Newley Purnell
I have a new story today at The Wall Street Journal’s Southeast Asia Real Time blog.
The headline is “As Rainy Season Approaches, Thailand Focuses on Floods,” and the story begins:
The Thai government says it is taking steps to prevent a repeat of last year’s massive flooding. But experts warn that some of the government’s big ideas – such as large-scale new dikes – probably won’t be completed before seasonal rains arrive in just a few months.
Give it a read.
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Just briefly: I neglected to mention that a Wall Street Journal “House of the Day” feature I wrote about a unique villa in Cambodia ran last month.
It’s called “Over the Water, on a Private Island in Cambodia.” Give it a look.
On a related note, I noticed that the Phuket sea-side villa I wrote about in Sept. made it onto Scene Asia’s Asia Houses of the Year list.
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I have a new story today at the WSJ‘s Southeast Asia Real Time blog. It’s called “Despite Floods, Thailand Poised for Tourism Record,” and begins:
Thailand’s vital tourism industry has suffered terribly from the massive floods that continue to drain slowly from Bangkok’s suburbs. Remarkably, however, the country is poised to set a record for the most yearly international arrivals, underscoring the tourism sector’s resilience despite a string of recent crises.
Give it a read.
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I have a story today on the Wall St. Journal‘s Southeast Asia Real Time blog called “Repairing Ayutthaya’s Ancient Temples.”
It begins:
The famed temples in Thailand’s ancient city of Ayutthaya were the country’s most prominent tourist sites to be hit during recent severe flooding. The water has now largely drained from the area, and most of the structures are open to visitors. But efforts to assess the damage and begin needed repairs have only just begun.
Click through for the rest.
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I have a story on the Wall St. Journal‘s Southeast Asia Real Time blog today called “Floating Lantern Festival Continues Despite Thai Floods.”
It begins:
A popular Thai holiday in which candle-laden lanterns are floated along waterways and launched into the skies has been disrupted in Bangkok due to ongoing flooding, but festivities are continuing as planned in some other parts of the country.
Click through to read the rest.
More soon on the flooding that continues here in Bangkok.
For a taste of what I did today — hint: it involved hunting for a crocodile — see my recent Tweets.
Stay tuned.
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I have a story on the Wall St. Journal‘s Southeast Asia Real Time blog today called “Thai Flooding Raises Dilemmas For Travelers.”
It begins:
Although inner portions of Bangkok remain dry from recent floods, the waters continue to seep into more areas, raising big dilemmas for tourists and business travelers over whether to proceed to Bangkok in the coming weeks.
Click through for the latest on what’s up here in Bangkok and surrounding areas.
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I have a new story at the Wall Street Journal’s Southeast Asia Real Time blog today. The headline: “Another Bangkok Zoo Gets Hit By Flooding.”
It starts:
Another zoo in the Bangkok area has been hit as floodwaters continue to swamp the city.
Proprietors at Safari World – among the more popular destinations for families here – said they shut down the facility on Thursday after authorities opened a flood gate at a nearby canal following demonstrations by local residents, causing the zoo’s flooding defenses to be overwhelmed.
The animals inside the facility are not at risk — for now. But the situation has forced officials at the 500-acre complex to scramble to find dry ground for the lions, tigers, zebras, giraffes and other animals that roam there.
(Click through for a photo of zebras splashing through the floodwaters.)
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I have a story on the Wall St. Journal‘s Southeast Asia Real Time blog today called “Will Bangkok’s International Airport Stay Dry?”
It begins:
As flooding continues to swamp outer Bangkok, some residents and international travelers have been pondering a critical question: Will the city’s international airport stay dry?
For now, it looks as if the airport most likely won’t be badly affected by floodwaters, given its advanced flood defenses. But the unexpected has already happened in other parts of Thailand, which is suffering from its worst floods in decades, so travelers are advised to keep watch.
The facility, Suvarnabhumi, is located on the city’s eastern outskirts — a key pathway for floodwaters flowing from the north around Bangkok into the Gulf of Thailand. Suvarnabhumi is a crucial regional aviation hub and one Asia’s busiest airports, with some 800 flights per day and an average of 100,000 daily passengers, according to government figures.
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I won’t be posting anything here until Oct. 11.
In the meantime, you might catch me on Twitter, but dispatches there will likely be minimal.
A few administrative reminders:
These won’t be emailed versions of Newley.com posts, but perhaps more personal missives about what’s new in my world. You can sign up here.
As ever, thanks for reading.
(Image: via.)
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Update, September 27, 2011:
I disabled the embedded video because it seemed to be available only as an auto-playing file. But you can still access it at the link below.
Go to the Embedded above Channel NewsAsia site to see a TV story I did yesterday for Channel NewsAsia.
It’s about an Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting that took place here in Bangkok. Environmental officials from throughout the region discussed the smoke haze issue that affects Singapore, Malaysia, and other areas.
The text story is available, as well.
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