Bangkok braces for flooding - Thailand, Cambodia, Laos affected by Worst Flooding in a Decade.

(Dive Travel Business News October 21, 2011) -- Some of the worst flooding in decades has gripped Southeast Asia, and is inching its way towards Bangkok, news outlets reported on Thursday. Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Thursday acknowledged that it was becoming increasing difficult to control floodwater approaching the Thai capital due to the sheer amount of water, the Associated Press reported.

Over 700 people have been killed and eight million affected by some the worst flooding in a decade across Southeast Asia, reports the United Nations. The severe flooding that started mid-August, caused by an abnormally heavy rainy season, has displaced more than a million people in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.  The travel industry is working to keep concerned travelers informed.  SE Tour Operators, such as Journeys Within, are updating guests daily via blogs and emails, have contingency plans in place and are adjusting tour schedules as the region braces for high tides over the weekend.

The historic city of Ayutthaya, a Unesco World Heritage site about 62 miles north of Bangkok, has now been submerged for 10 days, CNN reported. (http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/14/world/asia/thailand-floods/?hpt=ias_c2). The critical time for Thailand is in the next three days as there are high tides that could contribute to the flooding. Sea surges are expected in Thailand on Wednesday, as well as from October 28 through 30, which could threaten to break through flood barriers.A landslide alert has also been issued for four provinces in the south of Thailand.

On Friday, the Tourism Authority of Thailand put out a statement that most key tourist destinations and attractions throughout Thailand (including Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Sukhothai, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Pattaya, Ko Chang, Rayong, Phuket, Krabi, Trang, Ko Samui and southern provinces) have not been affected by the floods and almost all remain open.  The floods are mainly affecting the provinces in central Thailand and a few provinces in the north and northeast, the tourism authority stated.  All airports in Thailand, including Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, are still operating as usual. Train service from Bangkok to northern destinations beyond Ayutthaya are suspended. Tourist destinations in the north, such as Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Sukhothai, are best accessed by air as some roads and railways in the central provinces are closed due to the floods, the tourism authority advised.

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