kamui Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Bangkok Officials Have to Choose Who Stays Dry in Floods By THOMAS FULLER BANGKOK — In the rush to defend Bangkok from monsoon floodwaters on Tuesday, Thai officials were faced with the choice of saving men or machines. Angry residents of a northern Bangkok neighborhood are demanding that officials open a barrier that is causing flooding in their homes but keeping a nearby industrial area dry. “We are calling for justice,†said Boonsom Jitchuen, 52, a flooded shopkeeper who took part in protests Monday along what is known as the Sam Wa canal. “All we want is a place to sleep.†The controversy is typical of the wrenching decisions that have faced the Thai leadership over the past two months, a triage between bad and worse options. Engineers, politicians and soldiers have been forced to pick who is drenched and who stays dry as the destructive path of floodwaters descend from northern Thailand and heads toward the sea. Nearly 400 people have died in the flooding. Hundreds of factories producing everything from computer components to car parts have already been inundated, with far-flung consequences for the interconnected world of manufacturing. Apple computer says a global shortage of hard-disk drives is now inevitable and Toyota and Honda have cut back production at their factories in North America because of a shortage of parts from Thailand. But the Bang Chan Industrial Estate, a collection of factories producing, among other things, plastics, fertilizer, furniture and electronics, has until now stayed dry. The Bangkok governor says the sluice gates in Ms. Boonsom’s neighborhood must stay closed if the industrial park, which is on the outskirts of Bangkok, is to be saved. Sukhumbhand Paribatra, the governor, appeared to be at odds with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who ordered authorities to partially open the barrier, a Solomonic solution that local officials fear will result in both sides being flooded. Water is already flowing through a channel that was dug by angry residents during the protest on Monday. In what is a largely Muslim neighborhood, residents gathered after an announcement was made over the loudspeaker of the local mosque. “The water keeps rising!†went the announcement, according to Somkiat Kalamad, a 34-year-old resident. “Please join a gathering to call for the opening of the flood gate.†The women of the community blocked a road leading to the canal and the men hacked away at a dike, Mr. Somkiat said. On Tuesday, water continued to rush through the small channel they created. It was unclear what affect this would have on the Bang Chan industrial zone or other parts of Bangkok. Some 100 police officers now patrol the area but residents are threatening further protests. The sluice gate is about 20 miles from central Bangkok, which has largely remained dry, thanks to a wall of sandbags erected, guarded and maintained by soldiers. But water has seeped into northern districts over the past week and many roads are impassable. The government on Tuesday established committees to coordinate the clean-up and reopening of seven large industrial parks north of the city. Many companies say they are not sure when their factories will reopen. One manufacturer, Cal-Comp Electronics, said Tuesday that it planned to resume operations at its facility in Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok, at the end of the month. The flooding there had stabilized, the company said in a statement. Along the Sam Wa canal, residents spoke with quavering voices about the floodwaters they have endured for nearly two months. “We should share the hardship,†said Arthon Leebamrung, a 32-year-old gardener whose house is filled with waist-deep water. He defended the decision to partially break the flood wall. “We couldn’t bear it any longer,†Mr. Arthon said. “We have been telling them for weeks to open the gate, but no one listened.†Poypiti Amatatham contributed reporting from Bangkok. NYT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 In New Orleans, we call that puppy lunch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneSoup Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 It is interesting how this one news article from a US news network is the only report that I have seen that indicates that the turmoil up at the San Wa floodgate was instigated by a mosque, and carried out by muslim residents. I'm not even sure how true this is. "Drown the infidels - inshallah". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 It is true. It's a Thai Muslim area ... been plenty of coverage in the local press. . Early reports said the people felt it was the Will of Allah. Looks like they have decided Allah's Will isn't good enough any more. But to be fair, plenty of Buddhist Thais have been ripping down flood barriers too. Religion is fine as long as you get what you want. When you don't, you say fark it and take matters into your own hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Hi, "“We should share the hardship,†said Arthon Leebamrung, a 32-year-old gardener whose house is filled with waist-deep water." And how exactly will that help anyone? Maybe I am thinking differently because my house is not flooded, but I honestly don't see how flooding everyone will improve the lot of those flooded already. Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radioman Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 The perception is that if an area of 10sq metres is flooded to 1 metre deep then letting the water spill over an area of 10 times as much will cause the level to drop to 10cm everywhere, and having 10cm is manageable but 1m is not. Remember these are farmers used to watching a rice pady fill with water and then drain into adjacent paddys when a dyke fails. They rather miss the fact that behind their 1m flood is an area of water so large it will keep on refilling their area almost infinitely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Hi, Exactly, which is why I don't understand the gov isn't explaining this on TV. Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radioman Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 So rather than destroying dykes and barriers that let the water go south they would be better off building up the dams around their area and pumping the water out. Big job mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vintage_Kwai Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Hi, Maybe I am thinking differently because my house is not flooded, but I honestly don't see how flooding everyone will improve the lot of those flooded already. Sanuk! KS Though my place is inaccessible and will probably have far-reaching consequences, I don't wish it on anyone else who is unaffected. I call 'bullshit' on those people calling for 'shared suffering'. Shallow mindset. VK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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