AlQa'dah 29, 1432, Oct 27, 2011, SPA -- An emergency holiday started Thursday in Bangkok and 20 other Thai provinces affected by floods to give residents the freedom to flee or focus on flood prevention and damage control, according to dpa. Flood barriers along the Chao Phraya River, which flows through the heart of Bangkok, were holding up in the old section of the capital early Thursday, said staff at the Arun Residence hotel, which sits on the river. But they added that the river was close to overflowing those barriers. Government officials warned that Thursday and Friday would be crucial days along the river as high tides in the Gulf of Thailand and a swell of runoff from the north meet in Bangkok, home to 12 million people. Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said the situation would reach a critical point. The 13 districts along the Chao Phraya River are the most at risk, he said. The river reached a record high Tuesday. Highways to the south were busier than normal, commuters said, with many leaving Bangkok for drier provinces to the south-east and south-west, taking advantage of the five-day weekend. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's cabinet ordered the special holiday to allow residents to concentrate on the emergency. All state-run hospitals are to remain open.
