Tourists stranded after Thailand airport riot

[serfty]

Surely the PM would just fly into the old Don Muang Airport ...

The PAD have invaded Don Muang as well ...

[Lindsay Wilson]

If they are smart (PAD) and have enough numbers, then they will have groups at both airports to try and obfuscate Thaksin. Ah the muddy waters of Thai politics ...

The problem is that they are actually harming the economy much more than anything they do to delay Thaksin. Quite often people don't realise the downstream consequences of their actions.

When is JohnK meant to be flying back to BKK? It might change his plans in the short term, depending on how long it goes on.

[winetraveller]

Well as expected, more flights cancelled out of Melbourne today, so I decided to hop on my old mate UA840 back to the US.

At least I'll get to try UA's new back to front config.

I hate to be the pessimist, but I don't see BKK opening for another week or so, maybe longer. Imagine the damage, intentional or otherwise to the equipment, and the safety checks necessary to get a very busy airport up and running again.

It appears that most of the staff have abandoned the airport, so getting staff back and making sure everything is in order will take a long time.

More broadly this is potentially a disaster for Thailand, in the past there has been an economic imperative for the cracks to be smoothed over for the sake of the tourism industry, and the overall wellbeing of the country. In this instance paired with the economic downturn the likelyhood is that there will be a downturn regardless, so I think the PAD will fear less the negative outcomes.

I would not be surprised if this comes to blows is a pretty serious way.

[JohnK]

Not again. It is never about freedom. Greed and corruption continues to flourish even in these tough times. I feel sorry for the travellers stranded but the people that will lose out the most from this ridiculous and pointless protest is the common people relying on tourism to survive.

But then again the Thai elite have never cared about tourism as tourism helps the peasants not the elite. The elite already have more than enough money via corruption and if the people remain oppressed they will continue to have more than enough money.

When is JohnK meant to be flying back to BKK? It might change his plans in the short term, depending on how long it goes on.

I am not due to fly into BKK from SIN until 21 December. I hope this has blown over by then but if not then I will try to find a flight from SIN to HKT or USM and then on to UTP. This incident is not going to spoil my 2 week golf holiday. Well not if I can help it anyway....

[drron]

Well I am putting into place Plan B as I doubt that BKK will be open by sunday night.Original plan was-
30/11 BA10 SYD-BKK
2/12 PG905 BKK-REP
Now it looks like it will be BA10 SYD-SIN
3K599 SIN-REP
Then due to fly LPQ-BKK on 9/12-hopefully things will have settled by then.
We were in Bangkok in the early nineties during one of the frequent coups of those times.There were tanks in the streets and students killed-we were not affected physically,so I have no major fears this time.
I agree wholeheartedly with JohnK about the causes.Was Thaksin corrupt-no doubt.Was he more corrupt than his predecessors who are backing the PAD-unlikely.

[dajop]

I have 4 Thai colleagues joining a region wide meeting next week in Cairns. Two of them are already stranded in Ho Chi Minh City, so they'll won't go home first. The other two are catching a bus to Cambodia, from there flying to SGN where they'll join the other two for the flight to SYD then CNS. And another SIN based Aussie colleague stranded there, whose plan consisted of settling in to the hotel bar ....

[winetraveller]

And another SIN based Aussie colleague stranded there, whose plan consisted of settling in to the hotel bar ....

Now that makes me want to be in Bangkok, I love Melbourne, but a nice view from the bar at the Millenium Hilton is preferential to the partly obscured view from the Melbourne Airport version, after three days it's getting very tired......

[NM]

Now that makes me want to be in Bangkok, I love Melbourne, but a nice view from the bar at the Millenium Hilton is preferential to the partly obscured view from the Melbourne Airport version, after three days it's getting very tired......

As a QF Plat you could always park yourself at the bar of domestic Qantas Club for the duration .

[winetraveller]

As a QF Plat you could always park yourself at the bar of domestic Qantas Club for the duration .

A good option. Hadn't thought of that.

At the moment there is an alarm going off at the airport, I think because of an impending thunder storm and lightning. There are a few very spectacular strikes hitting the ground to the north.

[dajop]

Now that makes me want to be in Bangkok, I love Melbourne, but a nice view from the bar at the Millenium Hilton is preferential to the partly obscured view from the Melbourne Airport version, after three days it's getting very tired......

Now that is cr#p, I could take three days being stuck at the Melbourne Hilton, or any 5* hotel in/near the CBD, but the Airport Hilton ... well you must be somewhere in between and or maybe by now it's just