First it was bombs and shootings, now it's floods

General News - Saturday December 22, 2007

@THAILAND

HARD TIMES IN SOUTH

First it was bombs and shootings, now it's floods

Story by WASSANA NANUAM, Photos by JETJARAS NA RANONG

People in the South have had a tough time and are forced to end 2007 with soaked bodies in flooded houses.

Weeks-long heavy downpours have caused havoc in the insurgency-plagued provinces of Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani. Those who have escaped the drive-by shootings and bomb attacks are now surrounded by flood waters and almost all of their daily activities have been affected.

Many have left their water-logged homes and waded through deep water to stay on higher ground, while others have simply camped on roads, even though they risk being killed by separatist guerillas.

The militants, who have so far killed more than 2,600 and injured 4,600, have never even thought of giving local people a break. They keep launching daily attacks as if they are desperate to make newspaper headlines every single day.

Police and military officers are also having a hard time. Instead of spending all their time guarding against the insurgency, some are now needed to drain water out of flooded houses and offices. Others are busying travelling by boat to help flood victims in inundated areas.

So far more than 80,000 villagers, mostly in Narathiwat, have suffered severe flooding. A wide area of farmland has been ravaged. Infrastructure, including the electricity and water supply, have stopped functioning.

And just to make things worse, all this has happened during the Islamic Hari Raya Eid al-Adha festival - which is held to celebrate the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the haj.

Perhaps the only thing making the villagers smile at this moment is their children, who have been having a great time swimming on flooded roads.

This has even prompted some parents to take their children to these "swimming pools" just to hear their happy voices and laughter, a rare sound that can give the adults a brief break from their worries.

Bangkok Post