Strong seas, winds prompt warnings as cold snap bites

WEATHER HOMES DESTROYED, FERRIES HALTED
BANGKOK POST REPORTERS

Surat Thani _ Pounding waves have destroyed three seaside houses and disrupted ferry services to resort islands as icy weather from China continues to drive powerful winds in the Gulf of Thailand. In the far North, temperatures have plummeted below zero.

The raging seas demolished three homes and damaged two kilometres of seaside road in Ban Pod village in Don Sak district yesterday, sparking worries over the safety of residents of the 50-household fishing community.

With continuing strong winds and high tides expected in the area over the next few days, Don Sak district chief Paisan Tritanya advised residents to evacuate.

Six households followed his advice.

As meteorologists warned of waves of up to four metres high in the Gulf, Surat Thani governor Niwat Sawatkaew ordered a halt to services of boats that take passengers to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao resort islands.

Many ferry boats have already spent the last three days sheltering in port, causing boxes of dry food and gas containers destined for the islands to pile up on a pier in Surat Thani municipality.

In Songkhla, ferocious winds pounded shorelines in many districts. Hardest hit were beaches and roads in four villages in Chana district, officials said.

The strong winds are a result of the northeastern monsoon. It usually occurs near the year-end when cold weather or high pressure from China enters northern Thailand and becomes a monsoon when it passes the Gulf of Thailand.

The Meteorology Department predicted temperatures throughout the country would drop by up to two degrees Celsius today and tomorrow as the cold weather continues to penetrate the northern provinces. This would also cause stronger sea winds during the period.

The temperature on top of scenic Doi Inthanon mountain in Chiang Mai's Chom Thong district yesterday was recorded at -3 degrees Celsius, but the cold did not deter tourists. More than 3,000 visitors continue to go up the mountain every day, said Doi Inthanon national park chief Anan Sonngai.

He urged tourists with illnesses such as heart and respiratory complaints, to avoid travelling to Doi Inthanon and other mountains in the North during this time. An inability to adjust to extremely cold conditions could harm their health, he said.

The cold spell also hit neighbouring Mae Hong Son province where more than 17,000 students in seven districts were in dire need of winter clothes, education officials said. Monks could not go on their morning alms rounds due to the cold weather.

In Pai district, the temperature has dropped to nine degrees Celsius; in Pang Ma Pha, 10, and in Muang Mae Hong Son, 13. Thick fog covers many roads in the province, hindering the morning traffic.

In Lampang, staff at an elephant hospital in Hang Chat district have had to light a bonfire at night to warm injured elephants, which were suffering in the cold, said Soraida Salwala, founder of the Friends of the Asian Elephant group.

Bangkok Post