FLOODING IN THAILAND

 

Photograph by MATTHIAS HOCH

 

Photograph by Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images

 

Heavy monsoon rains have been drenching Southeast Asia since mid-July, causing mudslides and widespread flooding along the Mekong River. Parts of Thailand are now experiencing the worst floods in half a century, as water inundates villages, historic temples, farms, and factories. At least 281 people have been killed in Thailand, and another 200 in neighboring Cambodia.

Pictured above is the flooded Wat Chaiwatthanaram, an UNESCO World Heritage site in the ancient Thai capital of Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok on October 11, 2011. The temple was constructed in 1630 by the king Prasat Thong as the first temple of his reign, as a memorial of his mother’s resident in that area.

 

via In Focus with Alan Taylor: Worst Flooding in Decades Swamps Thailand & The Historical Museum of Bamberg