Thailand: airports not working because of bad weather

BANGKOK, March 29 (Itar-Tass) -- The airport of the Samui Island,
Thailand, suspended its work on Tuesday because of strong wind and
thunderstorm. Some 30 flights were cancelled.
Thousands of tourists cannot leave the beach resort, because the ferry
traffic between Samui and the mainland was also suspended. Roads in the
tourist centres of Chaweng and Bophut were flooded.
A Russian tourist named Natalia told Itar-Tass that "the air company
cannot name the time of the departure and says that the flight may be
delayed by 24 hours." "The storm is very strong, and there are no openings
in the clouds. It is dangerous to stay on the roads. Water, dirt and
stones are everywhere. If we do not fly home today, the air company will
have our group accommodated in a hotel," she said. At present some 1,500
tourists from Russia may be staying in Samui.
The storm swept through the southern areas of Thailand. Six provinces,
including Chumphon, Surattani and Trang, which are well known among
foreigners, were hit by flood. Road were inundated, and railway traffic
was disrupted. The water level rose by two metres in some areas.
Waves are two to three metres high in the Siam Gulf and the Andaman
Sea.
A number of popular beach resorts, like Phuket, Phi-Phi, Similan, the
Krabi and Trang Provinces, were also hit by the storm.