The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) announced the sea level would be watched until November 21, following the highest rise on Monday to 2.17 meters above mean sea level.

Bangkok City Clerk Pongsak Semsan ordered over 30 at risk areas affected by the high sea level to be on alert for a further rise, by putting sand embankments and building wooden bridges.

The order was passed on to related agencies and officials were assigned to facilitate residents wanting to move their belongings and possessions. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department warned Monday the impact of tropical storm "Noul" was about to make landfall in Vietnam and would impact Thailand through most of the week.

As U.S. travelers rethink plans to seek medical care in Thailand, Bumrungrad Hospital has empty beds. Like many medical centers in Asia, Bangkok's Bumrungrad Hospital had big expectations for a global trend known as medical tourism. Administrators were especially eager to attract more patients from the U.S. keen on saving money by having hip replacements, cosmetic surgery, and other operations overseas.

For years, some of Asia's premier hospitals have been popular destinations for U.S. patients who either lack health insurance or can't get coverage for certain procedures. And recently there have been signs that insurance companies might start actively encouraging this trend to save on costs.

But Bumrungrad has been hit by a double whammy this year. First came the political unrest in Thailand, with anti-government protesters taking to the streets of Bangkok and constant rumors of a military coup. The prospect of instability seems to have discouraged would-be patients from making the trip.

The global financial crisis caught up with Bangkok's property market last month when demand stagnated and large companies started to scale down their expansion plans, Jones Lang LaSalle, a professional real estate service company, said Tuesday. "Impact of the global economic meltdown has become more evident since the global financial crisis erupted in October," said Yupa Sathienpabayut, Head of Markets at Jones Lang LaSalle.

"Occupiers that were actively looking for office expansion opportunities over the first three quarters of the year are now rationalizing their growth and occupancy plans," she added. While new demand from business expansion has contracted, demand for office space from new business setups has completely dried up.

Thailand's agriculture ministry said Monday that it had confirmed an outbreak of bird flu on a backyard farm in the north, six months after the kingdom was declared free of the deadly virus.

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza was found in a dead chicken in Sukhothai province, prompting the slaughter of 270 other birds nearby.

"There are no reports of any people sick from bird flu," Agriculture Minister Somsak Prisanananthakul told a press conference. "We are now investigating whether the new outbreak was caused by ourselves or an outbreak from a neighboring country," he added.

Bangkok Airways, a leading regional airline in Asia, announced a successful start to their initial Facebook marketing campaign. The recently launched Facebook group has registered more than 1,000 members within the first month of operation and continues to attract more people.

Bangkok Airways in cooperation with Admax Plus recently launched a Facebook group called Asia's Boutique Airlines - Bangkok Airways as a part of the company's marketing campaign to build brand image and customer satisfaction. By creating an interactive community in Facebook, the company is able to communicate directly with customers about news and promotions while members can share their experiences, complaints, praises or suggestions with other travelers.

After its launch, the Bangkok Airways Facebook group has attracted more than 1,000 members in the first few months and the number is expected to grow steadily as members send more invites to their friends.

Leaders from Southeast Asia's five Mekong river countries are gathering in Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, for talks that aim to boost economic ties and trade across the developing region.

The prime ministers of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Burma are to be joined by Thailand's prime minister, Somchai Wongsawat, on Friday for a wider summit.

Thailand plans to propose the issue of capability in food production and agriculture and to grant 100 scholarships to country members for further studies in the kingdom.

Heavy rain washed out day two of the five-million-dollar HSBC Champions here on Friday, forcing organisers to consider the possibility of extending the tournament into a fifth day.

Sweden's Henrik Stenson is the leader after the first round on seven under, one stroke ahead of an elite four-man pack of American duo Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim, Spain's Sergio Garcia and Australian Adam Scott.

Round two was due to tee off on Friday morning at the Sheshan International Golf Course but overnight rain persisted throughout the day, forcing organizers to declare a complete washout.

Officials said they still hoped all 72 holes of the tournament would be played, and scheduled the start of round two to begin early on Saturday.

Southeast Asian countries, including the Thailand, of good days ahead, with Barack Obama as President in the White House.

"Senator Barack Obama spent several childhood years in Southeast Asia. That is gonna be good news. I think when you grow up already loving Southeast Asia, with the region close to you heart, for us here, that is gonna be good news for Southeast Asia.

Obama, whose father hails from Kenya, lived in Indonesia for four years and went to a grade school in Jakarta. The US president-elect was born in Hawaii. Based on Barack Obama's historic speech after being elected by Americans to the White House on Tuesday, the president-elect has indicated his "global outlook" and promised to "reach out" to America's friends around the world. The United States designated Thailand as one of the most important non-NATO ally in the Southeast Asia.

The match is part of Thailand’s preparation for the AFF Suzuki Cup 2008 - the boys from Bangkok are co-hosts of the tournament.

The Thais are in Group B which will be based in Bangkok and where they will be up against Malaysia, Vietnam and Laos.

Group B will take place in Jakarta with hosts Indonesia, Singapore, Myanmar and Cambodia.

The benchmark Thai rice price fell to $550 per tonne on Wednesday, barely half the record high seen in April, as supply increased at the start of the harvesting season in Thailand, the world’s biggest rice exporter.

Bangkok exporters said the median price for 100 percent B grade white rice had fallen around five percent from last week’s $580. In April it hit $1,080 per tonne. “There is no demand as key buyers have stopped buying,” one exporter said. Prices were expected to fall further over the next few weeks because of an increase in supply and thin demand, traders said.