Official Thailand Statement, Travel Advisory and Latest Update on Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and 21 other Provinces

Official Thailand Statement, Travel Advisory and Latest Update on Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and 21 other Provinces

TAT fact sheet on situation in Thailand

As of 20 May 2010, 20:00pm

Current situation:

• Under government authorization, the Thai military cleared the UDD (red shirt) protest area in central Bangkok on Wednesday, 19 May.
• The UDD protest is over and the authorities are now conducting a clean-up of the area.
• There have been a few isolated instances of additional protest action in Bangkok and some northern provinces, but the authorities are containing them promptly.
• While none of these protest actions are being directed at foreigners, travelers should avoid political gatherings in case the situation gets out of hand.

State of emergency and curfew:

• A state of emergency remains in Bangkok and 23 provinces to ensure authorities have the flexibility needed to fully stabilize the situation.
• This includes Ayutthaya, Chaiyaphum, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chon Buri, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Lampang, Maha Sarakam, Mukdahan, Nakon Pathom, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Sawan, Nan, Nongbualampoo, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Roi Ed, Samut Prakan, Sakon Nakhon, Si Sa Ket, Ubon Ratchathani and Udon Thani provinces.
• A curfew is for three days to 20-22 May from 21.00 hrs. to 05.00 hrs. of the following day in the areas of Bangkok and these provinces.

Situation normal in popular beach destinations:

• At this time, other than the curfew, the situation for both Thai citizens and visitors is normal in Bangkok outside of the central area.
• The situation in tourist destinations in the gulf of Thailand and the south such as Pattaya, Trat,  Koh Chang, Koh Kood,  Phuket, Phang Na, Krabi, Samui and Hua Hin remains completely normal.

Airport and internal travel:

• Suvarnabhumi International Airport and internal transportation links to tourist destinations within Thailand are operating as per usual taking the curfew into account.
• As long as visitors avoid the central area of Bangkok, they should not experience any inconvenience due to the political situation
• Travelers need to plan around curfew times for travel to and from the airport, although they can pass through checkpoints at any time as long as they show their ticket and travel documents.

Getting information:

• The TAT suggests that travelers should consult several sources of information including travel advisories issued by their governments before making an individual decision about visiting Thailand.
• The TAT is providing regular information updates at:  www.tatnews.org
• TAT recommends that foreign tourists and visitors to Thailand call the 24-hour Tourist Police Hotline — 1155 — for tourist assistance and the latest updates on areas or roads to avoid.

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This fact sheet is emailed to me by the  Tourism Authority of Thailand office for immediate release.

I hope you all will find this useful and I will update from time to time.

All the best for Thailand!

Thank you for reading!

Wilson Ng