Floods kill 35 in south Thailand, aid rushed in

BANGKOK - Widespread floods have killed 19 people in southern Thailand in the past week, raising to 35 the death toll in the region's worst floods in nearly 30 years, the Interior Ministry said.

Relief agencies rushed food, clothes and blankets to 9 provinces, including three bordering Malaysia, where more than 700,000 people have been affected, the ministry said.

In Malaysia, six people have died in Kelantan state, the worst affected of four northern states hit by floods since Friday, the government said. About 30,000 people were evacuated in the four states, but many have returned home as floodwaters receded in some areas.

In Thailand, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was criticised for not touring the flooded deep south where his ruling Thai Rak Thai Party was trounced in general elections earlier this year.

"I follow the flood reports every 2-3 hours and have instructed relief officials to do their best. I will visit the provinces if necessary. But for now, I am sending out relief instructions by phone," he told reporters in Bangkok.

The flooding prompted former Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, a member of the opposition Democrat Party, to delay a planned trip to Myanmar this week and fly to the embattled region.

The floods, brought by heavy seasonal tropical rains, have damaged 14 bridges, cut 463 roads and inundated 15,000 hectares of farmland, including vast stretches of rubber plantations, the Interior Ministry said.

Rubber prices pushed higher this week on concerns that the floods would keep tappers out of plantations and squeeze supply from the world's top rubber producer.

The northeast monsoon regularly brings rains to Thailand's southeastern coast at this season, but weather experts say unusual high-pressure winds brought non-stop downpours to the region this year.

Thailand's Meteorological Department downgraded a tropical storm warning on Wednesday and forecast scattered rains in the region over the next few days.

In Hat Yai, a southern rubber trading town and a tourist spot popular with Malaysians, water was receding in the central business district but roads remained flooded in outlying areas.

- REUTERS