Asean rickshaw drivers assured of safety in Thailand

 The rickshaw journey will cross the Straits of Malacca into Malaysia’s Penang Island. They will continue to head north, and are expected to complete the first ever ASEAN Rickshaw Run in the Thai capital of Bangkok. News of the floodings in Thailand had caused some concern among  the organisers, although the intrepid racers seemed totally unfazed.
 “The flooding is not as widespread as the media coverage may indicate. It has mainly affected some of the provinces in the Central Region,” Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Suraphon Svetasreni said in a statement. “In Bangkok, the central areas which tourists prefer to go are not flooded and fully accessible.”
 Thai tourism officials had also assured the rally participants that southern Thailand had remained unaffected, and the access roads to Bangkok are still safe and clear.
 Parts of Indochina had been hit by torrential rains or typhoons, which triggered one of the worst floods in decades. The worst hit is Thailand,  where more than 200 people have died, and another 2.6 million people had their lives disrupted. The inaugural ASEAN Rickshaw Run is one of the many events, which the regional group is introducing, to better connect with the people. 
 According to Asean Secretariat's statement, the journey is to raise donation for “Breakthrough Breast Cancer” – which is dedicated to improving and saving lives through encouraging early detection, ensuring precise diagnosis, discovering new and better treatments, and improving medical services; and BirdLife International is the world’s largest conservation and authority on birds and their habitats.