Thousands leave flood-surrounded Thai capital

Tens of thousands of Bangkok residents jammed bus stations and highways Wednesday to flee Thailands flood-threatened capital as the citys governor ordered official evacuations in two swamped northern districts for the first time since the crisis began.Floodwaters bearing down on the metropolis have killed 373 people nationwide since July, causing billions of dollars in damage and shutting down Bangkoks second largest airport.Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatras government had repeatedly vowed to protect the capital, which has so far mostly escaped unscathed. But official assessments have turned grim in recent days, and everywhere people are preparing for flooding that seems all but inevitable.Gov. Sukhumbhand Paribatra said residents of two of the citys 50 districts Don Muang and Bang Phlat, both already partially submerged should leave for safer city shelters.This is the first time I am using the term evacuation, the first time Im really asking you to leave, Sukhumbhand said.Elsewhere in the city, thousands of people packed Bangkoks Mo Chit bus terminal, trying to leave town on their own.Many appeared to be taking advantage of a government-declared five-day public holiday to avoid a possible watery siege.The holiday runs Thursday through Monday in flood-affected areas, including Bangkok.Some waited for hours on the sidewalk outside Mo Chit because there was no space inside the terminal, the main departure point for buses to Thailands north.The mass exodus included thousands of migrants from neighboring Myanmar, workers dependent on low-paying jobs so desperate to leave they are willing to brave a return to their intensely repressive nation to do so.Authorities were also forced to move hundreds of inmates from three prisons many on death row to facilities in other provinces.