Thailand Travel Situation Update – Official Statement from Thai Government

As many of you will know, shortly after the yellow shorts ended their protests the red shirts started planning theirs. So once again Thailand was in the news for not such pretty reasons, but again the troubles were mainly concentrated in and around Bangkok. It has now all subsided and the following is an official Statement from the Thai Government aimed at tourists arriving to Thailand or already there.

Current Situation Update

The messages Thai Government would like to convey to all the tourists who are planning a visit to Thailand.

• The situation in Bangkok has returned to normal. Residents and visitors to Thailand are enjoying the Songkran Thai New Year celebrations throughout the Thai kingdom, including in Bangkok. (The Thai Government extended the Songkran festive holiday this year)
• On 14 April, the leaders of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) called off their anti-government protests. By mid-afternoon, all of the protesters had dispersed.
• Shopping malls in Bangkok re-opened as of 13.00 hrs on 14 April and have continued to operate on a normal schedule since.
• Hotels throughout the country are operating as normal.
• The BTS SkyTrain, subway services, public utilities and communication services continue to operate uninterrupted.
• The Emergency Decree is only a temporary measure. Representatives from Thailand’s travel and tourism-related trade associations are scheduled to meet with the Thai government on 17 April to discuss the lifting of the Emergency Decree at the earliest possible time. (src)

Lets hope this wonderful country sorts out these political battles without destroying the great holiday destination. From what I’ve heard from friends still in Krabi and Phuket you would hardly notice the country was in turmoil.

With the main tourist season about to start in Thailand I thought it about time I addressed the political situation, well the effect it has on tourist anyway, in Bangkok. The first thing to note is that the troubles you see on the news are only limited to Bangkok and other parts of Thailand remain unaffected.

These protests are against the government and have nothing to do with tourists,  and are unlikely to spill into the main tourist areas in Bangkok. But all this is not going to stop the media from painting a bleak picture of the current situation in Thailand.

If you want to travel to Thailand I would say do so but if you plan to go to Bangkok get the updated information. As for travelling in Thailand I have heard no reports of  a disturbed transport systems and that nothing in Phuket, Krabi or any of the other southern tourist destinations are affected.

The keep you informed of changes within Thailand the TAT or Tourism Authority of Thailand are publishing updates on their website of what is actually happening in Thailand, here is the latest from them.

TOURISM AUTHORITY OF THAILAND FACT SHEET AS OF OCTOBER 8, 2008

• The current political situation in Thailand — change of government and political demonstrations — should be seen as part of the Kingdom’s evolving political development under a democratic system of governance.

• The protests are directed at Members of Parliament and other political figures. These incidents are limited to the administrative centre of Bangkok. The rest of the city is unaffected.

• The PAD anti-government rally is restricted to the designated protest site and the immediate areas. Tourists and expats in Bangkok are advised to avoid travelling to areas near the demonstration site namely — Government House, the Parliament Building and its immediate vicinity.

• For visitors planning trips to various sites around Rattanakosin Island (Koh Rattanakosin), shuttle boats and river taxis that serve the various public piers along the Chao Phraya River provides fast and convenient transportation to several of these sites.

• All other key tourist sites in Bangkok, and nationwide, are completely unaffected.

• Life in the capital and the rest of the Kingdom continues as usual. Foreign nationals are unaffected.

• Hotel and other travel-related infrastructure and services, including all airports, operate as normal. Train services throughout the country have resumed full operations. Roadways are open, with only certain roads in Bangkok around the Government House compound remaining closed.

• Public utilities and communication services operate uninterrupted, contrary to reports of possible disruptions.

• The Kingdom’s various tourist attractions and shopping districts are unaffected, safe and open for business as usual. Tourists can continue to enjoy the amazing variety of sites, foods and experiences at even more amazing prices that make Thailand such a special travel destination.

• To ease any concern that foreign visitors may have in travelling to Thailand, the Thai authorities concerned have stepped up measures to ensure their safety and to facilitate their travel, both to and within the country.

• The latest updates will also be made available on the websites of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at www.mfa.go.th and of the Tourism Authority of Thailand at www.tourismthailand.org and www.tatnews.org.

The choice whether or not to travel to Thailand is yours obviously but  I would say that you should not let the current political climate affect your decision. Get the facts before you book your holiday to Thailand. If your worried about the situation in Bangkok then avoid it and fly direct to Phuket, Krabi, Chaing Mai or Koh Samui.

The one thing you should avoid doing is not going to Thailand! The tourist industry has had a lot of bad lucky for the past years with Tsunami, SARS, Bird Flu and the Bali bombings all having an adverse effect on the country.

Book your holiday, go have fun, come back and let everyone else know that Thailand is still a great place to have a holiday in.

Scuba diving holidays to Thailand will never be the same from the end of 2008, that’s the dream anyway. The Thai Dive Association (TDA) is ready to start phase 2 in what has been called project ‘Coral Reef Squadron’  after a bit of a hiccup with phase 1. The company that transported the 10 decommissioned military aircraft, that the TDA had purchased in 2007, has finally received payment and released the aircraft after a 4 month battle. When the aircraft were delivered to Phuket from Lopburi on April 2008 the weather delayed the project but it would seem that the weather was only one part of the delay.

The four Douglas C-47 Dakota Skytrain’s and six Sikorsky S-58T helicopters are to be sunk 1km from Bang Tao bay on the north west shore of Phuket island. The aircraft will be secured to the sandy bottom by large concrete blocks and the aim will be to arrange the aircraft in a circular pattern. At a depth of around 20meters and not far off the shore these artificial coral reefs will be an ideal training ground and a new attraction for the visiting divers. It is hoped that the new dive area will help reduce the number of divers visiting the natural coral reefs in the area and help the natural environment recover from years of diver traffic.

The creation of artificial coral reefs to help protect the natural environment in over dived areas is not a new one. In 2006-2007 an artificial reef was built in Egypt after scientists at the Ben Gurion University, Eilat, reported some 50% reduction in the natural coral reef, caused mainly by diver traffic. Although the damage to natural coral reefs in Thailand are not that sever these new dive sites will most definitely help those that are under some pressure.

The work to get the aircraft in place is due to start on 12 November and be completed early December, just in time for the peak holiday season in Thailand. Obviously divers to the wrecks will not see much coral life, but with open swim-through and crystal clear waters at  20 meters you should get a visually stunning and extremely fun dive anyway. Unfortunately I can’t take anymore holidays to Thailand this year so looks like I won’t be diving these aircraft until early 2009. I just hope they last that long or at least longer than the King Cruiser Wreck. This passanger ferry  sunk only 10 years ago, about 2 hours boat ride from Krabi, but already has deteriorated and collapsed in many places making swim through dangerous.

If anyone gets a chance to dive this ‘Coral Reef Squadron’ could you please contact me with your experiences or leave a comment below about your dives, thanks.