BPSOS - Duong Phuc & Vu Thanh Thuy "Southern Thailand in March-April 2011"

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BPSOS - Duong Phuc & Vu Thanh Thuy "Southern Thailand in March - April 2011"
Major floods occurred during the 2011 monsoon season in Thailand. Provinces located in the Chao Phraya and Mekong River basin, including Bangkok and surrounding neighborhoods were most severely affected directly or indirectly by inundation. Flooding also affected most provinces in Thailand's south. Flooding began around July 2011, and continued into December 2011. Over 12.8 million people were affected, and the World Bank estimated damages reached 1,440 billion baht (45 billion USD) as of December, 2011. As of December 3rd, 2011 some areas still remained under up to 6 feet underwater and many factory areas remained closed.
The World Bank's estimate for this disaster means it ranks as the world's fourth costliest disaster as of 2011 surpassed only by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, 1995 Kobe earthquake, Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The flooding inundated about six million hectares of land, over 300,000 hectares of which is farmland, in 58 provinces, from Chiang Mai in the North to parts of the capital city of Bangkok near the mouth of the Chao Phraya. It has been described as "the worst flooding yet in terms of the amount of water and people affected". Seven major industrial estates were inundated by as much 3 meters (10 feet).
When their country fell under Communist control, Award-winning journalists of South Vietnam, Duong Phuc and Vu Thanh Thuy, sought freedom after escaping as political prisoners, living as fugitives with their young daughters, drifting on the ocean, falling prey to pirates, and ultimately fighting for justice.

Phuc and Thuy fled their homeland aboard a small fishing boat after many failed attempts. Once at sea, they were at the mercy of harsh elements and human predators. Their subsequent rescue and open letter to the international press, which was read at a United Nations News Conference in Thailand in 1980, broke the story of the "boat people" to the world.
They became internationally known for their lead role in the Boat People SOS Committee, whose missions rescued more than 3,000 refugees in the 1980s and '90s.
At the time, Thuy told an Associated Press reporter, "Having been a refugee myself years ago, I know exactly what it's like to be a refugee and I know what needs to be done."
Today, they continue voicing their mission of collaboration between Vietnamese and U.S. communities through Radio Saigon: Houston - KREH 900 AM and Dallas - KTXV 890 AM.

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