The Office of Insurance Commission (OIC) has set five damage levels for flood-affected combustion-engine vehicles, based on how high the water reaches, as Thai insurers prepare for a surge in claims once floodwaters recede.

Thai Airways International (THAI) will return to its normal flight operation mode on Saturday after severe floods in greater Bangkok have maimed the airline as it cancelled some services that stranded passengers and baggage.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul rejected calls to remove Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt from his post as the government urged agencies to focus on draining floodwaters and restoring affected areas rather than political criticism.

There will be no heavy rain in the Central Plains, including Bangkok and surrounding provinces, over the next 10 days, but communities in the Chao Phraya basin should prepare for a water runoff influx from northern Thailand, says natural disaster specialist Seree Supratid.

Christa Pike, convicted of murdering a schoolmate three decades ago, survived an attempt to execute her by means of lethal injection late on Wednesday, foiling the first attempt to put a woman to death in Tennessee for two centuries.

A Lao content creator and activist based in Thailand has not been seen for two weeks and concerns are growing that he may have been abducted or taken back to Laos, a Thailand-based human rights organisation says.