Today water reached the end of the runways at Don Mueang International Airport and announcements have been made that it will close and stop operations from 5:00pm (local) / 10:00am (GMT) 25 October 2011. Reports are arriving of passengers trapped in the terminal buildings by flood waters, and that the airfield electrical systems have been [...]
Having saved up for the holiday of a lifetime and aimed to stay in Thailand as long as financially possible, let’s say you’re budgeting about £2,000 all-in, and sensibly keep checking the Internet and Teletext for bargain flights. Making the right savings on your airfare can mean the difference between a 2-week and a 4-week holiday, in my case it freed up an extra month’s expatriate living costs.
During the UK summer (Thai rainy season and therefore not tourist high-season), flight-only, return-ticket deals to Thailand, can still be bought for as low as £285 + airport taxes. These cheaper flights do not include accommodation or transfers, and normally require at least one change of aircraft.
CHIANG MAI, Thailand, 2 Dec 2008 – It’s a long held truism that in order to win a war, a protagonist must know their enemy as well as, or better than, they know themselves.
Intelligence gathering, and application of the knowledge it yields, has for millennia made the difference between smaller forces winning a battle or campaign, and being overwhelmed and becoming margin notes of history, rather than lauded as heroes.
In the current battle of wills being conducted within Thailand’s capital, between – pro and anti government groups, the government itself, and alleged conflicting loyalties within the military and police forces, one of the key questions of the day remains unanswered – who is bombing the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest sites and members? And is it the PAD who have begun retaliating in a like manner against pro-government groups?
Chiang Mai, THAILAND, 1 December 2008 – Several countries are making efforts to evacuate their nationals stranded in Thailand after anti-government protesters closed down the Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports in Bangkok.
Reports from various sources state that all trains south to Malaysia and the Kuala Lumpur International aviation hub, are fully booked through to 8th December. Alternatives such as the Laos capital, Vientiane, are an arduous journey from Bangkok with no guarantee of flights available from the far smaller airport there. Flights from the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai to Singapore (another regional aviation hub) are also reported as fully booked through to the 8th December.
Up to Sunday, there were some 100,000 Thai and foreign passengers stranded in Thailand, and abroad, due to the closure of the two main airports, Suvarnabhumi last Tuesday and Don Mueang airport last Wednesday. One report has claimed Suvarnabhumi will reopen tonight at 6pm, but that is seen as impossible by most observers.
CHIANG MAI, Thailand, 27 November 2008 – Tensions escalated this afternoon and evening throughout Thailand as the country fears the civil disorder and protests against the current government may turn into a military coup or open fighting.
The pro-government United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) will call its red-clad supporters to disperse the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) demonstrators at Suvarnabhumi airport, if the government does not take direct action against them, UDD leader and political talk show host Veera Musikhapong said on Thursday.
Suriyasai Katasila, a leading member of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, announced Thursday evening that the PAD-led protesters would fight off police if they are deployed to crack down on the protesters at the Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports.
CHIANG MAI, Thailand, 27 November 2008 – Yesterday, the Thai Army Commander-in-Chief called on incumbent Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to dissolve Parliament and hold new elections, in a move aimed at dissolving the current civil unrest.
This morning, a former chief advisor of the Thai Supreme Command, General Pathompong Kesornsuk, urged the current Army Commander-in-Chief, General Anupong Paochinda to stage a coup to prevent himself from being sacked by the government.
Late today, the government called a State of Emergency for the zones of all international airports throughout the kingdom. Such a move is the opening gambit for sending in police or military to clear the protestors.
