Three weeks of flooding in southern Thailand have left 52 people dead and thousands stranded without provisions in remote areas inaccessible to rescue teams, officials said Thursday.

Unrelenting rains began early last month and have flooded most of the southern region since mid-November, affecting nine of the country's 14 southern provinces.

Pensri Kheawkumpai, a disaster official in Nakorn Srithammarat, said 12 people have died in the province. Kaj Sentoyep, a disaster official for the deep south of Thailand, said 40 people have died in the seven southernmost provinces.

A local government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he did not want to be seen as criticizing the central government, said tens of thousands of people were stranded without necessary supplies.

"Food and water are running out for thousands of families who live in remote areas that the rescue team have not yet reached," the official said.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has played down the severity of the floods, saying Wednesday that "they were not as bad as the tsunami." He has not toured the region, saying local officials can handle the situation.

Thaksin on Tuesday ordered a last-minute cancellation of the interior minister's planned television program to seek donations for flood victims. He said the government had enough money to assist them. State-owned media MCOT and Radio Thailand have reported only 19 people killed.

Among the latest victims were two 14-year-old girls who were driving on a motorcycle in Songkhla province when they were washed away by strong currents late Wednesday, said Kaj.

"The rains stopped for about 10 hours but it has been pouring again in the region since late Wednesday, and it has worsened the situation," he said.

Local officials estimate one million people are affected and that it will take at least one month for the floods to recede from most parts of Pattani, Songkhla and Phattalung provinces.

The opposition Democrat party has accused Thaksin of being slow to help flood victims because the southern region did not support his political party in the last election.

"The government as played down the situation and ignored the plight of the people in southern Thailand because the people in south did not vote for Thai Rak Thai (Thai Love Thai) party," said Sathit Wongnongtoey an opposition lawmaker.

This year's flooding is regarded as the country's worst in 40 years. Whereas in the past floods would affect one province at a time until the monsoon rains ended, this year the flood has covered almost the entire region.

(Chinadaily.com via agencies December 22, 2005)