BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's prime minister canceled plans to attend a Pacific trade forum in Hawaii this weekend as she struggled Tuesday to cope with her country's worst flooding in a half-century.
The flooding began in late July and has killed 527 people, mostly by drowning. Some province north of Bangkok have been inundated for more than a month, although floodwaters there have started to recede in recent days as massive pools of runoff flow south.
The water has inexorably made its way into Bangkok, causing distress among the capital's more than 9 million inhabitants and heightening criticism of government's inefficiency in countering the problem.
"Now it's time for all Thai people to help each other, so I've informed (the host) that I would not go," Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said.
The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, hosted by President Barack Obama, will bring together 21 leaders, including Chinese President Hu Jintao.
It would have given Yingluck an opportunity as a novice politician to gain diplomatic luster, but also could have opened her to criticism of ignoring flooding at home where her political rivals are keen to exploit any problems due to the waters.
Yingluck came to office in August after a Pheu Thai party landslide, but is widely seen as a stand-in for her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a military coup in 2007 after being accused of corruption and abuse of power.
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The flooding began in late July and has killed 527 people, mostly by drowning. Some province north of Bangkok have been inundated for more than a month, although floodwaters there have started to recede in recent days as massive pools of runoff flow south.
The water has inexorably made its way into Bangkok, causing distress among the capital's more than 9 million inhabitants and heightening criticism of government's inefficiency in countering the problem.
"Now it's time for all Thai people to help each other, so I've informed (the host) that I would not go," Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said.
The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, hosted by President Barack Obama, will bring together 21 leaders, including Chinese President Hu Jintao.
It would have given Yingluck an opportunity as a novice politician to gain diplomatic luster, but also could have opened her to criticism of ignoring flooding at home where her political rivals are keen to exploit any problems due to the waters.
Yingluck came to office in August after a Pheu Thai party landslide, but is widely seen as a stand-in for her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a military coup in 2007 after being accused of corruption and abuse of power.
Diamond studs
Read more
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