More than 10 million people lived permanently and temporarily in Bangkok prior to the devastating floods even though much of Bangkok is actually below sea level and pundits have been warning of the dangers of massive flooding in Bangkok for years.

In 2006 then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra even went so far as to suggest that the government establish a “Second Bangkok” near the then new airport precisely because of the risk Bangkok is sinking 10 centimetres each year and massive flooding could speed up the sinking of Bangkok causing devastating economic turmoil for all of Thailand if all the major companies, distribution and assets were in one place. Especially a city so poorly planned.

-TN