Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem is the third of the original moats around Rattanakosin but there are no boat services here.

BBC: Exploring Bangkok��s canals

"It seems quite unlikely they would come back at this stage, " says Kasem Prunratanamala, an analyst for the James Capel brokerage firm in Bangkok.

CNN: Laying the blame for the Bank of Commerce troubles

Such considerations may have prompted Thailand's new foreign minister, Mr. Kasem Kasemsri, to suggest that the grouping set up a kind of regional parliament.

CNN: HEN THE FOREIGN MINISTERS

"Technology is advancing very quickly and we can't keep up, " said Phra Kasem Sanyato, secretary of the Buddhism Protection Center of Thailand, a watchdog for religious affairs.

WSJ: In Thailand Today, Teen Monks Express the Spirit to a Rock Beat

Kasem blames slow action by regulators for the bank's problems.

CNN: Laying the blame for the Bank of Commerce troubles

"They had nothing to lose, " says Kasem.

CNN: Laying the blame for the Bank of Commerce troubles

Three of the most central and historically significant places to explore the canals are Khlong Saen Saeb, a canal in the centre of the city, Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem, one of the original canals around the Grand Palace, and Thonburi, a neighbourhood on the west side of the Chao Praya.

BBC: Exploring Bangkok��s canals