Clinton meets Thais living in an evacuation center, sheltered from the floodwaters. She greeted them with the traditional bow and asked about their experiences in the flood

By Charlene Porter
IIP Staff Writer

Washington,
17 November 2011

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited an evacuation center for victims of floodwaters in Bangkok November 17, to demonstrate the U.S. government’s concern and sympathy for the people of Thailand, and pledged ongoing support as the country works to recover from the high waters, which have swamped cities, homes, factories and even the graceful temples that dot the landscape.

“I love Thailand and I love the Thai people, and I’ve been very distressed about these terrible floods, which are a historic, horrible event for your country,” said Clinton in an interview with hosts of a television talk program. “I’m here to show not only solidarity and sympathy, but confidence and optimism,” said Clinton.

Prior to the interview, Clinton visited a stadium that is acting as an evacuation center for people flooded out of their homes. Greeting them with the traditional Thai bow, she asked about their experiences in the floodwaters.

Afterward, she told the interviewer that floods seem to bring on more prolonged misery than other natural disasters.

“There’s something about a flood, though, that is so hard because it takes so long,” she said. “It’s there for weeks, even months, before it drains. And that can take a toll on people’s spirits. The few people I had a chance to talk to — they don’t know when they’re going to get to go home. One said maybe two weeks; one said maybe a month. That’s hard.”

The Thai government reports that high waters are beginning to recede in some areas of Bangkok, but some flood conditions likely will exist for several more weeks as heavy monsoon rains that fell on the northern part of the country continue to flow southward toward the Gulf of Thailand.

Floods began with greater than average monsoon rains in July, and the government now estimates that more than 560 people have been killed in floodwaters, more than half of them children.In the midst of these difficulties, Clinton said that she hopes her visit might cast a ray of optimism about what can be achieved in the recovery to come. “And I hope that we can send a strong message that, as devastating as these historic floods have been, Thailand will come back even better. The resilience and the optimism of the Thai people will definitely win the day, and the United States will be your partner every step of the way.”

The $10 million assistance package the United States has pledged to Thailand will also include efforts of experts in antiquity restoration. The floodwaters have been undiscriminating, offering no veneration or respect for the many temples and religious icons that were inundated along with 22 of Thailand’s 77 provinces.

Referring to some of the devastating flooding disasters that have beset areas of the United States in recent years, Clinton said many countries have come to realize that poor land-use planning can often worsen flood damage. “As you develop and you have more businesses and more factories and more homes, you take away land that used to be drainage land, wetlands. So we’re having to do this around the world, and it’s a big wake-up call for all of us.”

The secretary of state left Thailand November 17 for Bali, Indonesia, to attend the Association of South East Asian Nations and East Asia Summit meeting, but the USS Lassen remained at port in Bangkok. The ship has dedicated a team to working with Thais to conduct damage assessments and help determine where the aid efforts should begin.