bangkok 30/5 to 5/6/2010
 

i have a ticket to bangkok for 1 week. the protest thing has really disrupted my plans for my holiday. actually i wanted to dump this plan altogether but to plan a new trip elsewhere in such a short time is very difficult. :( well, is there anyone who actually know whether bangkok is safe now? wat about the tourist attraction areas n shopping places? thanks in advance for ur opinions.

If you are here in Bangkok on vacation, keep a very careful eye on the news. Stay away from the Government House area of Bangkok. Unfortunately, this is just adjacent to the Khao San Road area and the historic center so you may need to scratch sightseeing off the weekend to-do list. Do some shopping in Bangkok instead, or head out to Ayuttaya or even Ko Samet for the weekend.

it sounds like things are much better now... see if hanuman has some advice for you

Some news reports are saying that the curfew in BKK has been extended through the end of this week Is that accurate?

There is a thread on this forum about cleaning up Bangkok streets that red shirts had occupied. In that thread, there is nows about malls reopening.. many if not most of them are opening today, the 25th. Central World will be a long time rebuilding.

The red shirts occupied a small section of the downtown and they did not disrupt most daily life, other than the area they chose to occupy was a major retail/hotel area.

I was in Bangkok for part of the unrest, but left at least a week before the military moved in. My shopping routine had to be altered a bit, but I thought it was easy to avoid the red shirts while I was out and about.

You do not say where you are staying. I think you will probably be just fine.

Enjoy your trip. I can't wait to return to BKK in July.

Carol

There are several excellent threads here with live on the ground reporting. Read them.

Next, look at where you are staying and, if necessary, move to an area that has had less disruption.

Consider whether you are comfortable with Bangkok, or whether you would be happier in another part of Thailand, say, Chaing Mai or a beach area like Hua Hin.

Here is the official Thai tourism website with info on Bangkok
www.tourismthailand.org/thailandtourismupdate

I live in Bangkok. Prior to the army's arrival, I would pass through the "red zone". The army's presence made it too dangerous. But, the area was easily avoided.

The only time I was fearful was the 3 days I was visiting Hong Kong. The foreign coverage is downright scary!