MPAT TE-2: Road to Crisis
Southwestern Winds – Heavy Flooding During Rainy Season
April to September 2000 the rainy season (Southeastern Monsoon) brought abnormally high rainfall to
Southeast Asia to include Thailand, Haloa and other countries in the region. Widespread flooding destroyed
the spring and summer rice crop, and rendered nearly 500,000 Southeast Asian people homeless resulting
in an estimated USD 5 Billion of damage.
Thailand was the greatest victim of the 2000 rainy season. Damage to infrastructure (bridges, power,
communications) was estimated at USD 1 Billion, and persons losing their home exceeded 150,000. Large
pools and widespread contamination of available drinking water of standing water brought outbreaks of
Malaria, Cholera, and Dengue Fever.
Typhoon Guana Strikes Southern Thailand
In October 2000 Tropical Storm Guana reached winds of 150 knots in the Gulf of Thailand and was
reclassified a Super Typhoon on 11 October. Guana made landfall just south of Nakhon Sri Thammarat on
the Thai Peninsula 13 October and destroyed more than 15,000 homes. As a result of the storm, a Gambian
flagged Oil Tanker, Belack, lost her crew and ran aground due east of Songkhla spilling an estimated
10,000 tons of oil and destroying marine life along a 20 kilometer section of the Thai coast. Total damages
in the area exceeded USD 1.5 billion.
Northeastern Winds – Extreme Dry Season
The 2001 dry season (Dec-Mar) is abnormally dry (Northeastern Monsoon), and follows in the wake of the
record 2000 flooding. Regional drought brings further problems to an area already short of food (especially
rice) depriving the area of much needed water for planting.
Haloa (country north of Thailand) is hardest hit by the dry weather. Underdevelopment prevents Haloan
efforts to provide relief in the mountains to the north of Thailand. Scarcity of food and water leads to
hoarding by warlords in the mountain regions. Warlord raids on convoys and distribution points further
prevents Haloan relief to the mountain region leaving an estimated 950 thousand persons without food,
water, or medicine.
Medical Concerns:Waterborne diseases and STD
In mid-January the Haloan Ministry of Health and Medicine discovers what it believes is an outbreak of
hepatitis, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD), and dengue fever in the mountain region. An outbreak is
of great concern to Thailand in light of increasing numbers of Haloan mountain peoples moving south in
search of food and water. The Thai Medical Science Department is coordinating with the World Health
Organization and other ASEAN nations to obtain enough vaccines to meet regional need. Outbreaks of
Japanese Encephalitis, Conjunctivitis, influenza, malaria, and skin diseases are also of great concern.
Earthquake shocks The Haloa-Thai Border
On February 10, 2001, a medium level (6.5 on the richter scale) earthquake strikes along the Thai-Haloan
Border killing an estimated 135 persons. Damaged buildings, roads, bridges and even irrigation dams
exacerbate problems for both Thailand and Haloa – preliminary estimates put the damage at USD 700
million.
Estimates of refugees from Haloa entering Thailand by late January were approximately 400 thousand.
The Thai Border Police Patrol report a surge of border crossers in the wake of the earthquake, and are
concerned about their ability to handle the high traffic from Haloa. Large camps populate areas along the
border, with the largest around Mae Hong Son, Mae Sam Laep, Mae Ai, Khun Yuam, Mae Chan and Mae
Sot. Affected Thai families are concentrated in the following Areas: Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son and
Lampang. Thai relief agencies and the Royal Thai Government, already over extended with workload to
cover multiple disasters, appeal for NGO support to address problems on the Thai-Haloan border.