MFA's advisory is against travelling to Bangkok for now. Not all of Thailand.
Am I concerned? Very. Am I nervous? Not yet. I happen to have more confidence in the country's military leadership than its political leaders. The Thai friends are going about their lives in the usual fashion, but avoiding the troubled areas.
I do intend to travel to Thailand very very soon. I'm not about to cancel vacation plans. Well, unless civil war erupts. Even if the airports shut down again, I have no issues staying put wherever I am for a bit. But I do hope that the declared state of emergency will be lifted by early next week. I have many friends who are on another continent and will be flying into Bangkok next week. They're not cancelling travel plans. So while I am a little worried, there's no panic mode.
But I'm not sure that the protesters are sane enough to stick to the hotspots of Rama V and not hit the downtown areas of Sathorn, Silom and Sukhumvit. The unions are taking sides. Aviation and port services have taken a direct hit. Water and electricity are being used as bargaining chips. It's not a good thing if the protests spill over into the universities and form camps against the country's media industry. The people's will is strong. The government is held ransom if House doesn't dissolve. This is urban terrorism. It's almost a crusade against one hated man. I hope the military wouldn't have to take the road of decisive action then.
Last I checked, unpopular Japanese PM Yasuo Fukuda didn't step down amidst a storm of protests. He did so in a dignified manner among rational peace and discussion.
Thailand is the incumbent ASEAN chair leading the ratification of the ASEAN Charter. To date, 3 countries have yet to do so. Indonesia and Philippines expect to complete their ratification by November. Thailand herself has not mentioned if she would be able to complete before December's Summit in Bangkok. If Thailand's political crisis is not swiftly resolved via her beliefs in democracy and legislation, how is the ASEAN Charter supposed to be fully accepted on the international stage?
Am I concerned? Very. Am I nervous? Not yet. I happen to have more confidence in the country's military leadership than its political leaders. The Thai friends are going about their lives in the usual fashion, but avoiding the troubled areas.
I do intend to travel to Thailand very very soon. I'm not about to cancel vacation plans. Well, unless civil war erupts. Even if the airports shut down again, I have no issues staying put wherever I am for a bit. But I do hope that the declared state of emergency will be lifted by early next week. I have many friends who are on another continent and will be flying into Bangkok next week. They're not cancelling travel plans. So while I am a little worried, there's no panic mode.
But I'm not sure that the protesters are sane enough to stick to the hotspots of Rama V and not hit the downtown areas of Sathorn, Silom and Sukhumvit. The unions are taking sides. Aviation and port services have taken a direct hit. Water and electricity are being used as bargaining chips. It's not a good thing if the protests spill over into the universities and form camps against the country's media industry. The people's will is strong. The government is held ransom if House doesn't dissolve. This is urban terrorism. It's almost a crusade against one hated man. I hope the military wouldn't have to take the road of decisive action then.
Last I checked, unpopular Japanese PM Yasuo Fukuda didn't step down amidst a storm of protests. He did so in a dignified manner among rational peace and discussion.
Thailand is the incumbent ASEAN chair leading the ratification of the ASEAN Charter. To date, 3 countries have yet to do so. Indonesia and Philippines expect to complete their ratification by November. Thailand herself has not mentioned if she would be able to complete before December's Summit in Bangkok. If Thailand's political crisis is not swiftly resolved via her beliefs in democracy and legislation, how is the ASEAN Charter supposed to be fully accepted on the international stage?
4 comments:
It is a very sad situation. The protesters are really destroying their own country right now. Thai share prices have plummeted, and tourism is going to be affected as long as this lasts.
que sera sera. i'm not a dumb traveller. and what's the worst? stuck there lor. not too bad. i'm in.
we go island. catch our own food. have our own generator. use candlelight. best. then take the sea route back.
unless got natural disasters.....
corsage: very sad. it's their own country that's in turmoil.
jazzgal: AYAYYY!
meteor:u think wat? u can catch all the food for us.
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