drastic scenario, but there is little doubt that Bangkok will have to act if it wants to avoid the fate of the fabled sunken city of Atlantis.

"To remain where it is, the city will need better protection," said Robert Nicholls, a professor of coastal engineering at Britain's University of Southampton.

He said he expected Bangkok's current flood misery to "trigger massive investment in defences over the next 10 to 20 years".

Dealing with the phenomenon will be expensive elsewhere too. Across the Asia-Pacific region the ADB has estimated it will cost a minimum of $10bn a year to adapt to climate change.

- AFP

http://www.news24.com/SciTech/News/Sinking-Bangkok-floods-a-precursor-20111107

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Thailand needs one of these things:

RTR2RNNT_231535.jpg

The Godzilla Water Pump

[h=1]Tokyo's gigantic flood prevention system[/h][h=2]The Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel, also known as the G-Cans Project or the "Underground Temple", is an subterranean water infrastructure project built to protect the capital Tokyo against floodwaters during rain and typhoon seasons. It is believed to be one of the largest water collection facilities in the world. Building began in 1992 and the massive structure now consists of five concrete silos, a large water tanks and 59 pillars connected to a number of pumps that can pump up to 200 tons of water into the Edogawa River per second. It has also become a tourist attraction, as well as a location for movies, TV shows and commercials.[/h]

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Witty title but a serious problem in a country that has tons of cobras.

The catcher in the (flooded) rai

A veteran snake handler has been inundated with calls since the deluge

Published: 8/11/2011 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: News

Snake catcher Sompob Sridaranop is busier than ever during the floods, with hundreds of calls from people who have spotted the reptiles in inundated areas.

The 57-year-old civil servant attached to the Marine Department has been catching snakes for more than 30 years in Bangkok and Ayutthaya.

Although there are many other snake catchers in Bangkok and elsewhere around the county, Mr Sompob's reputation has grown both domestically and internationally, so he was the first choice for authorities to turn to for advice and assistance in catching snakes.

Under normal conditions, Mr Sompob deals with an average of 40 to 50 cases per month, but since the floods hit, he's been dealing with as many as 10 cases a day.

However, the number of snakes caught did not go up proportionally to the number of calls, because the flood itself has proved to be an obstacle.

Inundated roads have prevented Mr Sompob from reaching many locations as he works on his own as a volunteer. He does not have a boat or trucks with which to navigate the deep water.

While the government officials and police tried their best to connect the callers with an expert by routing all animal removal calls straight to his cell phone, the help ended there.

Dissension and general lack of cohesion between government, authorities and agencies were partly to be blamed for the coordination problems, he said.

"When the authorities redirected the calls to me, they didn't realise that I don't have the boat to go in,"Mr Sompob said.

"I had to tell many callers 'Sorry, but you're going to have to call someone else who has a boat'.

"But if they would just coordinate a pickup point for me, I'd be more than willing to go in."

He said one of the biggest obstacles for him is fuel costs. He does not get paid, nor does he have a sponsor. Only about three out of 10 people would offer him travel expenses, so most of the time he would pay out of his own pocket.

"It's tough when you're on a civil servant's salary but the reason I do this is because I enjoy helping people," he said.

Another obstacle arose last August; Mr Sompob was diagnosed with acute renal failure, requiring him to undergo dialysis twice a week, for four hours per session.

Although he could recover his strength to resume his activity, the dialysis wound prevents him from getting in the water.

Mr Sompob said his inspiration came from The Queen's royal address to blood donors when he was just 22. The Queen asked Thai people to be more selfless and help each other out.

He took the advice and began volunteering with the police at first.

Along the way he learned how to catch snakes and the skill has stayed with him ever since.

Mr Sompob became an animal remover, catching just about anything from snakes, monkeys and monitor lizards to geckos, insects and various other venomous creatures. He also gives demonstrations, educates the public about snakes and trains police, security officers and emergency responders on how to catch them.

Mr Sompob said of the 17 species of snakes typically found in the Bangkok area, 90% of the calls were about reticulated pythons, followed by cobras and pit vipers.

Captured snakes are sorted. Venomous snakes are delivered to Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute for venom extraction; non-venomous snakes are released back into the wild away from human settlements.

Mr Sompob said snakes are misunderstood and are not as big a danger as they are portrayed to be. In fact, each year more people are killed by paper wasps than by snakes, he said, adding that snakes are vital to the ecosystem and control rodent population.

This time of the year, the beginning of winter, marks the start of their mating season. Snakes tend to be more active and aggressive during this period.

Snakes are attracted to the smell of their prey and prefer cool places, like air-conditioned rooms.

To prevent snakes from entering the house, Mr Sompob advised covering drainage holes, sealing holes and crevices around and under houses, spraying non-flammable but pungent oil like paraffin around the house to block the snakes' ability to sniff out prey, and reducing trash and pet food that could attract rodents.

Mr Sompob said people should understand that snakes are territorial and only bite humans as a defence mechanism.

He said they are more likely to flee rather than fight. They also have poor eyesight and rely on smell and sensing heat and vibrations. When seeing a snake, one should keep as far away as possible and avoid cornering them.

If confronted by a snake, one should remain calm and as still as possible, because snakes are attracted to motion and any movement may provoke them to attack.

Wait for the snake to move away and then contact professionals; do not attempt to handle any snakes unless trained to do so.

If bitten, it is very important to remember the description of the snake in order to get the right antivenin, and to get to the hospital as soon as possible, the veteran snake catcher said.

When attacked by a constrictor, do not try to pull it off but rather unwind it or stab it with a sharp object, as snakes will normally run away when injured. To tell a bite wound by venomous snake from a non-venomous one, one or two fang holes means venomous; rows of teeth mean not venomous.

The four hospitals in Bangkok area carrying antivenin are Siriraj and Somdej Prapinklao in Bangkok Noi, Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital in Sai Mai, and Chulalongkorn near Silom.

Do not go to Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute, as the agency does not deal with snakebite patients.

For animal removals and advice, contact Mr Sompob on 089 043 8445, or contact local firefighters, the National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation Department Hotline 1362 or City Hall's firefighting hotline 199.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/265185/the-catcher-in-the-flooded-rai

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Thailand needs one of these things:

RTR2RNNT_231535.jpg

The Godzilla Water Pump

[h=1]Tokyo's gigantic flood prevention system[/h][h=2]The Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel, also known as the G-Cans Project or the "Underground Temple", is an subterranean water infrastructure project built to protect the capital Tokyo against floodwaters during rain and typhoon seasons. It is believed to be one of the largest water collection facilities in the world. Building began in 1992 and the massive structure now consists of five concrete silos, a large water tanks and 59 pillars connected to a number of pumps that can pump up to 200 tons of water into the Edogawa River per second. It has also become a tourist attraction, as well as a location for movies, TV shows and commercials.[/h]

Beautiful and smart.

But we have the BIG BAG. (for what?)

They said they will put the big bag in my area. They might think we are underwater more than a month, so keep hold on for another 2 months or forever.

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Stevie is on full alert now.

Thai floods reduce beer supplies to a drip

Posted by:

CNN Producer, Paul Armstrong

Bangkok (CNN) – After a month of devastating floods, Thailand faces the prospect of a dry spell it could do without.

From Bangkok to Phuket, bars and supermarkets are starting to report shortages of beer - such as local favourite Singha - as distributors struggle to get their product out.

Singha, which has many of its production facilities based in flood-hit central provinces such as Phathum Thani, was recently forced to close one brewery that was effectively surrounded by water. A company spokesperson told CNN production has been severely disrupted.

The country's economy is already at crisis point, with several of its main industrial parks to the north of the capital inundated by floodwater seeping down from the north. Major manufacturers such as Honda have scrapped yearly profit forecasts after production was halted in several plants.

Thousands refuse to flee Bangkok flood

With Thailand now entering its peak tourist season, a blow to the country's beer belly could hit consumers in the pocket, as prices are forced up.

Phuket, one of the country's most popular holiday destinations, has a "beer crisis," according to the English language Phuket Gazette.

“At the beginning of the flood crisis, we didn’t expect it to affect us much,” said Weerawit Kurasombat, President of the Patong Entertainment Business Association, whose members generate more than 100 million baht ($3.25 million) annually for the local economy.

But now he says bars are short of stock - particularly beer, the biggest money-spinner - and are being forced to pay inflated prices to re-supply.

“This is the beginning of the high season. If the supply situation does not improve within about 30 days, I believe the entertainment business will start showing real signs of a crisis,” he said.

Even in Bangkok, the ubiquitous 7-Eleven stores appeared to be running short of many brands.

The capital is now the focus of the flood crisis, as it battles to protect the central business district from the filthy floodwater edging deeper into this low-lying city of 12 million people.

However, preparation appears minimal. Cars are illegally parked on along the side of raised sections of the main highway to avoid flooding, and there is occasional deployment of sandbags around the entrances of shops and office buildings.

It's a different story to the north and east, where a number of main roads are under water and the military has become the only means of transporting people and vital supplies of food and water around flood-hit districts.

A beer shortage is the least of people's worries in these parts.

http://business.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/08/thai-floods-reduce-beer-supplies-to-a-drip/

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One thing I keep seeing on Facebook, Twitter and some blogs are people acting all super-expat and complaining how stupid people are for cancelling their travel plans to Phuket and other southern destinations because of the flooding.

Not everyone has studied a map of Thailand or even cares to figure out where the flooding is! Quit acting like they're stupid because they choose to spend their hard-earned vacations somewhere not undergoing a natural disaster. Yes, Phuket is not in the flood zone but most people have to fly into Bangkok and many media sources are showing the flooding at Don Muaeng and reporting that the Bangkok airport is flooded so it's not hard to see why people might want to change their plans rather than spend thousands of dollars and possibly get stuck in a flooded airport half-way across the world.

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One thing I keep seeing on Facebook, Twitter and some blogs are people acting all super-expat and complaining how stupid people are for cancelling their travel plans to Phuket and other southern destinations because of the flooding.

Not everyone has studied a map of Thailand or even cares to figure out where the flooding is! Quit acting like they're stupid because they choose to spend their hard-earned vacations somewhere not undergoing a natural disaster. Yes, Phuket is not in the flood zone but most people have to fly into Bangkok and many media sources are showing the flooding at Don Muaeng and reporting that the Bangkok airport is flooded so it's not hard to see why people might want to change their plans rather than spend thousands of dollars and possibly get stuck in a flooded airport half-way across the world.



Furthermore, there are some impacts of the floodings even in non-flooded areas like food and water (and especially beer!!!) shortages. I also would reconsider my trip rather than having to chase my food and drink during holidays! Edited by FarangFarang
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Furthermore, there are some impacts of the floodings even in non-flooded areas like food and water (and especially beer!!!) shortages. I also would reconsider my trip rather than having to chase my food and drink during holidays!

Yeah, I think a lot of the people complaining are local business owners who are pissed that yet another holiday season will be ruined.

But no reason to take it out on the tourists. If you've got thousands of dollars invested in your vacation you don't want to have to figure out which parts of the country are safe and not-safe. And like you say, I don't want to hear "Oh, we're all out of beer" or "Sorry, but because of the floods we don't have that."

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I agree with Kaunitz & Bill. My little (ok not so little at 17 lol) brother (for undisclosed reasons I haven't seen him in almost 4 years) has been working & saving for 2 years to come visit me, his whole plan was to come & spend Xmas with me here this year & then go explore LOS. Now because some "attractions" are closed & there's a chance he may not be able to have as good a time as he would have been able to previously (due to the current circumstances) he's decided to go to the states as he can definitely go visit all the tourist attractions & visit different states without the risk of having to evacuate or spend his hard earned holiday stuck in a flooded home. Don't blame him or any other tourists one bit!! I'd do the same! It may seem a bit over the top but I rented 2 properties in China at the beginning just in case (for me, my roomie & my uncles family) tickets have been booked for a little while (I need to go for work at the end of the month anyway) the reason for going to china is that I've spoken to friends in Pattaya, cha-am, Hua hin etc.... & they're running out of basic necessities.

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Police chase gang laying road spikes

Boat taxis under suspicion of rupturing tyres to boost trade

Published: 14/11/2011 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: News

Police have vowed to arrest would-be profiteers who have placed metal spikes on flooded roads to stop rescue trucks from helping people.

The Flood Relief Operations Command (Froc) has received complaints from members of the public that many flood relief vehicles have run over road spikes and ended up with flat tyres on Ratchapruek and Kalpapruek roads.

Froc said the complainants made the same observations, that boat operators from central provinces were often seen near the spots where flood-aid trucks had hit the road spikes.

The Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) says the trucks ran over spikes on roads in flooded areas including Vacharapol Road and Wongsakorn Market in Sai Mai district, the Don Muang section of Phahon Yothin Road and the Bang Phlat area of Charan Sanitwong Road.

Pol Col Sappisit Yamkesorn, superintendent of the 191 police emergency hotline's news centre, said tipoffs from the public were in line with police reports of road spikes bursting the tyres of several large vehicles sent out by state agencies, including police and military forces, to help flood victims.

Boat operators in flooded areas are suspected of placing the road spikes to deter rescue vehicles, which they regard as a threat to their business.

Pol Col Sappisit said some boat operators may feel upset with charity trucks that transport flood victims. The trucks provide free transportation which causes them to lose revenue, he said.

The incident caused widespread anger among the public, prompting Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung to order tough action against those using road spikes to aid profiteering.

Police are still looking for evidence _ for example, a spike laid on the road _ in the Bangkok metropolitan area, said Pol Maj Gen Winai Thongsong, acting chief of the MPB, who is leading the investigation.

However, drivers and passersby found spikes on flooded roads in some of the nine central provinces under the jurisdiction of Provincial Police Region 1.

Pol Maj Gen Winai urged members of the public to tip off police if they see anyone laying the spikes.

"I have ordered our team to take records of hire boat operators in Bangkok," he said.

"We will also work with other state agencies to regulate boat owners who are overcharging for their services."

Laying spikes on a public road is a criminal offence with a maximum prison sentence of three years. Offenders in this instance will also be charged with an additional count of hindering officials giving aid to flood-affected people.

He admitted police could not do anything about overpriced boat tickets, unless the Ministry of Commerce set a median price range for boat fares in flooded areas.

At present, police could only ask boat owners to collect "fair" rates from passengers. "What they did [placing road spikes] is such a heinous act. It aggravates the suffering of people already affected by the floods. These people are immoral," Pol Maj Gen Winai said.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crimes/266088/police-chase-gang-laying-road-spikes

The flooding has brought out the good in some people but the worst in others.

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Chaos....

329386.jpg

Don Muang residents tear apart and remove big sand bags forming a barrier across Vibhavadi Rangsit Road near Don Mueang airport yesterday. The residents said making a gap in the sandbag wall will help drain away floodwater which is above 1 metre in some areas inside the barrier.

I do understand them actually, but "It's fair" isn't "It's right" The gov. should make people understand and tell them the clear solution for them. Not just telling nothin'

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Chaos....

329386.jpg

Don Muang residents tear apart and remove big sand bags forming a barrier across Vibhavadi Rangsit Road near Don Mueang airport yesterday. The residents said making a gap in the sandbag wall will help drain away floodwater which is above 1 metre in some areas inside the barrier.

I do understand them actually, but "It's fair" isn't "It's right" The gov. should make people understand and tell them the clear solution for them. Not just telling nothin'

They should put a few rattlesnakes in 5% of the bags. That'll make it more fun!

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