Closing Suvanabhumi Airport b/c of PAD

[LakeGeneve]

Eva,who i was supposed to be flying with today, have not got any flights available now untill the 11th of December with an increase in price of 150 pounds...

I have found a flight with Thai, for the 7th...do i take the chance and book this flight? I know it's hard to predict but I feel that because Thai are the national carrier, they will be getting flights in-and-out first...

ADVICE PLEASE....

If you want honest advice then I would say you are taking a big risk to be going to Thailand right now. The situation is very very dangerous. At any moment it could all turn very very ugly and I am talking third world -nasty and dangerous. It is not at all so unlikely now. It is actually the way things are heading and so you would be flying into a virtual war zone or civil war within weeks or months.

All those things you love about Thailand will no longer be the case [to the same degree anyway] and the reasons for you going there may not be valid anymore before too long.

Just wait until after xmass and consider going in mid or late Jan.

Just very risky now I think?

Jesus christ can you pls take a reality check, I'm not sure if you have much of a context here but your statement are very alarmist, unrealistic and premature. Are you actually in thailand? Have you visited more than once? What are your reference points for your analysis in this matter?

Firstly, may I humbly suggest to have a look at history here and you might realise that there have been specific periods of time whens things were much worse.

Secondly, yes tensions are building up but thai politics being what they are there is many behind the scenes manoeuvres taking place which are finding a resolution to this current cycle. It is foreseeable that this current impasse could all be resolved by next Friday.

To put the ongoing and underlying power struggle in baseball terms, we are perhaps at the top of the 3rd innings. Give it a many more years before we get to the 9th and then things may possibly approach some of the alarmist crap you have written.

Thirdly, you should know that the 5th is an important date so to suggest to anyway that to arriving 2 days later will be entering a "very, very dangerous" context is really ignoring the importance of the period.

Fourthly, some "ugly things" have been going on for months in specific locations such as govt house, years in the south, but I wonder how much you have actually been exposed to. Unless one is looking for trouble or one is stupid then everyone visiting thailand has seemingly not noticed too much in their tourist bubble. I would say that there is more risk of being subjected to seeing a bunch of young drunk thai guys engaged in fights with each other than anything your suggesting.

5thly, I am not sure how many nasty and dangerous third world countries you have been to, or "virtual war zone or civil war" locations you have ever been to but really I sense not that many. If you truely believe your absurd statement, "...flying into a virtual war zone or civil war within weeks or months", then you would be getting out now and urging all those around to do likewise.

And your suggesting that he delays until mid Jan so does that mean your 'nasty dangerous civil war' will only be in effect for 3-5 weeks??? Doesn't seem logical to suggest such dire and then that somehow a few weeks later it will all be ok.

Whatever dysfunctional mess is currently taking our attention, we should at least not allow our own fears to project alarmist and unrealistic visions. People outside the country are trying to get an accurate picture of what is going on and blatent scare mongering and alarmism does not help.

Shoppers in Siam are blissfully spending their cash at the sales, The Motor Show is packing them in and most clubs seem to be doing ok last night. My local Pad Thai stall seems to be as busy as ever.

My honest advice, once the airports reopen and the backlog clears after a week or so, it will be a good time to come purely in terms of getting a good deal and avoiding the usual Dec/Jan crowds.

[Dr_Sassy]

ª×èáÒäéÒ. Xanax®. ÃٻẺ. ÊÙµÃâ¤Ã§ÊÃéÒ§. Tablet 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg 1 mg. ¢éÃºè§ ãªé. ãªé㹡ÒäÅÒ¡ѧÇÅ, à»ç¹ÂÒàÊÃÔÃ㹡ÒÃÃÑ¡ÉÒÃÒ¡ÒëÖÃàÈÃéÒ, ...

U must be the beejoirs Doctor. lol

[alvish]

Secondly, yes tensions are building up but thai politics being what they are there is many behind the scenes manoeuvres taking place which are finding a resolution to this current cycle. It is foreseeable that this current impasse could all be resolved by next Friday.

My suspicion would be that the behind the scenes manoeuvres to find a resolution has little involvement from the higher levels of Govt i.e. Somchai.. (going by the lack of involvement of police, army and moves taken by the Constitutional Court and the Chamber of Commerce). If these suspicions are correct the PAD can return home on Tuesday and it will be the red shirts turn to kick up a stink...

Fourthly, some "ugly things" have been going on for months in specific locations such as govt house, years in the south, but I wonder how much you have actually been exposed to. Unless one is looking for trouble or one is stupid then everyone visiting thailand has seemingly not noticed too much in their tourist bubble. I would say that there is more risk of being subjected to seeing a bunch of young drunk thai guys engaged in fights with each other than anything your suggesting.

Has anyone here felt in danger while going about their normal lives in BKK since this began?? If I took a walk along the Sukhumvit road or got the BTS to MBK would I be in danger?? I am guessing not but cannot say so cause I am watching it all from the UK.. If the airport was still in operation I would have no problem flying in and walking straight past the PAD (tho it maybe hard to find a taxi) :x

[frankenburner2]

Eva,who i was supposed to be flying with today, have not got any flights available now untill the 11th of December with an increase in price of 150 pounds...

I have found a flight with Thai, for the 7th...do i take the chance and book this flight? I know it's hard to predict but I feel that because Thai are the national carrier, they will be getting flights in-and-out first...

ADVICE PLEASE....

If you want honest advice then I would say you are taking a big risk to be going to Thailand right now. The situation is very very dangerous. At any moment it could all turn very very ugly and I am talking third world -nasty and dangerous. It is not at all so unlikely now. It is actually the way things are heading and so you would be flying into a virtual war zone or civil war within weeks or months.

All those things you love about Thailand will no longer be the case [to the same degree anyway] and the reasons for you going there may not be valid anymore before too long.

Just wait until after xmass and consider going in mid or late Jan.

Just very risky now I think?

Jesus christ can you pls take a reality check, I'm not sure if you have much of a context here but your statement are very alarmist, unrealistic and premature. Are you actually in thailand? Have you visited more than once? What are your reference points for your analysis in this matter?

Firstly, may I humbly suggest to have a look at history here and you might realise that there have been specific periods of time whens things were much worse.

Secondly, yes tensions are building up but thai politics being what they are there is many behind the scenes manoeuvres taking place which are finding a resolution to this current cycle. It is foreseeable that this current impasse could all be resolved by next Friday.

To put the ongoing and underlying power struggle in baseball terms, we are perhaps at the top of the 3rd innings. Give it a many more years before we get to the 9th and then things may possibly approach some of the alarmist crap you have written.

Thirdly, you should know that the 5th is an important date so to suggest to anyway that to arriving 2 days later will be entering a "very, very dangerous" context is really ignoring the importance of the period.

Fourthly, some "ugly things" have been going on for months in specific locations such as govt house, years in the south, but I wonder how much you have actually been exposed to. Unless one is looking for trouble or one is stupid then everyone visiting thailand has seemingly not noticed too much in their tourist bubble. I would say that there is more risk of being subjected to seeing a bunch of young drunk thai guys engaged in fights with each other than anything your suggesting.

5thly, I am not sure how many nasty and dangerous third world countries you have been to, or "virtual war zone or civil war" locations you have ever been to but really I sense not that many. If you truely believe your absurd statement, "...flying into a virtual war zone or civil war within weeks or months", then you would be getting out now and urging all those around to do likewise.

And your suggesting that he delays until mid Jan so does that mean your 'nasty dangerous civil war' will only be in effect for 3-5 weeks??? Doesn't seem logical to suggest such dire and then that somehow a few weeks later it will all be ok.

Whatever dysfunctional mess is currently taking our attention, we should at least not allow our own fears to project alarmist and unrealistic visions. People outside the country are trying to get an accurate picture of what is going on and blatent scare mongering and alarmism does not help.

Shoppers in Siam are blissfully spending their cash at the sales, The Motor Show is packing them in and most clubs seem to be doing ok last night. My local Pad Thai stall seems to be as busy as ever.

My honest advice, once the airports reopen and the backlog clears after a week or so, it will be a good time to come purely in terms of getting a good deal and avoiding the usual Dec/Jan crowds.

ummm.....actually...it would be a very good time to be alarmed. Come Tuesday, there will be 10's of thousands of opposing "THAIS" (read: mindless sheep) in and around Bangkok, face to face, with nothing more than the rhetoric and propaganda of their leaders to spur them on.

Yeah...nothing to be alarmed about. I'm sure come December 5th all will be forgiven all those yellow and red shirts will be exchanged for green

[grezzzy_greer]

I have to agree with the position taken by several people here that posting alarmist and misleading information can only make things worse by reinforcing information that is incorrect at best and downright dangerous at worst.

I have lived in Thailand for 16 years, we have had our ups and downs - but it gets resolved. The situation at present is not good, and I would not try to pretend that all is rosy, but by the same token, the pockets of unrest and the protests are limited to specific places - please stop trying to make it sound as if Thailand is on the verge of war - that is plain wrong.

My fiance tells me too that things are fine in all the areas that she travels through and wherever she goes - we live in Sukhumvit and she travels daily up to Lad Prao.

All is fine in the areas where most expats live and out in the suburbs.

Yes, you can safely catch the BTS or MRT to anywhere just the same as you have been able to since they started operations.

I ask that everyone think very clearly and carefully before posting outright rubbish here, and before advising others about the supposed "dangers" of coming here, especially if you do not have current intimate knowledge of the country and the situation - and I dont mean by watching the international news media which is so full of **** that I am ashamed to work in the industry!

Greer

[Undercover]

Not to mention the fact that the foreigners stuck at the airport are in effect being used as a political bargaining chip and in a worst case scenario, as human shields.

and this is just plain f**king scare mongering .... my understanding is that there r NO foreigners at the airport and haven't been for some time !!!

That is the biggest crock of sh*t. No foreigners have been prevented from leaving the airport.

I'll second both Ciaran and Loburt. Can people pls get a grip and not engage in reckless fiction.

BTW, it should be noted that Loburt is probably the only one to have actually been to the airport after the PAD shut it down.

"We will not leave. We will use human shields against the police if they try to disperse us," PAD leader Suriyasai Katasila said.

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24719256-5006003,00.html?from=public_rss

[alvish]

I don't think there is much chance of PAD and UDD meeting and if there looks to be a chance that this can happen the army and police will be standing between... This is something they cannot (and won't) let happen. Come Tuesday there maybe no reason for the PAD to stick about.. Anyway the pressure continues for the Govt to step down...

"Air Force Commander-in-Chief ACM Itthaporn Supawong Sunday repeated the military's call for Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to dissolve the House.

He said the call was agreed upon during a meeting of the situation monitoring committee and agreed by heads of government agencies, academics and representatives of the private sector.

The Air Force chief said the government had nothing to fear because it could win the next election again."

The Nation

[DJTX]

Anyway the pressure continues for the Govt to step down...

"Air Force Commander-in-Chief ACM Itthaporn Supawong Sunday repeated the military's call for Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to dissolve the House.

He said the call was agreed upon during a meeting of the situation monitoring committee and agreed by heads of government agencies, academics and representatives of the private sector.

The Air Force chief said the government had nothing to fear because it could win the next election again."

The Nation

We have PAD leadership saying the courts will rule against the government (PPP)and the government will be dissolved this week (but yet PAD continues to hold the airport). We have the military telling the government to dissolve itself, but not to worry because they will probably win in the next election.

So where does that leave things. One scenario: The government is dissolved. PAD leaves the airport. There is an election. Thaksin's side wins again.

What does PAD do then?

[allseasonsman]

Eva,who i was supposed to be flying with today, have not got any flights available now untill the 11th of December with an increase in price of 150 pounds...

I have found a flight with Thai, for the 7th...do i take the chance and book this flight? I know it's hard to predict but I feel that because Thai are the national carrier, they will be getting flights in-and-out first...

ADVICE PLEASE....

If you want honest advice then I would say you are taking a big risk to be going to Thailand right now. The situation is very very dangerous. At any moment it could all turn very very ugly and I am talking third world -nasty and dangerous. It is not at all so unlikely now. It is actually the way things are heading and so you would be flying into a virtual war zone or civil war within weeks or months.

All those things you love about Thailand will no longer be the case [to the same degree anyway] and the reasons for you going there may not be valid anymore before too long.

Just wait until after xmass and consider going in mid or late Jan.

Just very risky now I think?

honest advice to be sure.

though not quite accurate.

its not civil war yet, dude.

Actually it is a very accurate. No it is not civil war YET! But it might as well be.

For all those who waste time attacking the poster and not the post-get back to the topic and stick to the facts of the situation and give your view or perspective of those views.

The key word here in all this is POTENTIAL and THIS IS WHERE THINGS ARE HEADING TOWARDS.

F or all those living in Thailand for sooooooo long when was the last time in 5-10-15-20 years or more you have seen two airports hijacked and made off limits to the Thai people [unless they are part of the lunatic PAD cult] and Thai authorities while on the other hand the majority of the Thai people are against the PAD and many of these have promised to take their own action if the PAD dont leave the airport.

There is nothing alarmist about stating the bloody obvious. The country is currently ungovernable and anarchy now prevails. hundreds of police make hasty retreats and have their check points dismantled and huge wooden stakes are put up to fend of the people PAD dont want to let in to the airport.

As a matte of fact Thailand is indeed in a very very dangerous situation and given all the [considerable] evidence there is clearly the potentially and even likely hood of massive social and civil conflict which may indeed lead to some sort of real civil war, or at least things do indeed look very much like they will get nasty and deadly very suddenly at a moment that will turn very fast.

WE ALL HOPE THIS IS WRONG.- BUT AS MATTER OF COLD CALCULATION ONE WOULD BE TAKING A CHANCE IF ONE WAS TO NOW FLY INTO THE STORM BREWING.

Of course all might be fine but that is not the point. Someone asked for advice about going or not going and I gave my view which is based on huge amounts of evidence and indicators which all seem to point towards Thailand having even great problems and issues over the coming weeks or months.

Personally the only solution that will be lasting will be if the PAD are not only defeated [in every sense] but humiliated and their movement exposed and discredited for the danger it is. Then IT WILL BE THE TURN OF THE GOVERNMENT TO reach out to the people who have real grievances and do their best to create some space to try build some trust and some common ground for the best of interest of the nation as a whole.

For now law and order needs to be asserted and the government be seen to be back in control. will this happen who knows how things will pan out. It just does not look good and looks very sad and bleak for Thailand

[alvish]

Anyway the pressure continues for the Govt to step down...

"Air Force Commander-in-Chief ACM Itthaporn Supawong Sunday repeated the military's call for Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to dissolve the House.

He said the call was agreed upon during a meeting of the situation monitoring committee and agreed by heads of government agencies, academics and representatives of the private sector.

The Air Force chief said the government had nothing to fear because it could win the next election again."

The Nation

We have PAD leadership saying the courts will rule against the government (PPP)and the government will be dissolved this week (but yet PAD continues to hold the airport). We have the military telling the government to dissolve itself, but not to worry because they will probably win in the next election.

So where does that leave things. One scenario: The government is dissolved. PAD leaves the airport. There is an election. Thaksin's side wins again.

What does PAD do then?

If General Chaisit Shinawatra is the next Prime Minister (as tipped below) the cycle begins again. Think a power sharing Govt should be looked at but can't be done on a snap election and can't see either side agreeing to it..

From the Nation:

"PPP deputy leader and party-list MP Karn Thienkaew said it was very likely the PPP would be dissolved as the Court was not allowing its 36 executives to make any clarifications. In this case the executives' voting rights must be revoked. Other MPs must move to another party within 30 days, and most of them are moving to the Phue Thai Party.

The next prime minister must come from that party as it will have the most MPs in Parliament, Karn said.

He said he would resign his parliamentary seat to open the way for the next in line on the list to become MP.

A PPP source who asked not to be named said someone very close to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra would be invited to lead Phue Thai to draw votes from Thaksin's supporters. Among those tipped is General Chaisit Shinawatra, former supreme commander and a cousin of Thaksin."

[allseasonsman]

I have to agree with the position taken by several people here that posting alarmist and misleading information can only make things worse by reinforcing information that is incorrect at best and downright dangerous at worst.

I have lived in Thailand for 16 years, we have had our ups and downs - but it gets resolved. The situation at present is not good, and I would not try to pretend that all is rosy, but by the same token, the pockets of unrest and the protests are limited to specific places - please stop trying to make it sound as if Thailand is on the verge of war - that is plain wrong.

My fiance tells me too that things are fine in all the areas that she travels through and wherever she goes - we live in Sukhumvit and she travels daily up to Lad Prao.

All is fine in the areas where most expats live and out in the suburbs.

Yes, you can safely catch the BTS or MRT to anywhere just the same as you have been able to since they started operations.

I ask that everyone think very clearly and carefully before posting outright rubbish here, and before advising others about the supposed "dangers" of coming here, especially if you do not have current intimate knowledge of the country and the situation - and I dont mean by watching the international news media which is so full of sh*t that I am ashamed to work in the industry!

Greer

And I have to disagree and say you are delusional!

Nobody has said everyday life on the BTS or MRT or for that matter anyplace downtown is dangerous YET. Rather it has been pointed out that the situation overall is indeed dangerous and volatile.

Common sense would suggest it was NOT a good idea at all to be flying into Thailand right now [for one thing you dont know when you wil be able to fly back out! Which is kinda a bare minimum that one would expect of any civilized or safe place.

So as for where people getting the information from? Stupid point you make! I will give one crude example!

When the second plane flew into the second tower on 9/11 who do you suppose knew better what was happening?

The people in the tower! or little old me sitting here in Dublin thousands of miles away having a cup of tea! watching it live on TV!

As it happens had it not occurred to people that those not actually there may also be getting live reports from people who are! Funny that I have had several accounts of what is going on from people living in Bangkok and oddly enough they too seemed to be very angry and concerned about the situation- Strange that iniiit!

I see no alarmist posts only very concerned ones! Oh and I see plenty of reasons to be very concerned. It may well work out alright and lets hope it does, but lets not kid ourselves either.

expect and prepare for the worst and hope for the best

[Undercover]

I have to agree. I've talked to Thai friends all over Bangkok (outside the Sukhumvit corridor) and they all say the same thing and are talking about armed "PAD" thugs patrolling neighborhoods and scaring people.

The latest news is that Changwattana Road has been roadblocked by "PAD."

Hmmmm.... so let's see, seized control of both airports, road-blocking a perimeter, sounds almost like a military operation locking down the capital , doesn't it? Pretty good for a bunch of old ladies with hand-clappers.

Deja vu of 1976 and the RG and NS..... once again, the obvious question, Qui Bono?

Here's more on the "human shield" issue:

http://bangkokpundit.blogspot.com/2008/11/pad-and-human-shields.html?showComment=1228063980000

And I have to disagree and say you are delusional!

Nobody has said everyday life on the BTS or MRT or for that matter anyplace downtown is dangerous YET. Rather it has been pointed out that the situation overall is indeed dangerous and volatile.

Common sense would suggest it was NOT a good idea at all to be flying into Thailand right now [for one thing you dont know when you wil be able to fly back out! Which is kinda a bare minimum that one would expect of any civilized or safe place.

So as for where people getting the information from? Stupid point you make! I will give one crude example!

When the second plane flew into the second tower on 9/11 who do you suppose knew better what was happening?

The people in the tower! or little old me sitting here in Dublin thousands of miles away having a cup of tea! watching it live on TV!

As it happens had it not occurred to people that those not actually there may also be getting live reports from people who are! Funny that I have had several accounts of what is going on from people living in Bangkok and oddly enough they too seemed to be very angry and concerned about the situation- Strange that iniiit!

I see no alarmist posts only very concerned ones! Oh and I see plenty of reasons to be very concerned. It may well work out alright and lets hope it does, but lets not kid ourselves either.

expect and prepare for the worst and hope for the best

[DJTX]

Stranded aircrafts allowed to leave - The Nation

Move follows negotiations between AOT and the PAD; industry officials say loss is now 'incalculable'

Airports of Thailand (AOT), the operator of Suvarnabhumi Airport, yesterday gave the green light to Thai Airways International and other airlines to remove a total of 88 aircraft grounded since last Tuesday.

The green light followed lengthy negotiations with leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), who laid siege to Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, while law enforcement officials have been unable to disperse the anti-government protesters. PAD is now under heavy pressure to alleviate the situation because 160,000 Thais and foreigners have been stranded here and abroad due to its unlawful act.

In the first positive development since the start of the airport siege on November 25, Serirat said last night that several aircraft of THAI and other airlines had already left Suvarnabhumi so that they could fly these aircraft to U-Tapao, Chiang Mai, Phuket or other regional international airports to help stranded passengers.

The airport will remain closed until 6pm today due to the presence of protesters, making it unsafe to reopen the airport.

Meanwhile, Pramong Suthiwong, chairman of Thailand's Board of Trade, yesterday urged the government to re-open Suvarnabhumi Airport as soon as possible because the damage from its closure is now "incalculable".

Dr Olarn Chaipravat, the deputy premier in charge of economic affairs, will today hold an urgent meeting with Pramon and other private sector executives to discuss the situation.

Leaders of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Federation of Thai Industries, Thai Bankers Association, and Tourism Council of Thailand will also join the meeting.

The private sector said an extended closure of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports would also severely damage the country's international reputation, while the recovery process will take more than one year.

Pornsilp Patcharinkul, a senior executive of the Board of Trade, said fresh food, orchids, electronics, jewellery and other exporters are badly hit by the airport closures with damage estimated to be around Bt3 billion per day.

Fresh fruit and vegetable exporters could not do their business because they needed to use cold storage facilities at Suvarnabhumi Airport, he said.

The private sector is not sure how long it would take to reopen the airports as a reopening will likely require certification from the international aviation body for safety reasons.

Somkiat Anuraj, vice chairman of the Board of Trade, said it may take more than one year to fix the country's international image if the forced closure of airports lasted more than a week.

"Thai exporters will lose lots of business opportunities as buyers will turn to other countries. Unfortunately, this is happening during the peak export period as lots of orders are received in November and December," he said.

Santi Vilassakdanont, chairman of Federation of Thai Industries, said the government may have to use part of the additional Bt100-billion fiscal budget to revive tourism, aviation and export sectors hit by airport closures.

For example, there could be special travel packages for domestic tourists to help operators in tourism, hotel, restaurant and related sectors cope with the business downturn as the number of foreign visitors is likely to drop sharply.

At this stage, foreign arrivals could have plunged to just 7-8 million next year down from the 13-14 million arrivals, resulting in a major loss of jobs in tourism and related sectors.

Tourism and other services currently account for 40 per cent of Thailand's GDP. Kosit Panpiemras, executive chairman of Bangkok Bank, said yesterday that if the airport closure is longer than 1-2 weeks, businesses will be hit hard.

Pairoj Vongvipanond of Dhurakij Pundit University, said Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat would likely step down or dissolve Parliament to end the crisis, while Pasuk Phongpaichit of Chulalongkorn University said there should not be another coup.

Meanwhile, Thailand Development Research Institute has projected that economic growth will be only 1.9 per cent for 2009, compared with an estimated growth of 4 per cent this year.

[zeusbheld]

Eva,who i was supposed to be flying with today, have not got any flights available now untill the 11th of December with an increase in price of 150 pounds...

I have found a flight with Thai, for the 7th...do i take the chance and book this flight? I know it's hard to predict but I feel that because Thai are the national carrier, they will be getting flights in-and-out first...

ADVICE PLEASE....

out of Thailand is better than in, at the moment. clearly the yellow clappers have friends in high places, or they'd already be dead. when next week goes well for them expect the red clappers to have an equally retarded countermove ready. this could get really, really ugly.

wait and see if things have settled by mid january; air prices may return to semi normal or you might get a cheap flight to KL, HK or Singapore and take Dare Asia the rest of the way.

[zeusbheld]

I need to be in Thailand pretty soon...

that might turn out to be a bad idea.

[zeusbheld]

Eva,who i was supposed to be flying with today, have not got any flights available now untill the 11th of December with an increase in price of 150 pounds...

I have found a flight with Thai, for the 7th...do i take the chance and book this flight? I know it's hard to predict but I feel that because Thai are the national carrier, they will be getting flights in-and-out first...

ADVICE PLEASE....

If you want honest advice then I would say you are taking a big risk to be going to Thailand right now. The situation is very very dangerous. At any moment it could all turn very very ugly and I am talking third world -nasty and dangerous. It is not at all so unlikely now. It is actually the way things are heading and so you would be flying into a virtual war zone or civil war within weeks or months.

All those things you love about Thailand will no longer be the case [to the same degree anyway] and the reasons for you going there may not be valid anymore before too long.

Just wait until after xmass and consider going in mid or late Jan.

Just very risky now I think?

honest advice to be sure.

though not quite accurate.

its not civil war yet, dude.

if i'm not mistaken he didn't say it's civil war yet, but that it could be headed that way. i have to agree. we are on the cusp of a very big dice roll.

[Undercover]

if i'm not mistaken he didn't say it's civil war yet, but that it could be headed that way. i have to agree. we are on the cusp of a very big dice roll.

Check out this article from Thai Rath:

http://www.thairath.co.th/offline.php?section=hotnews&content=113454

The Prime Minister has moved to Udon, Thaksin is in Koh Kong and the red shirts are arming up to retake the airport (hence the sudden movement of of billions of dollars of foreign property).

I think it's pretty obvious what's going on here and why and who the real players are. There's a reason this is happening right now. The veil is being pulled away slowly but inevitably and when it is finally apparent, the **** will hit the fan. Final battle, indeed.

[zeusbheld]

I don't know dude. You're not Thai. You always have the choice to leave.

yeah it's pretty easy if i abandon everything i own in bangkok and take a train to either Laos or Malaysia and fly out from there. glad that's sorted.

[Alive]

Having read all the posts over the past few days here, I wonder where we are heading.

I was in Lopburi to visit a friend yesterday, on my way back to Bangkok, I could not miss the tanks and soldiers stationed on intersections leading to Saraburi.

I do not live long enough here to accurately comment on what will happen, but it seems that Greer (hope my spelling is right, otherwise sorry) is the most objective.

All I know is the fact that the company I work for has lost several millions just due to the fact that we can not attend important meetings abroad, please note that I work for a Thai company, only one FARANG here :-)

That means, the daily workers will be out of work as of next week for many projects, as large scale investors have halted their respective projects in Thailand, Power Stations, Hydro power station and Heat recovery projects, all worth 3 years of work for locals, gone down the drain.

Whatever anyone says, this is bad for the people involved, not for myself, but for the people who won't get jobs.

the analysis of this i leave to each of you.

[JImBa]

I notice in my travel insurance policy that they will not cover political unrest. Great, there goes 3,500 dollars. :!:

[biachung]

I notice in my travel insurance policy that they will not cover political unrest. Great, there goes 3,500 dollars. :!:

$3500? , what are you insuring for that amount? :?

[biachung]

Spain is to send planes to repatriate more than 500 Spaniards stranded in Thailand due to the closure of Bangkok's airports.

But stranded British tourists face uncertainty. Their foreign office said it would not charter flights to evacuate those unable to get home.

The Philippines announced on Saturday that it would charter buses to take Filipinos from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, where they would get transportation home.''

[ahpuiahsan]

I don't think there is much chance of PAD and UDD meeting and if there looks to be a chance that this can happen the army and police will be standing between... This is something they cannot (and won't) let happen. Come Tuesday there maybe no reason for the PAD to stick about.. Anyway the pressure continues for the Govt to step down...

"Air Force Commander-in-Chief ACM Itthaporn Supawong Sunday repeated the military's call for Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to dissolve the House.

He said the call was agreed upon during a meeting of the situation monitoring committee and agreed by heads of government agencies, academics and representatives of the private sector.

The Air Force chief said the government had nothing to fear because it could win the next election again."

The Nation

Isnt the statement from Air Force CIC contradicts??? Dissolve and then re-elected again, same cycle will happens again. :roll:

[babyoiy]

And Chamlong Srimueang asked AOT to open Suvarnabhumi Airport to open coz the PAD protest there but only in the area that's not effect airplanes to fly in-out..

:roll:

One of PAD leader saying that PADs are no-armed but the situation right now is hard to control, the protesters could do anything as they are so angry with the Govt. so cant guarantee that everyone will be safe.

Brilliant! When things are out of control, the PAD leaders blame the Govt. They are never wrong.

[sunsnow]

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44913

LOL 70 year old PAD granpas are killing people. PAD means murder. PAD means brainwash. Well, the brainwash is nothing new.