MALAYSIAN TOURISTS WHO WILL BE IN BANGKOK ON MONDAY 13 JANUARY 2014 WILL NOT FEEL STRANDED OR SCARED. THE THAI GOVERNMENT HAS TAKEN STEPS TO ENSURE ALL TOURISTS ARE PROTECTED.
The Yellow Shirts also promised not to shut down Bangkok's international airports at Suvanabhumi and Don Muang though this may not not be the best of time to visit Bangkok. Stick to Phuket, Krabi, Chiangmai and other idyllic resorts with direct flights from Kuala Lumpur!
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Situation Update: Thailand
Political Developments
The
ongoing anti-government demonstrations in Bangkok have been normal to peaceful and
are mainly taking place at the Democracy Monument on Ratchadamnoen Klang Avenue.
The anti-government demonstration group has announced plan to mount pressure on
the Caretaker Yingluck Shinawatra Government to step down by organising massive demonstrations in a
peaceful manner in Bangkok on 13 January 2014. The group has been organising
a daily peaceful rally to different parts of the city since Sunday (5 January
2014).
Life
in Bangkok and throughout Thailand continues as per normal. Local residents and foreign tourists
are getting out and about with their daily schedules within Bangkok, as well as
between the Thai capital and other Thai cities as per normal. All roads in
Bangkok, excluding some lanes near the anti-government demonstration sites, are
open to traffic at all times. Businesses, including banks, petrol and gas stations, hotels,
spas, restaurants, entertainment venues, cinemas, convention centres, shopping
malls, superstores, convenient stores, pharmacies, hospitals and the likes are open and operating as per
normal. Telephone - landline and mobile - and Internet services are
available 24/7.
All
local and national events
and festivals will be held as scheduled, including the Children's Day on
11 January, 2014 and the Chinese New Year celebrations from 24 January to 4
February, 2014 at various major destinations across Thailand.
All means of transportation are open
and operating as per normal at all times.
In Bangkok, residents and tourists can use all public transport, including BMTA
buses and vans, BTS skytrain, MRT subway, Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link’s
express and city lines, water-transport (ferries, boats, long-tailed boats and
hotels’ converted rice barge cruises), and taxis. Elsewhere in the country, all
means of inter-provincial transportation are also open and operating as per
normal, including rail services by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and bus
and van services by the Transport Co., Ltd.
All airports in Bangkok and throughout
the country are open and operating as per normal.
In
preparation for the massive demonstrations in Bangkok on 13 January 2014,
several agencies have prepared measure as per the following:
Suvarnabhumi International Airport:
·
Advise
air passengers to allocate more time before flights depart or at least four
hours and to avoid routes nearby and around the protest areas. Air travellers
are also advised to use BTS skytrain, MRT subway, Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail
Link and the SRT rail services.
·
Prepare
a contingency plan in case of air passengers being unable to travel to and from
the airport, such as, change of routes for Shuttle Bus between Suvarnabhumi and
Don Mueang International Airports.
·
Prepare
to appoint airport personnel and information boards to advise passengers using
public taxi and airport limousine to avoid the protest areas.
·
Prepare
to operate the Long Term Parking area as a public car park and to provide
Shuttle Bus services for those wishing to travel in and out of Bangkok, to and
from nearby public transportation stations, such as, the Airport Rail Link, BTS
skytrain and SRT.
·
Prepare
to operate an Airport Operation Centre to coordinate with all organisations and
agencies within the airport, such as, public bureaus, state agencies and
airlines. The Center will open 24 hours daily, with various airport personnel
available at all times to assist and facilitate passenger. The Center will
locate behind check-in counter row R, Departure Hall, 4th floor of the
Passenger Terminal, Tel: 66 (0) 2132-9950 or 2, Fax: 66 (0) 2132-9951.
·
Prepare
to allocate waiting areas for passengers missing their flights due to the travel
uncertainties from Bangkok downtown, if occur.
·
From
10 January, 2014, Suvarnabhumi Airport will deploy a group of facilitation
personnel, from various organisations such as the Tourism Authority of Thailand
(TAT), the Association of Thai Travel Agents and the Thai Hotels Association to
assist passengers near the AOT Information Counter, Arrival Hall, 2nd floor of
the Passenger Terminal.
·
For
further information, please contact AOT Information Counters at Suvarnabhumi
Airport or its 24/7 Call Center 1722.
Thai Airways International:
Thai
Airways International THAI has confirmed that, starting on 13 January 2014, the
airline will operate as normal with no flight cancellations, no unplanned
flight delays, and no reduction of staff in operational areas.
·
Passengers
can visit THAI through Facebook (www.facebook.com/ThaiAirways),
Twitter (www.twitter.com/ThaiAirways),
and THAI website (www.thaiairways.com),
or call THAI Call Center Call Center at 02-356-1111 for information.
·
To
avoid arriving late for flights, due to some street closures, THAI advises
passengers to leave for Suvarnabhumi Airport at least four (4) hours prior to
their scheduled flight departure time.
·
Passengers
can check flight status at www.thaiairways.com,
and choose Flight Info. Or, through the smart phone application THAI
Flight Check at http://bit.ly/THAIflightcheck.
·
On
13 January, 2014, the ticketing services at THAI head office and at the
Government Complex (on Chaengwattana Road) will close due to the street protest
in the area.
·
Other
THAI ticketing locations in the city such as Larn Luang, Silom, and at
Suvarnabhumi Airport are open as normal for business.
Air
travellers with flights arrive in Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang
International Airports) can seek advice from the above airport or airline
information counters. For those who wish to see Thailand’s wealth of cultural
and natural attractions outside of Bangkok, they can make use of the many
domestic flights to get to the following destinations directly:
Chiang Mai:
Located 716 km north of Suvarnabhumi Airport or 7 hours 44 minutes by car or 1
hour 10 minutes by air. Attraction highlights: Wiang Kum Kam, Doi
Inthanon National Park, Doi Suthep-Doi Pui National Park, Ang Khang Royal
Project, Ratchaphruek Garden and Chiang Mai Zoo.
Phuket:
Located 865 km south of Suvarnabhumi Airport or 9 hours 50 minutes by car or 1
hour 25 minutes by air. Attraction highlights: various beautiful beaches
and a trip to nearby gorgeous Phang-nga Bay, exquisite pool villa accommodation
and luxury spa treatments.
Pattaya: Located
120 km southeast of Suvarnabhumi Airport or 1 hour 17 minutes by car. Attraction
highlights: beautiful beaches, Lan Island, entertainment shows, zip line
adventure, boxing lesson, shopping opportunities, floating market and various
theme venues.
Hua Hin:
Located 227.5 km southwest of Suvarnabhumi Airport or 2 hours 40 minutes by
car. Attraction highlights: beautiful beaches, Khao Sam Roi Yot National
Park, Kaeng Krachan National Park, Maruekhathaiyawan Palace, floating markets
and vineyards.
Ko Samui:
Located 804 km southwest of Suvarnabhumi Airport or 10 hours 34 minutes by car
and ferry or 1 hour 5 minutes by air. Attraction highlights: beautiful
beaches, Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park, pool villa accommodation and luxury spa
treatments.
Khon Kaen:
Located 458 km northeast of Suvarnabhumi Airport or 5 hours by car or 55
minutes by air. Attraction highlights: Thai Silk Centre, Chang-kra
Orchid Garden, King Cobra Village, temples and Phu Wiang National
Park - which demonstrates that the Isan Plateau was once home of dinosaurs.
Sukhothai:
Located 439.7 km north of Suvarnabhumi Airport or 4 hours 50 minutes by car or
1 hour 15 minutes by air. Attraction highlights: Sukhothai Historial
Park, Si Satchanalai Historical Park, Sangkhalok Museum, Wat Maha That, Wat
Phra Si Ratana Maha That and Wat Si Chum.
For
tourists visiting Bangkok, it should be stressed that tourists have not been
targeted in the ongoing political demonstrations. Tourist attractions and
activities in Bangkok and throughout the country are open and operating as per
normal, but tourists are advised to be vigilant and avoid areas where crowds
may gather. This is because there may be traffic disruptions or delays, thus
causing inconvenience.
The
TAT is closely monitoring the situation, and would like to inform tourists and
the tourism industry that all concerned public and private agencies will
exercise utmost efforts to ensure tourist’s convenience.
Useful contact numbers:
TAT
Call Centre 1672
Thai
Traffic Police Call Centre 1197
Thai
Tourist Police Call Centre 1155
Bangkok
Tourism Division Call Centre +66 (0) 2225 7612-4
Bangkok
Mass Transit Authority (city bus service) Call Centre 1348
State
Railway of Thailand Call Centre 1690
Transport
Co., Ltd., (inter-provincial bus service) Call Centre 1490
Airports
of Thailand (Suvarnabhumi & Don Mueang Airport) Call Centre 1722
Thai
Airways International Call Centre +66 (0) 2356 1111
Bangkok
Airways Call Centre 1771
Nok
Air Call Centre 1318
Thai
AirAsia Call Centre +66 (0) 2515 9999
Tourists
can also keep up-to-date with the tourism situation in Thailand through
Application Line: Amazing Thailand.
For
live videos of various attractions in Thailand, tourists can download the Thai
Live Cam mobile application available now in iOS and Android. See more at: http://livecam.tourismthailand.org/
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget Khao Yai National Park, a must thing to do nearby Bangkok;
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thainationalparks.com/khao-yai-national-park