Courtesy of Time Online: Manila Flood
Philippines – As many as 140 people are believed dead and, approximately 300,000 more are displaced in the Greater Manila region in the wake of Typhoon Ketsana. The area is home to 12 million people, and an amazing 80% of the capital has been flooded. Various international aid agencies and the U.S. Navy are helping the overwhelmed Filipino government with relief efforts. Another tropical storm is expected to make land fall later this week. With the ground already saturated, another storm will only exacerbate the situation.
Cambodia – In a continuation of the ongoing conflict over the Preah Vihear Temple in the Thai-Cambodia border region, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has threatened to skip the 15th ASEAN summit to be held next month in Thailand. Instead, he will send the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. Sen has also refused talks with Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva over the issue until Vejjajiva stops using a Thai map that demarcates the region in a way that Cambodia disapproves.
