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The BBC's Rachel Harvey looks at how aid is being distributed in flooded communities near Bangkok Continue reading the main story Related Stories * In pictures: Waters threaten Bangkok * Flood relief centre prepares * Floods: 'We may be evacuated' Thailand's prime minister has expressed optimism that central Bangkok will be mostly spared from the city's flooding, as defences held despite high tides. Yingluck Shinawatra told residents in the capital that the country would "recover soon". Floods have inundated over than a third of the country's provinces since July, killing more than 370 people. Correspondents say Ms Yingluck, who came to power in June, has appeared at times overwhelmed by the crisis. Whole towns have been submerged, with some two million people affected across the country since the flooding began, following heavy monsoon rains. Factory closures Officials have been trying to protect the commercial centre of Bangkok after flooding spread to northern districts of the city earlier this month. City residents were urged to evacuate after the authorities warned them that Bangkok's Chao Phraya River could burst its banks over the weekend due to high tides, which are expected to last until Monday. Prime Minister Yingluck said she hoped the sandbags protecting the city would hold up. "It depends on the level of the sea and sometimes it's about the stability of the way we put the sandbags," Ms Yingluck told reporters. "Hopefully, the sandbags are quite strong enough. So if the sandbags don't fall over, it should be OK." On Friday, the Bank of Thailand slashed its growth forecast for the current financial year to 2.6%, down from an initial projection of 4.1% growth. Bangkok contributes almost 41% to the country's GDP, and analysts have warned that any substantial damage to the capital could hit Thailand's growth further. A number of factories in Thailand - one of the world's leading manufacturing bases - have shut down production, and it is not known when they will become operational again. Map More on This Story Related Stories * In pictures: Waters threaten Bangkok 28 OCTOBER 2011, ASIA-PACIFIC * Flood relief centre prepares 27 OCTOBER 2011, SOUTH ASIA * Floods: 'We may be evacuated' 25 OCTOBER 2011, ASIA-PACIFIC * Flood complacency evaporates in Bangkok 24 OCTOBER 2011, ASIA-PACIFIC Share this page * Delicious * Digg * Facebook * reddit * StumbleUpon * Twitter * Email * Print More Asia-Pacific stories RSS * In this handout photograph released by Pikiran Rakyat, an unidentified survivor carrying a child is escorted at a marine police station on the coast of Pangandaran town in Indonesia's West Java province on November 1 Australia shock at asylum tragedy Australians are shocked after a boat filled with asylum seekers capsizes on its way from Indonesia, and at least eight people die. * Xenon detected at Fukushima plant * China schools closed after blast Top Stories * Soldiers in Free Syrian Army in Damascus (27 Jan 2012) UN action 'could spur Syria war' * Euro unemployment hits new record * Search of cruise ship abandoned * Republican rivals in Florida vote * French win India fighter jet deal Features & Analysis * Model cars and houses Golden salary What do people earning £1m ($1.5m) spend it on? ______________________________________________________________ * Planet Earth Planet mass Do rockets fired into space make the Earth lighter? ______________________________________________________________ * Occupy DC protesters shout slogans Day in pictures 24 hours of news photos from around the world ______________________________________________________________ * A foreclosure (repossession) sign in front of a house Money talks Has wealth become a liability in the US Republican race? ______________________________________________________________ Most Popular Shared 1. 1: Brits barred from US after tweet 2. 2: Skin transformed into brain cells 3. 3: Policeman who became a pole-dancer 4. 4: How 'Europe' became a dirty word in US election 5. 5: Pythons link to mammals decline Read 1. 1: Brits barred from US after tweet 2. 2: F1 driver Adrian Sutil convicted 3. 3: French win India fighter jet deal 4. 4: Navy sends destroyer to Falklands 5. 5: What do people on £1 million salaries do with their money? 6. 6: Search of cruise ship abandoned 7. 7: Pythons link to mammals decline 8. 8: Snake bursts after gobbling gator 9. 9: Is the Earth getting lighter? 10. 10: Euro unemployment hits new record Video/Audio 1. 1: Europe struggles in grip of snow Watch 2. 2: 'Shame on you Simon Cowell' Watch 3. 3: One-minute World News Watch 4. 4: Beijing's pole-dancing former policeman Watch 5. 5: One way to find a rich Russian husband Watch 6. 6: How computers help Sweden's ice sculptors Watch 7. 7: Mystery illness at US high school Watch 8. 8: Fear factor: The science behind America's red/blue divide Watch 9. 9: How to play 'kung fu' piano Watch 10. 10: Life after death faces legal battle Watch Elsewhere on BBC News * India's Tirupati Temple. 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