BANGKOK: Hopes were rising in Bangkok tonight and it appeared that the floodwaters were not.
Both Thai and international media reported this evening that there were no signs of a new high tide in the floods that have killed almost 400 people and deeply damaged Thailand's economy.
Have the waters peaked? Is it now time to see the suburbs of Bangkok that have been inundated dry out again?
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra knows how difficult it is to make guarantees, and that Denmark's legendary King Canute could not stop the tide.
But in every flood there is a peak, and then the waters recede, and Bangkok was hoping that peak had been reached and passed tonight.
PM Yingluck put a positive spin on the crisis in her weekly radio address today while urging Thais to let nature take its course.
But defences around the capital did not all go under, the way some people had predicted in a high-tide surge over the banks of the Chao Phraya.
Even if tomorrow brings the best possible news, there will still be weeks of water to come.
There will also be concerns about disease, and about mental disorders brought on by the battle for survival.
But there could also be hope, and the sense that the worst is over. More than anything, that's what Bangkok and Thailand need tonight.
Daylight on Sunday should make it plainer.
Phuket Speedboat Stranding: 'We Will Investigate,' Says Marine ChiefBoth Thai and international media reported this evening that there were no signs of a new high tide in the floods that have killed almost 400 people and deeply damaged Thailand's economy.
Have the waters peaked? Is it now time to see the suburbs of Bangkok that have been inundated dry out again?
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra knows how difficult it is to make guarantees, and that Denmark's legendary King Canute could not stop the tide.
But in every flood there is a peak, and then the waters recede, and Bangkok was hoping that peak had been reached and passed tonight.
PM Yingluck put a positive spin on the crisis in her weekly radio address today while urging Thais to let nature take its course.
But defences around the capital did not all go under, the way some people had predicted in a high-tide surge over the banks of the Chao Phraya.
Even if tomorrow brings the best possible news, there will still be weeks of water to come.
There will also be concerns about disease, and about mental disorders brought on by the battle for survival.
But there could also be hope, and the sense that the worst is over. More than anything, that's what Bangkok and Thailand need tonight.
Daylight on Sunday should make it plainer.
Latest Tourists on a speedboat stranded for hours between Phi Phi and Phuket complain about lack of life jackets - and Phuket's Marine Chief promises a thorough investigation.
Phuket Speedboat Stranding: 'We Will Investigate,' Says Marine Chief
Accused Phuket Gold Raider 'Had Huge Football Punting Debt'
Latest A young man who ran a convenience store raided a jewellery shop in Phuket City to repay a football gambling debt of 200,000 baht, police say. The suspect is being held without bail.
Accused Phuket Gold Raider 'Had Huge Football Punting Debt'
Phuket Shelves Plundered, Patong Nightlife Price Rises Likely
Latest Shoppers are raiding shelves across Phuket during the five day ''hoarding day'' with essentials and non-essentials disappearing at lightning speed, and price rises tipped.
Phuket Shelves Plundered, Patong Nightlife Price Rises Likely
Phuket Couple in Lovers' Leap Riddle: Shoes, Parked Car Found on Bridge
UPDATE A search is underway for a young couple after their shoes and a rented car were found on one of Phuket's main bridges. The couple were workers at Blue Canyon.
Phuket Couple in Lovers' Leap Riddle: Shoes, Parked Car Found on Bridge
Russian Drops Dead in Foyer of Patong Resort
UPDATE Doctors are looking at whether a Russian man who collapsed and died in the foyer of a Patong hospital had been drinking to excess. He was aged about 40.
Russian Drops Dead in Foyer of Patong Resort
