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    November 05, 2011

Thai PM Says Flooding in Bangkok's Center Will Be Minor

   VOA News
   Residents travel on a boat as a bus drives on a flooded street in
   Bangkok, Thailand, November 5, 2011. Photo: Reuters
   Residents travel on a boat as a bus drives on a flooded street in
   Bangkok, Thailand, November 5, 2011.

   Thailand's prime minister assured the residents of Bangkok Saturday
   that flooding in the capital's center would be minor and brief.
   In her weekly radio address, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said a
   barrier of huge sandbags had been completed and drainage systems would
   keep the city's economic and political center mostly dry.
   Bangkok residents have been doing what they can to fight the
   floodwaters, piling sandbags outside their homes and businesses. They
   have also stocked up on supplies. Many supermarket shelves are empty,
   while some stores are rationing bottled water and other essentials.
   Some parts of the capital continued to experience considerable
   flooding.
   Solid predictions are difficult, because various government officials -
   including the prime minister, disaster officials and Bangkok governor -
   have given often widely different versions of what city residents can
   expect.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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