Worst flooding ‘ in the Decade hits Samui

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Days of heavy rains in the South of the Thailand have caused what local residents described as worst floods in Koh Samui recent memory.

Most of the main roads of the island were flooded and rendered impassable.

People climbed trees to escape rising water and several houses, bungalows and roads have been destroyed by urban water that proliferate.

With the dams and rivers threatening to burst and overflow, hundreds of residents have been evacuated from their homes. A number of deaths were reported from various regions of the South, caused mainly by landslides.

Samui had at least one fatality. In Lamai, a 19-year-old boy was electrocuted when water has caused a short circuit in the wiring of their home system.

“This is the worst flooding (on the island).”The situation is tragic. The extent of the damage is damage is unimaginable, said Tomas Ortiz, a Samui resident for the past ten years.

Flights to and from the island have been suspended for days because of flooded tracks, leaving thousands of tourists stranded in the airport and their hotels.

Suraphon Svetasreni, the Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor, said South tourism is losing out in the hot season of this year. Samui Hotels, he said, were being flooded with calls for cancellation.

Samui hotel occupancy is normally 70 to 80% at the time of the year, but it has fallen to only 50-55% as a result of widespread flooding.

Governments provincial and municipal deployment of hundreds of police and emergency workers on the island to residents in difficulty, particularly those living along the banks of the River, such as around the Lake of Chaweng. Emergency measures are also taken to stop the Lake to breach its banks.

While flood waters began retreat Sunday 28 March, many areas of Chaweng, Lamai and Maenam remained under water.

As we went to press, hundreds of stranded vacationers is remained stranded on the island of outgoing flights. Hundreds of travellers make the Samui International Airport after hearing reports that two Bangkok Airways aircraft had managed to take off from runway flooded earlier this week.

The airline said PG100 and PG104 had landed in Bangkok after leaving Samui with 376 passengers on board. Two other aircraft were said to wait on the tarmac a respite in time. An area of low pressure in the region resulted in a disruption of all modes of transport linking the island to the Mainland.

Ferry services were also suspended and domestic and international flights to Koh Samui had been cancelled.

According to Bangkok Airways, approximately 2,100 passengers were not able to obtain a flight since the beginning of the week. Some passengers were facing floods to visit the airport on a daily basis in the hope of finding a seat off the coast of the island.

Others spent their nights at the airport.

Rain continued to anchor a large number of roads on the island, including tracks from the airport of the fall.

Damage to power lines have also caused electricity to some areas to be lost. The airport is currently in relying on an emergency generator and check-in counters are operated manually.

The authorities of the island are continuing to evacuate people in the worst of the flooding as well as for fresh water and food to those in need.

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Policy tightened Thai visa

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The Embassy of the Thailand in Vientiane, Laos, make has more No 60 days, single or double entry tourist, any visa applicant whose passport three alreadybears these stickers from the Embassy for a visa.

Tourists who have just Vientiane, said that the Embassy a struggle against foreigners who resorted to the tourist to stay indefinitely in Thailand visa.

An employee of the Embassy stated that tourist visas 60 days are aimed at genuine tourists and not for people who live more or less permanently in Thailand.

The employee said there is also suspicion that many of these people who seek tourist visa in Thailand on a regular basis working illegally in the country.

60-Day visas are free, at least until the end of March this year, even if the offices of Thai immigration BT1, 900 30-day extensions.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs sources have confirmed that Thai embassies abroad could refuse the issuance of visas for 60 days if they feel that these visas are poorly used.

They pointed out that instead of obtain the tourist visa on several occasions, any foreigner wishing to stay in Thailand on a long-term basis may apply for other visas, such as the visa of retirement for a year for those over 50 years, the visa of marriage of a year for foreigners with Thai spouse, visa business and visa of education.

There is no sign, however, that other Thai embassies in the region have taken a line lasts as long as Vientiane.

Visitors have not reported any problems Phnom Penh, for example, even though the processing of visa
It takes about three full working days.

In the Viet Nam, Thai visa issuance is reported as business as usual.

Singapore was reported that a six-week gap is required before
a second tourist visa is issued.

Travel agents say that the Embassy of the Thailand in Vientiane is, by far the largest issuer of Thai visa in the region.

The current repression, they said, could be an attempt to limit their workload or to encourage the use of other Thai embassies in Asia.

More great attraction of the Vientiane Embassy is its proximity to the Thai border via the bridge of friendship. The policy, however, can become easier in April if the Government permits embassies start load again for 60 days tourist visa.

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Softened stand oil drilling?

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Municipality request a new public hearing before project resumed.

In a position slightly softened against the Bill carried over to the coast of Koh Samui, the municipal mayor said public oil exploration and drilling new hearing should be conducted before that oil companies can resume here to oil drilling.

Municipal officials, with environmental groups and tourism stakeholders last year demanded a stop oil drilling and exploration of Koh Samui.

In opposition very publicized project last year, the Mayor led official municipality, Samui residents and tourism stakeholders in the timeline of events and gatherings to stop the project as harmful to the environment and tourism, the blood of the economic life of the island.

Protests forced the Government to temporarily halt oil exploration.

Demonstrators, including those of the Islands Koh Tao and Koh Phangan neighbour, demanded the Government withdraw the permit, he granted to oil companies drilling offshore here fearing it would destroy the environment and the tourism industry here.

“The oil companies have to make public hearing yet because people are satisfied with the first public hearing”, said Mayor Ramnate Jaikwang.

The first public hearing has been criticized for not being transparent as required by law.

Tanongsak Somwong, head of one of the groups protesting, said that the first public hearing had only about 30 of those present, with about half of them, the representatives of the Government. Those representing the private sector, he said, were mostly of businessmen. Person has represented the fishermen and tourism operators.

The second public hearing did not place because participants have organized a walkout.

This follow-up were protests pressure on the Government to abandon the oil exploration project.

Last October, the Ministry of mineral fuels Director General Kurujit said Nakhonthap NuCoastol Thailand Co. was postponed one year its drilling for natural gas off the coast of Koh Samui, due to two factors, including public opposition.

“The first well would have been done during the year, but the beginning of the work was affected by the resistance of the affected residents in nearby areas including Koh Samui and Koh Phangan,” said the official.

She also revealed that oil exploration company has yet to have its assessment of the environmental impact statement (EIS) approved.

NuCoastal operates another block of oil exploration in the Gulf of Thailand, near Songkhla, produced every day from 11 700 barrels of crude oil.

Kurujit has been cited in the media by saying that the Government might consider giving the company a year to prepare for drilling because residents and tourist operators are seriously afraid of an oil spill similar to what is happened in the Gulf of the Mexico last year.

License of the nu coastal oil exploration would become invalid if its assessment of the impact on the environment (EIA) is unable to obtain the approval of the Science and Technology Ministry prior to December 18.

Koh Samui residents have held protests against the decision of the Government to grant the London affiliate of coastal energy based in Houston, Texas-based a licence for the 42 kilometres off the coast of South Island tourist.

Kurujit was quoted saying earlier that the authorities and society would redouble its efforts to provide accurate information on the safety and protection of the environment and explain the strict laws on the production and oil exploration.

“It is not surprising that people living near the oil block would be afraid, because they think that the drilling rig could explode as the accident in the Gulf of Mexico, we therefore need time to provide correct information,” he was quoted saying.

The Government has warned that the Thailand had oil and gas reserves for use only for the next 11-12 years.

“If no new oil and gas resources have been discovered, the country may have to rely on imports of liquefied natural gas [more],” Minister of energy Wannarat Channukul told the media last year.

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