NARATHIWAT, Jan 5 — A total of 169 schools in this southern province reopened today after being closed for almost three weeks due to severe flooding, officials said.
Floodwaters in Narathiwat havereceded, prompting 169 schools to resume classes, but the number of students were few because of the difficulty in travel as many roads were damaged.
Schools were closed since December 17.
Government personel are providing security at the schools as well as escorting teachers to their schools.
More checkpoints have been set up to prevent violence against teachers travelling from their homes to their schools, officials said.
Meanwhile, traffic in Bangkok on the first day of workers returning to their offices following the five-day New Year holidays was heavy since early morning.
Many holidaymakers are still stranded in their hometowns, unable to return to the capital as trains and buses bound for Bangkok have been packed by passengers.
At Phichit railway station, many people awaited a train traveling from Phitsanulok province and bound for Bangkok early Monday.
It was the first train to be free of charge for passengers.
Many stranded passengers were seen waiting for buses at the bus station in the northeastern province of Amnat Charoen.
Interprovincial buses that left the province Sunday evening were fully packed, forcing people to travel to Bangkok and other provinces to make journey today instead. (MCOT online news)
