in the air

Did you know that authorities in Bangkok are seriously concerned about the possibility of civil unrest in Bangkok?

The great British press is incredibly insular in its outlook. We have all the news we could possibly want about such surprising facts that wealthy footballers sometimes cheat on their wives, that Gordon Brown has a bad temper and that the Pope is celibate but when it comes to overseas news, there can be stunning silence. Even the terrible rail crash in Brussels last week failed to make most of the British front pages. The strange workings of politics in Thailand are most unlikely to appear even in the quality press – unless there is another airport blockade when you can be sure there will be non-stop coverage of plucky British tourists bemoaning their fate.

On 26th February the Supreme Court of Thailand is due to rule on the seizure of assets of the disgraced ex-Prime Minister, Thakan Shinowatra and it is feared this could be the trigger for widespread disturbance if supporters of the two opposing sides take to the streets. The Tourist Authority of Thailand is said to have made contingency plans and suggested that some local operators move tourists away from Bangkok. The Australian government has a travel advisory in place and there is a note on the Thailand page of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office site (www.fco.gov.uk) but we imagine nearly all British travellers leaving for Thailand this week are doing so in ignorance. In general, we think it is always a good idea to take an occasional look at the FCO site and, when you are visiting a country outside Europe, it really does pay to do a quick Google search for the local English language newspapers and check the current news. Bangkok has two papers, The Nation and The Bangkok Post and even a cursory glance at either would have alerted you to the fact that “something is happening”.

We certainly cannot pretend to be experts in Thai politics and we would not wish to predict what might happen. However, experience suggests that when problems like this are anticipated, they fail to materialise. Bangkok is a very big city and  a small riot can be happening in one part of the city without impacting life in the rest of the city. It could be that the atmosphere in the streets might be a little tense and we imagine some of the night venues might close early. Somehow we doubt that protesters will try to blockade the airports again because this is an old trick and the authorities will be prepared. However, if the worst predictions do come true, we will find it a little difficult to have sympathy for stranded British tourists who haven’t bothered to do even the slightest homework on their destination.

Update:

Regardless of the Court’s verdict, supporters of the ex-Prime Minister intend to hold a rally in Bangkok on 14th March. They say up to a million people might descend on Bangkok from the countryside. Regardless of possible violence, this would seem like a day to avoid – Bangkok’s traffic is bad at the best of times.