Kuala Lampur, Nov. 26 -- Hat Yai, one of southern Thailand's most important commercial and transportation centres, has been forced to declare itself a disaster zone after experiencing what meteorologists describe as the most severe deluge in three centuries. As The Straits Times reports, more than 200,000 residents across Songkhla province have been affected by rapidly rising waters, submerged highways and widespread electricity failures.

What shocked observers was not only the intensity of the rainfall but the speed with which entire neighbourhoods were inundated. Even long-time residents accustomed to seasonal floods admitted that this time, the monsoon behaved with a level of ferocity never witnessed before.

This catastrophe is not T...