In Malaysia, school leavers are being forced to brave treacherous floodwaters in military trucks and rescue boats to take a key examination, after the education minister refused to postpone the tests, despite devastating floods that have displaced more than 140,000 people nationwide.
Families grappling with the aftermath of the floods have expressed their frustration at Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek’s decision. Vast areas, particularly along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, remain submerged, with the floods claiming six lives – two from electrocution and two elderly men who drowned while tending to their farm animals.
The situation is equally dire in neighbouring Thailand, where at least 12 fatalities have been reported as heavy rains and floods have affected more than 640,000 households across 10 provinces since November 22. As of Sunday, around 13,000 people had been evacuated to 200 temporary shelters, according to the country’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
The floods come as this year’s northeast monsoon season, which runs from November to March, has been exacerbated by the La Niña weather phenomenon, which meteorologists warn could intensify rainfall and cause further flooding.
In Rantau Panjang, a Malaysian town near the Thai border severely affected by flooding, 17-year-old student Nur Ariana Mohd Rozizi broke down while recounting her arduous 5km (3-mile) journey to the evacuation centre. “This is so hard, even with boats. We almost capsized just trying to get here,” she told local reporters.