demonstrations

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of Thailand has announced that the state of emergency in [Bangkok] [1] will be lifted on Friday, stressing that the government was seeking reconciliation after the recent violent anti-government protests. On 12 April, the Thai prime minister imposed a state of emergency in Bangkok and the five immediately-surrounding provinces after demonstrators disrupted the ASEAN summit in the resort city of Pattaya and violence spread to the streets of Bangkok. In spite of the state of emergency that was declared, protesters clashed with the military and police, ending with two people dead and 123 injured. On 14 April the “Red Shirt” protesters finally abandoned their three-week sit-in outside the government’s offices in Bangkok, and moved off the streets, as a crackdown by the military became imminent. The [AFP] [2] reports the prime minister as telling members of parliament during a special sitting: "Today I intend to lift the state of emergency. At first I wanted to announce it in the morning (of Thursday) but as it is already past midnight it is considered a new day." He added: "Lifting the state of emergency is part of measures to find a solution for the country. The government wants to show its sincerity, that the government wants reconciliation and to make the country move forwards." The special session of parliament was being held to consider ways to heal the political divide between the prime minister and his "Red Shirt" opponents, who remain loyal to exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. [1]: http://1stopthailand.com/bangkok [2]: http://www.afp.com/afpcom/en 2009-04-24T07:32:00+07:00 1234 2009-04-24T07:33:17+07:00 5 true 1234-thai-prime-minister-lifts-bangkok-state-of-emergency Andrew

On Tuesday, the Thailand Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said he was certain that the country would overcome the civil unrest that had both paralysed and embarrassed the country in recent months. "I am confident, yes, that we can overcome it," [he said] [1] in remarks made at a meeting of the Asia Society in New York. He added that scheduled summits of Asian leaders had to be cancelled twice due to anti-government protests and the resulting instability, but that the meetings will be held in Thailand once the situation has returned to normal. When protesters invaded the ASEAN meeting venue in Pattaya, Thailand earlier this month, the country’s prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, was hugely embarrassed and had to cancel the meetings. In Bangkok street protests that followed the incident, two people died and over 100 others were injured. [Bangkok] [2] has been under a state of emergency since that time, as the government strives to avoid further confrontations between troops and protesters and strengthens security measures following the failed assassination attempt on the leader of the royalist “Yellow Shirt” group. Officials at the Foreign Ministry revealed that the rescheduled summit will likely be held in June on the popular resort island of Phuket, in the south of the country – well away from the capital. [1]: http://uk.reuters.com [2]: http://1stopthailand.com/bangko 2009-04-22T15:55:00+07:00 1229 2009-04-22T15:56:31+07:00 5 true 1229-thai-foreign-minister-confident-that-stability-will-return Andrew

Major tourism associations in Thailand are reporting that the rate of hotel occupancy by foreign visitors at [Chiang Mai] [1] hotels and resorts over the recent Songkran festival fell from the 2008 level of 90-95 per cent to 40-45 per cent this year. The main reasons cited for the disastrous drop in advance bookings were political chaos and the looming threat of violent protests over the Songkran holiday period. Chiang Mai has long been regarded as the main destination during Songkran for both domestic and foreign tourists. Visitors who were already in the city before the holiday began booking travel to other areas because of concerns over violence. Bangkok travel agents handling Chiang Mai bookings for foreign tourists were reported to be requiring a 40 per cent non-refundable deposit, anticipating cancellations in the event of riots in Chiang Mai. The city has already felt the impact of the global economic downturn, the siege of Suvarnabhumi Airport late last year and recent violent protests in Chiang Mai and Bangkok. Recently, the group Rak Chiang Mai 51 forced the cancellation of the city’s Gay Pride Parade. These events, combined with exceptionally high pollution levels that have gained international attention, have led to a 25 per cent drop in visitors in recent months. [1]: http://1stopthailand.com/chiangmai/ 2009-04-18T14:08:00+07:00 1226 2009-04-18T14:09:42+07:00 5 true 1226-chiang-mai-hotel-occupancy-drops-to-40-percent-over-songkran- Andrew

On Friday, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) urged Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to provide better security protection for its leaders, shortly after Sondhi Limthongkul, one of the main leaders of the movement, survived an assassination attempt, sustaining gunshot wounds to his head. At the same time the alliance issued an assurance that it would not be calling for a mass rally in [Bangkok] [1] to respond to the attack on their leader. Somkiat Pongpaiboon, a PAD member, said the ambush, which was carried out by gunmen wielding automatic weapons, raised concerns about the effectiveness of current security measures. The pre-dawn assault took place although Bangkok was under a declared state of emergency. He questioned: “How could heavy weapons get through troops and police who were deployed at every intersection? How could surveillance cameras in the area be out of order?” “This means the state mechanisms failed completely,” he was quoted in the [Bangkok Post] [2] as saying. The PAD is demanding replacement of a number of officials, including the director of the Armed Forces Security Centre, the director of the National Intelligence Agency and the national police chief. “In short, we demand changes to those responsible for security affairs. If not, the lives of the prime minister and the cabinet ministers would also be in danger,” the PAD spokesman added. [1]: http://1stopthailand.com/bangkok [2]: http://bangkokpost.com 2009-04-18T14:04:00+07:00 1224 2009-04-18T14:06:56+07:00 5 true 1224-demand-for-increased-security-after-assassination-attempt Andrew

The Songkran festival period could be a quieter one this year, as the number of holidaymakers visiting the country during the Thai New Year celebrations is expected to fall by 20-40 per cent as compared with last year, as concerns rise about new political tensions. Concerns have arisen due to the increased anti-government protests staged by the “Red Shirts” faction, including a major rally scheduled in the period leading up to the holiday. Tourism groups are expecting foreign visitor numbers to drop off by as much as 40 per cent from 2008, and domestic tourists by 20-30 per cent. What this would mean is that Songkran may only generate around Bt30 billion in revenues, which is considerably less than the Bt50 billion projected earlier. The downturn during Songkran would put even greater pressure on Thailand as it attempts to reach its target of Bt500 billion in tourism revenue this year. "Political chaos in Thailand is becoming the main factor in both inbound and domestic tourism. Even tourists familiar with Thailand, such as those from Singapore and Hong Kong, are now waiting for the situation to clear up," said Apichart Sankary, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, as reported in [The Nation] [1]. The association executive suggested that many tourists were delaying booking their holiday until the mass rally in Bangkok has ended. In [Chiang Mai] [2], tourists have been reported to be urgently consulting travel agents for tours outside the provincial capital, as they fear confrontations stemming from the political turbulence. [1]: http://nationmultimedia.com [2]: http://1stopthailand.com/chiangmai/ 2009-04-15T09:54:00+07:00 1214 2009-04-10T09:55:39+07:00 5 true 1214-political-tensions-lead-to-fewer-tourists Andrew