Thousands flee Bangkok as flooding crisis worsens

THAILAND’S prime minister said that Bangkok was fighting the forces of nature as residents fled and floodwater threatened to burst through dikes protecting the capital.

The country’s worst flooding in half a century, caused in part by heavy monsoon rain, has killed 373 people since mid-July and disrupted nearly 2.5 million lives, until now mostly in the north and central provinces.

But Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, a novice politician who only took office in August, told reporters that the crisis had now reached a critical point for Bangkok.

“It seems like we’re fighting against the forces of nature, massive floodwater that is causing damage to several of our dikes,” she said. “What we can do now is to manage it, so that it flows slowly, otherwise everybody will suffer.”

As Yingluck’s voice started to tremble, reporters asked if she was crying.

“No, I haven’t cried and I won’t. I’ll be strong to solve this problem for the Thai people. Right now we need to release floodwater to the sea as soon as possible and we need a quick rehabilitation plan,” she said.

Traffic in central Bangkok was light on the first day of a five-day holiday, declared by Yingluck’s government so people could leave.

The defence ministry said 50,000 armed forces personnel were standing by with 1,000 boats and 1,000 vehicles to evacuate people. Authorities said Sai Mai, a northern district was in danger and residents should evacuate.

The government crisis centre said there would be evacuation centres in eight provinces that could take up to 200,000 people.

The governor warned that dikes might not hold and the city could be swamped. Yingluck has said floodwater could remain in the capital for up to a month.