Flooding in southern Asia leaves 600 dead

Search and rescue operations are ongoing across Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, with hundreds still missing

 by Jessica Rawnsley

 

Torrential rains have triggered floods and landslides across parts of southern Asia, killing about 600 people.

Monsoon rain exacerbated by tropical storms caused some of the region's worst flooding in years, with millions affected in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

Intense rainfall began on the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Wednesday. "During the flood, everything was gone," a resident of Bireuen in Sumatra's Aceh province told Reuters news agency. "I wanted to save my clothes, but my house came down."

With hundreds still missing, the death toll is likely to rise. Thousands remain stranded, some awaiting rescue on rooftops.

 

As of Saturday more than 300 people had died in Indonesia and 160 in Thailand. There were also several deaths reported in Malaysia.

In Sri Lanka, which has been battered by Cyclone Ditwah, more than 130 people are dead and some 170 missing, officials said.

In Indonesia hundreds are still missing after heavy rains wreaked havoc on the island of Sumatra

An exceptionally rare tropical cyclone, named Cyclone Senyar, caused catastrophic landslides and flooding in Indonesia, with homes swept away and thousands of buildings submerged.

Indonesia's disaster agency said on Saturday that nearly 300 people were still missing after flooding devastated Sumatra.

"The current was very fast, in a matter of seconds it reached the streets, entered the houses," a resident in Aceh Province, Arini Amalia, told the BBC.

She and her grandmother raced to a relative's house on higher terrain. On returning the following day to retrieve some belongings, she said the flood had completely swallowed the house: "It's already sunk."

After waters rapidly rose in West Sumatra and submerged his home, Meri Osman said he was "swept away by the current" and clung onto a clothesline until he was rescued.

The bad weather has hampered rescue operations, and while tens of thousands of people have been evacuated, hundreds are still stranded, the Indonesian disaster agency said.

Tens of thousands of people have taken refuge in shelters in Thailand

In Thailand's southern Songkhla province, water rose 3m (10ft) and at least 145 people died in one of the worst floods in a decade.

Across the 10 provinces hit by flooding, more than 160 people have been killed, the government said on Saturday. More than 3.8 million people have been affected.

The city of Hat Yai experienced 335mm of rainfall in a single day, the heaviest in 300 years. As waters receded, officials recorded a sharp rise in the death toll.

At one hospital in Hat Yai, employees were forced to move bodies to refrigerated trucks after the morgue became overwhelmed, news agency AFP reported.

"We were stuck in the water for seven days and no agency came to help," Hat Yai resident Thanita Khiawhom told BBC Thai.

The government has promised relief measures, including compensation of up to two million baht ($62,000) for households that lost family members. 

Sri Lanka's government has declared a state of emergency and appealed for international assistance

In neighbouring Malaysia, the death toll is far lower, but the damage is just as devastating.

Flooding has wreaked havoc and left parts of northern Perlis state under water, with two people dead and tens of thousands forced into shelters.

Sri Lanka is also grappling with one of its worst weather disasters in recent years, and the government has declared a state of emergency.

More than 15,000 homes have been destroyed and some 78,000 people forced into temporary shelters, officials said. They added that about a third of the country was without electricity or running water.

Meteorologists have said the extreme weather in South East Asia may have been caused by the interaction of Typhoon Koto in the Philippines and the rare formation of Cyclone Senyar in the Malacca Strait.

The region's annual monsoon season, typically between June and September, often brings heavy rain.

Climate change has altered storm patterns, including the intensity and duration of the season, resulting in heavier rainfall, flash flooding and stronger winds.

Biodiesel, next big thing in Malaysia

"Malaysia Truly Asia" is probably the most recognized national slogan in the marketing world of tourism. But Malaysia is also known for something else that not only benefits their national agenda but can also help with the environment.

"Biodiesel has a very promising prospect for the future as an alternative energy source and it's renewable," Malaysian Ambassador Dato' Ramlan Bin Ibrahim told The Korea Herald.

Malaysia currently accounts for 41 percent of world palm oil production and 47 percent of world exports.

As one of the biggest producers and exporters of palm oil and palm oil products, Malaysia has an important role to play in fulfilling the growing global need for oils.

The majority of its crops go towards its traditional markets for personal hygiene and food and lately the Malaysian government has set its sights on promoting and producing palm oil for the purpose of making biodiesel.

There are new mills and refineries being built by major Malaysian and global companies.

"Now that the Korean government is promoting the green sector, we are ready and able to plug into that initiative by attracting Korean firms into exploring this biodiesel sector with us," he said.

One strong advantage of palm oil production for biodiesel in Malaysia and one that has quieted the naysayers is that every part of the tree is used.

"There is nothing that is unusable so we have Korean firms coming in and helping us with the technology for that," he said.

"Once you have dedicated plantations you can always use every part of the palm oil tree for specific purposes."

The empty branches or byproducts produced after processing are turned into biomass.

"We have Korean companies coming in to look at this alternative energy," Ramlan said. "Biomass can be used for heating; in a way a plantation can be used to meet the current concerns of global warming."

The Malaysian government, like the Korean government, is recognizing the benefits of going green not only for the sake of the environment but also as a possible future business sector.

"We could, in a way, develop together a kind of synergetic partnership," he said. "Korea has the technology and we (Malaysia) have the plantations. We can look at the global market and see how we can expand it and collaborate further while promoting these products in the green areas."

Ramlan explained that the Malaysian government has set up a deliberate environmental policy.

For every project, the Malaysian government conducts an environmental impact assessment.

"We are now factoring how we can balance and make sure that the ecosystem will remain in tact," he said.

The ambassador is also looking to promote its educational sector to Koreans looking to learn English.

"We have agreements with American universities and we provide quality education at a much lower cost because the cost of living in Kuala Lumpur is a fraction of what it costs in London, the United States or Australia," he said.

Ramlan explained that Kuala Lumpur has been turning itself into an education hub not only for university students but also for elementary, middle and high school students.

"Children there will be in an enabling environment where they will use English more than just in the classrooms, this way the language will be alive in them."

As for the mothers who accompany their children to Kuala Lumpur, Ramlan explained that there is a vibrant Korean community there to help newly arrived mothers and their family adapt to their new home.

"In these communities the mothers have something to do while the kids are in school. So that raises the comfort level. A number of them find living in Malaysia pleasant. We have a first class infrastructure and the population speaks English."

Now back to tourism; Malaysia has become one of the preferred destinations for Koreans looking to travel to an exotic country without having to travel many hours.

Multiculturalism has not only made Malaysia a gastronomical paradise, it has also made Malaysia home to hundreds of colorful festivals.

Geographically, Malaysia is as diverse as its culture. Cool hideaways are found in the highlands that roll down to warm, sandy beaches and rich, humid mangroves.

One of Malaysia's key attractions is its extreme contrasts. Towering skyscrapers look down upon wooden houses built on stilts, and five-star hotels sit several meters away from ancient reefs.

"Koreans love Malaysia for golf, it's so cheap. They put themselves at a golf resort and do nothing but play golf."

Golf promotion is a cornerstone in Malaysia's tourism promotion in Korea.

"We are not into the royal entertainment business, we provide specialized, quality lifestyle holiday tours, beautiful beaches, excellent ecotourism, food, our cultural diversity, shopping, everything is so cheap in Kuala Lumpur."

He explained Malaysia is truly Asia because it is located smack in the middle of two giants -- China and India -- plus the country boasts countless ethnic minorities.

"We understand this; it is the basis of our strength," he said.

While Korea is looking for its tourism identity, Malaysia, through its best practices and aggressive marketing campaigns has attracted 22 million visitors last year.

"We have a package for both low- and high-end travelers and also domestic promotions for our own citizens to discover other parts of Malaysia," he said.

"Through tourism we want to promote ourselves and the strength of our diversity."

Biodiesel, next big thing in Malaysia

"Malaysia Truly Asia" is probably the most recognized national slogan in the marketing world of tourism. But Malaysia is also known for something else that not only benefits their national agenda but can also help with the environment.

"Biodiesel has a very promising prospect for the future as an alternative energy source and it's renewable," Malaysian Ambassador Dato' Ramlan Bin Ibrahim told The Korea Herald.

Malaysia currently accounts for 41 percent of world palm oil production and 47 percent of world exports.

As one of the biggest producers and exporters of palm oil and palm oil products, Malaysia has an important role to play in fulfilling the growing global need for oils.

The majority of its crops go towards its traditional markets for personal hygiene and food and lately the Malaysian government has set its sights on promoting and producing palm oil for the purpose of making biodiesel.

There are new mills and refineries being built by major Malaysian and global companies.

"Now that the Korean government is promoting the green sector, we are ready and able to plug into that initiative by attracting Korean firms into exploring this biodiesel sector with us," he said.

One strong advantage of palm oil production for biodiesel in Malaysia and one that has quieted the naysayers is that every part of the tree is used.

"There is nothing that is unusable so we have Korean firms coming in and helping us with the technology for that," he said.

"Once you have dedicated plantations you can always use every part of the palm oil tree for specific purposes."

The empty branches or byproducts produced after processing are turned into biomass.

"We have Korean companies coming in to look at this alternative energy," Ramlan said. "Biomass can be used for heating; in a way a plantation can be used to meet the current concerns of global warming."

The Malaysian government, like the Korean government, is recognizing the benefits of going green not only for the sake of the environment but also as a possible future business sector.

"We could, in a way, develop together a kind of synergetic partnership," he said. "Korea has the technology and we (Malaysia) have the plantations. We can look at the global market and see how we can expand it and collaborate further while promoting these products in the green areas."

Ramlan explained that the Malaysian government has set up a deliberate environmental policy.

For every project, the Malaysian government conducts an environmental impact assessment.

"We are now factoring how we can balance and make sure that the ecosystem will remain in tact," he said.

The ambassador is also looking to promote its educational sector to Koreans looking to learn English.

"We have agreements with American universities and we provide quality education at a much lower cost because the cost of living in Kuala Lumpur is a fraction of what it costs in London, the United States or Australia," he said.

Ramlan explained that Kuala Lumpur has been turning itself into an education hub not only for university students but also for elementary, middle and high school students.

"Children there will be in an enabling environment where they will use English more than just in the classrooms, this way the language will be alive in them."

As for the mothers who accompany their children to Kuala Lumpur, Ramlan explained that there is a vibrant Korean community there to help newly arrived mothers and their family adapt to their new home.

"In these communities the mothers have something to do while the kids are in school. So that raises the comfort level. A number of them find living in Malaysia pleasant. We have a first class infrastructure and the population speaks English."

Now back to tourism; Malaysia has become one of the preferred destinations for Koreans looking to travel to an exotic country without having to travel many hours.

Multiculturalism has not only made Malaysia a gastronomical paradise, it has also made Malaysia home to hundreds of colorful festivals.

Geographically, Malaysia is as diverse as its culture. Cool hideaways are found in the highlands that roll down to warm, sandy beaches and rich, humid mangroves.

One of Malaysia's key attractions is its extreme contrasts. Towering skyscrapers look down upon wooden houses built on stilts, and five-star hotels sit several meters away from ancient reefs.

"Koreans love Malaysia for golf, it's so cheap. They put themselves at a golf resort and do nothing but play golf."

Golf promotion is a cornerstone in Malaysia's tourism promotion in Korea.

"We are not into the royal entertainment business, we provide specialized, quality lifestyle holiday tours, beautiful beaches, excellent ecotourism, food, our cultural diversity, shopping, everything is so cheap in Kuala Lumpur."

He explained Malaysia is truly Asia because it is located smack in the middle of two giants -- China and India -- plus the country boasts countless ethnic minorities.

"We understand this; it is the basis of our strength," he said.

While Korea is looking for its tourism identity, Malaysia, through its best practices and aggressive marketing campaigns has attracted 22 million visitors last year.

"We have a package for both low- and high-end travelers and also domestic promotions for our own citizens to discover other parts of Malaysia," he said.

"Through tourism we want to promote ourselves and the strength of our diversity."