Fresh floods hit Thai industrial complex

Thailand's largest industrial complex near Bangkok was flooded on Monday, prompting concerns of more damage to Japanese companies operating in the country.

The Thai government has ordered all the plants in the Nava Nakorn industrial complex to suspend operations and evacuate their workers.

Some parts of the complex were flooded neck-deep, and trapped workers had to be rescued by boats.

Military helicopters have been dispatched to set up containers along the canal, while work is ongoing to pile up new sandbags within the complex to prevent more water from coming in.

Nava Nakorn, founded in 1971, is the oldest industrial park in Thailand. 190 companies have plants there, of which 100 are Japanese.

About 330 Japanese companies based in 5 other industrial zones in Ayutthaya Province have already been affected by the flooding caused by heavy monsoon rains this month.

Leading Japanese carmakers have had to suspend operations due to a shortage of parts.

Monday, October 17, 2011 18:42 +0900 (JST)