still protesting, giving Thailand a bad rep
 

i received this email warning from the US embassy in Bangkok:

August 29, 2009
This message alerts U.S. citizens traveling to or residing in Bangkok
that media reports indicate that as many as 20,000 supporters of the
United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (aka UDD or
"Red-Shirts") will march from Sanam Luang to Government House on Sunday,
August 30. In order to maintain peace during the rally, the Royal Thai
Government plans to invoke the Internal Security Act (ISA) in the areas
around Government House and the Dusit District (to include the Dusit
Palace) starting on Saturday, August 29. The ISA will remain in effect
until Tuesday, September 1. This may mean that armed troops will join
police on the streets to maintain order. Media reports indicate that
over 5,000 soldiers and police officers have already been deployed to
the Dusit District in anticipation of the rally.
We wish to remind American citizens that even demonstrations intended to
be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into
violence. American citizens are urged to avoid the area of Sanam Luang
and Government House and to exercise caution if within the vicinity of
any demonstrations.

How many times is this going to happen? Sure doesn't make Thailand look like a welcoming, stable, safe place to visit.

Susie, this is the Thai people demonstrating that they do live in a democracy and can legally protest peacefully. There are demonstrations in the US every day. Most are peaceful, but some do, unfortunately, turn violent.

The kind of emailed warning you received is entirely routine. It does not say or mean that visitors should not go to Thailand. It is a reminder of a routine precautions every traveler should exercise, that of not getting caught up in large crowds of people - whether in Bangkok or Paris or any US city.

If you aren't comfortable going to Thailand then don't.

BTW, this protest was canceled

http://bangkokpost.com/news/local/15...ostpones-rally

Pity a country if it has to ask permission from a tourist before it can hold a demonstration.

Yes, this protest was canceled but the article says it will be held in the near future.

"Pity a country if it has to ask permission from a tourist before it can hold a demonstration."

:))

Yes, the unutterable nerve of these people. Don't they appreciate the inconvenience they're causing?

So, why is Thailand getting a bad rep. because of protests. Don't they have protests in western democratic countries. Shouldn't Thailand be allowed to have protests?

Anway, yes, the protest has been cancelled indefinetly. But besides, even if it had gone on, it would have had no effect on visiting foreigners.

susiesan,

Wow with more people like you then the Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King jr, the anti war people of the 60s, Nelson Mandela, Corazon Aquino and other people like that of the world does not have a chance! Imagine the inconveniences to be at any of the places where the people mentioned where marching or protesting!

Right on Hanuman! Whether you are on the red side , the yellow side or completely indifferent, it is surely the right of the Thai people to protest if they feel the need . Thank heavens they and us live in a country where we can! I doubt tourists will be adversely affected and if they are , well so be it. We are the visitors,they are living there.

Thank you, Others, for beating me to the punch. Protest is often necessary, and where peaceful protest is permitted is where I like to visit.

Thailand has a bad reputation among tourists because when they protest in the streets, they are not peaceful demonstrations. They shut airports and countries down for a week, with a ripple affect across all of SE Asia, the military comes out and shoots at the crowds, and there is chaos in the cities involved.This is what we see broadcast on the news in the US. They are not peaceful at all.

The bad reputation is evidenced by the severe downturn in tourism to Thailand. Yes the worldwide economy is in recession, but those who have money to spend on travel are looking for places to spend it in where they will not have to risk having their vacations ruined or "adversely affected". Ask the Thai people who depend on tourism for a living if they like all of the "peaceful" protests keeping thousands of travelers from visiting Thailand and going elsewhere. As long as they are willing to accept the results of their behaviors and not complain about the lack of business at their hotels, restaurants, taxis, etc., then good for them. Keep demonstrating and hoping that the Thai government will change.

But I will continue to keep an eye on the political situation in Thailand and plan my vacations accordingly. And I am more representative of most travelers-I don't know anyone who would choose to go to a country with a state department warning and a history of violence and completely shutting down one of the major airports in the world. There as so many places in the world to visit where one doesn't have to worry about a ruined vacation. Thailand will (hopefully) be there in the future for a visit when and if the political situation ever becomes stable.

Is there a profit in steering tourists away from Thailand?

I think that assessment is extremely misinformed and absolutely, unequivocally incorrect.

You make it sound like the Thais shouldn't care about the future of their country or their political system--which, believe it or not, doesn't only revolve around tourism. Geez, you make Thais sound like a bunch of slack-jaws who just sit around waiting for tourists to come. They actually have dreams, goals and aspirations for their country which have nothing to do with you sipping a drink on their beaches.

Sorry, but I just find this kind of post really inflammatory and completely without merit.

I was in Bangkok immediately following the yellow shirt airport closure and just preceding the red shirt protests and never once did I feel unsafe or at risk. So I think putting a message out there that Thailand is somehow unsafe because of their god-given right to protest is irresponsible.

Susiean, I'm afraid you are badly misinformed about much of what you have written. To start with, there is not a state department warning on Thailand. There was some violence toward the end of the demonstrations almost a year ago, but most of the Thai demonstrations have not been violent. There is more violence in the average US city than there was in the period of demonstrations last year. Also, you should note that there have been peaceful demonstrations in Thailand for many years, as there are in other countries that place a value on freedom of speech and individual freedoms.

Nonetheless, I think you should not go to Thailand. You are nervous about demonstrations, convinced that there will be violence... that's no way to start a vacation.

Many posters here have responded to your many postings about Thailand in calm and measured tones, offering information and advice. We have explained that the state department bulletins you've posted are not travel warnings, we've given information about the history of the current demonstrations, people who have been there during the demonstrations have offered their perspectives, and Fodorites who live in Bangkok or other parts of Thailand have given you information.

But none of the information people here have offered has had any impact on your fear and anger. All you can remember is that your vacation last year was de-railed by the Bangkok Airport closure. You have generalized this to believing that Thailand is a dangerous place where demonstrators regularly close the airport.

You may remember that after long posts ranting about your interrupted trip at the end of 2008, you promised us you would never go to Thailand. I think it would be wise for you to keep your promise.

Oh Dear Susie,

Time to let go.....you had a bad experience in Thailand and you couldn't handle it........many of us have had difficult times there....but we just work out a way to deal with it.

There is little point in posting your anti-Thai opinions here....most of us ( I think), find your whinging quite boring!

Give it another go, Thailand is a most rewarding travel destination.....even allowing for the odd inconvenience.

If you think the airport protest was a pain.....December 26th 2004 was a real pain with truly awful consequences. Your experience was a picnic in the park.

Please think a little more before you post any more trivial complaints about Thailand as a tourist destination.

Currently on the US State Department web site about Thailand:

"From May – December 2008, political protests on the streets of Bangkok involving anti-government and pro-government demonstrators led to the death of 8 Thai citizens and injuries to over 700, including an American citizen who was injured by an exploding tear gas canister, and an additional death in Chiang Mai. Most of the casualties occurred around the Government House compound and the two Bangkok airports, Suvarnabhumi International Airport and Don Muang Airport, which were temporarily occupied by the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD). Thailand experienced similar demonstrations, primarily in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, during the political unrest that led to a military coup in September 2006.

The Department of State advises all American citizens residing in or traveling to Bangkok to monitor events closely, to avoid any large public gatherings, and to exercise discretion when moving about Bangkok. All demonstrations are unpredictable, and any demonstration can turn violent without warning. For this reason, the Embassy encourages all Americans to monitor local media for announcements of possible demonstrations and to avoid the areas where demonstrations might occur. If a demonstration is expected to pass near U.S. Embassy facilities, Embassy entrances and functions may be restricted, depending on circumstances."

Why would the US State department say such a thing? Is it false?

I am not afraid to go to Thailand because I wouldn't go near any large public gathering. I'm not worried about violence in the streets so much as I'm concerned about the airport being overrun and shut down again. I actually like Thailand and the people a lot, but I don't trust them to not to let the demonstrations escalate like they did last November. I do not want to go to Thailand, but to visit Cambodia and Laos I have no choice but to pass through BKK. I am trying to get my return flights changed leaving from some other airport than BKK but am having no luck with award seat availability. I plan to be in Bangkok the absolute minimum amount of time needed to connect to an international flight out at the end of two weeks in SE Asia spent in Cambodia and Laos.

The other reason I have some ill will against Thailand is due to an incident at the King Power duty free store in the Phuket airport where my husband was scammed into purchasing overpriced sunglasses for $200 under threat of arrest. Similar to the incident at BKK duty free.

I totally agree that the right of public assembly etc. are keystones in any democracy. Whatever your political leanings it is important that an opposition are granted the same rights as those who support a govt.

What I do find disturbing is an apparent campaign by govt supporters to demonize the Red shirts and their sympathisers and the the increasing use of the "Lese Majeste" laws and "Emergency powers" in an apparent attempt to silence opposing opinions.

In this sense the govt has "upped the stakes" and a further demo by the red-shirts could be met with much tougher handling by the govt.
This kind of atmosphere is of course not conducive to the reputation of Thailand as a safe tourist destination.

Susiean, there are different kinds of State Department releases. Some are routine informational bulletins like the one you received, some are true travel warnings that say that Americans should postpone all non-essential travel to a place. That is a "state department warning." What you have posted is not. It's not that the information is false, it's that it is not a "warning" (meaning don't go).

You said yourself about the incident at the airport in Phuket that your husband dropped the sunglasses. An expensive pair of sunglasses (or any glasses) may be knocked out of adjustment by dropping them. Being asked to pay for them is the same thing that might have happened in the US had you or your husband dropped an expensive item in a store. You might not have felt the same threat of arrest, but I expect you would have been charged for the sunglasses. If your husband wasn't shopping for sunglasses, he shouldn't have been handling them. As for the incident at the Bangkok Airport, take a look at the video of the woman shoplifting... If your husband wasn't shoplifting, I wouldn't lump his experience with that of the woman who was shoplifting.

Again, if you don't want to go to Thailand, don't. If you never wanted to set foot in Thailand, why did you book award tickets to Bangkok? Bangkok is not the only way to get to Cambodia and Laos. Consider Singapore, for instance. Silk Air has flights to Siem Reap, and they used to have flights to Luang Prabang (I don't know if they still do). You can get to Cambodia and Laos from VN or from Hong Kong or from Kuala Lumpur.

As for you comment "There as so many places in the world to visit where one doesn't have to worry about a ruined vacation." First of all, you are the one who decides whether your vacation is ruined or whether you adjust and adapt and make the best of a situation.
If you are going to travel, things will happen. There is no place - not even home- where anyone can guarantee that something unexpected won't happen. Weather or equipment delays can postpone or cancel your flight even in the US. A typhoon, earthquake, or other natural disaster can happen anywhere. Lost luggage, a hotel that is not as advertised, an airline or rail strike, accidents, getting ill or injured... all of those things can happen anywhere. Certainly you and others were inconvenienced by the airport closures last year. But you get to decide whether it will keep you from traveling.

THis week-end in Bkk will be yet another "hot-spot" for demos etc.
There have been rumours about blockading airports etc - who put these about - reds or yellows is up for debate.........


...and of course the PM will be out f the country...........

Wilko's last comment is complete rumour-mongering. The only rumours of airport blockade have been spread by drinkers of too many Beer Changs on a barstool.
As usual, foreign tourists in Bangkok probably wont even know there is a demonstration going on unless they read the news.