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Thailand declares holidays to cope with flood crisis

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 11:41 PM PDT

BANGKOK: Thailand declared a three-day holiday today in Bangkok and other flood-affected areas as high tides are forecast to flow up the city's main river and worsen floods creeping into the city.

Schools, businesses and government offices will shut on Thursday and Friday, and the following Monday, creating a five-day break in the capital and 20 other provinces.

"The cabinet today approved the declaration of October 27 through to 31 as holidays," Pracha Promnog, head of the Flood Relief Operations Centre (FROC), said after ministers met to discuss the escalating crisis in Bangkok.

The central bank said it was still being decided whether to shut down financial markets as well.

The announcement came after Bangkok governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra made a televised address warning residents along the Chao Phraya river to be on "full alert" after it reached record highs of of 2.30 metres on Monday.

"If the situation continues in these circumstances, the water level this weekend will hit 2.60 metres, while our average flood embankment is 2.50 metres high," he said.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's cabinet met north of the city centre at Don Mueang airport, which is doubling up as a shelter and a headquarters for the relief operation, but is already surrounded by water-logged roads.

"We are concerned about evacuees because there is a problem with travelling here," Yingluck said ahead of the meeting.

"We will move them to safe areas," she said, but added that for now FROC's operations would remain at the airport.

The floodwaters are creeping further into the city of 12 million people after three months of heavy rains that have plagued other parts of the country, killing more than 360 people and damaging millions of homes and livelihoods. -- AFP

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Police charged with receiving bribe from factory owner

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 11:37 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: A police sergeant pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court here to corruptly receiving RM2,000 from a knife factory owner last year.

Ahmad Sazali Md Desa,52, allegedly took the money from Lian Huat @ Lim Kim Huat as an inducement to not to take action against two of his workers under Section 15 (1)(c) of the Immigration Act.

He is accused of committing the offence at the Criminal Investigation Division office, 3rd floor, Block B, Pudu police station in Cheras at 12pm on Nov 30, 2010.

The charge under Section 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 is punishable under Section 24 of the same Act, which carries a maximum 20 years' jail and a fine of five times the amount involved or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

Judge Rozilah Salleh set bail at RM5,000 in one surety and fixed Nov 10 for re-mention, and Nov 22-24 for hearing.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Sophian Zakaria appeared for the MACC while counsel Mohd Razif Mansor represented the accused. -- BERNAMA

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Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Selasa, 25 Oktober 2011

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