The last few days has seen the escalations of the protests and violence in Bangkok Thailand. This country has been through protests and military coups before, and up till a few days ago, I thought this was pretty much more of the same. But my opinion has changed, it seems to me that this is a country on the brink.
This is a Thailand travel site, so let’s address those heading off to the Land of Smiles for a vacation. I’ve seen protestants in Thailand before, I was there when the Suvarnabhumi airport was closed by the Yellow Shirts, and again when the Red Shirts were violently protesting last year.
Those of us who travel to Thailand on a regular basis come to accept this as a normal course of the strange form of democracy they have in Thailand. It doesn’t bother us, and if you aren’t in the thick of things in Bangkok you wouldn’t even know any unrest was going on if not for the news. This is different.
If you are planning on making a trip to Thailand in the immediate future it is time to start thinking about changing those plans. Postpone them if you can, cancel them if you have to, but things have gotten worse and could degrade even further. It is not worth your safety to make the trip, this isn’t the same old protests we have seen in the past. It is some of the worse violence in decades.
The U.S. and U.K. embassies are shutting down, and evacuating all non-essential personnel, which is never a good sign. Granted their embassies are in the hot zone, but these governments have staffed their embassies through the many protests in the past, they must see that things could spiral out of control.
There are travel advisories issued for Thailand from most western nations. Your medical or travel insurance will most likely be void if you are injured in Thailand during this time.
Protests and unrest are now spreading to the other provinces. The Red Shirt Power lies in these rural provinces. The government has called a recent State of Emergency in these areas as well. There was a disturbance in Chiang Mai at the Air Force base recently. And the potential remains for the violence to go national. This could be a country on the brink of civil war – though we hope that this is not the case.
If you are going to ignore the travel advisory to Thailand and go anyway, make sure you use precautions. Stay away from the protest areas in Bangkok. It is best if you head out of the city all together to places like Phuket, Koh Samui, or Pattaya. Although there are reports from people on the ground in Pattaya that they are starting to see some protestors show their colors.
Your travel insurance is non-existent at this point. Make sure you have ID and some spare cash on you at all times, “just in case” something bad happens.
Also, if things go haywire it is good to have a backup plan to get your ass out of the country. I know many people don’t want to think about these things, but consider an exfil route out of the country if things go bad. If the airports are closed, how else would you get out of the country? Think about it now, so if things really do hit the fan, you have a good idea of where to go. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that.
As much as I hate it, it is time to reconsider your travel plans to Thailand. And if you are a tourist thinking about braving all this for a drink and a shag, do yourself a favor and wait it out till things settle down. The beer and the girls will be waiting for you next month.
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