emergency

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

As Thailand's latest political crisis escalates a state of emergency has been declared in Bangkok and its surrounding six provinces in an attempt to restore order to the capital. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency on Sunday after red shirted protesters from the United front for democracy, against dictatorship (UDD) forced the cancellation of the ASEAN+3 summit in Pattaya Saturday. Protests from the group, led by fugitive and exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra have turned ugly after a mob of 10,000 stormed the Royal Cliff Beach Resort in Pattaya amid inadequate police security, forcing the airlift evacuation of heads of state and a major embarrassment for the crisis wracked country. Bangkok remains at risk of violent clashes as the army are now set to be deployed and bring the situation under control. The protests, crucially, have moved from key administrative sites in the Dusit area, into the city proper as they try to block key roads and incite anarchy. They are demanding the government step down, accusing them of being illegitimate, while Thaksin himself is urging a revolution. Several countries have issue travel advisory warnings and tourists are advised to avoid Bangkok for the time being as violent clashes between the army and this group of some 100,000 are anticipated Monday. Until now the government has been reluctant to use the army or heavy handed discipline on the protestors, fearful of losing face and credibility among the general population. Following the Pattaya siege, the current crisis has lurched to an unprecedented level, reminiscent of the airport seizure last year, with mob rule becoming a popular tool for groups to voice dissatisfaction at the current political landscape. With the standoff reaching critical levels uncertainty remains in the capital, and unfolding events there might spill out to Northern and Northeastern provinces, including Chiang Mai. The Southern provinces of Thailand remain peaceful and without risk but transport might be severely disrupted as the crisis unfolds. The present government came to power four months ago after the ruling party was dissolved for vote fraud. MPs from a key factions of the party crossed the floor to help the opposition form a minority led coalition, which the protestors are refusing to acknowledge. Thaksin Shinawatra has been fighting to reverse his corruption convictions, unblock frozen assets and return to power, and has the support of the UDD. No solution seems in sight for the political crisis and it is likely to cost the country a loss of more than 200 billion baht in lost tourism revenue. 2009-04-13T11:14:00+07:00 1221 2009-04-13T11:34:09+07:00 5 true 1221-state-of-emergency-in-bangkok-clashes-expected Andrew

Bangkok’s state of emergency, first put into effect on 2 September, has been lifted now that Thailand’s ex-prime minister, Samak Sundarav, has stepped down. The decision by the government was cheered by the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), and virtually every other person working in the tourism industry. ATTA’s president, Apichart Sankary, told reporters that the move will go a long way towards boosting the confidence of travellers ahead of Thailand’s winter high season, which begins in November. Tourism plays a major role in Thailand’s local economy, injecting around 600 billion baht from foreign visitors and another 400 billion baht from Thai tourists into the country each year. In 2007, around 15 million foreign travellers visited Thailand, but many tourists have been staying away from the kingdom since the political turmoil began several weeks ago. Apichart estimates that the number of foreign tourists who come to Thailand in 2008 will be more or less the same as last year if confidence can be restored soon. Bookings are down throughout the country compared to this time last year, but now that the anti-government protestors have backed off foreigners may be encouraged to reconsider their travel plans. Ironically, despite a few disruptions to the nation’s transport system, [Thailand’s main tourist destinations][1] were completely unaffected by the protests. Beach resorts are open for business as usual, and even the capital is returning to its normal charmingly tussled state. [1]: http://www.1stopthailand.com/highlights/ 2008-09-19T05:09:00+07:00 884 2008-09-19T05:11:45+07:00 5 true 884-state-of-emergency-lifted-in-bangkok Andrew

On Tuesday morning at 07:00, current Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej declared a state of emergency, effectively putting the capital Bangkok under the full control of the army. Following increasingly violent clashes between PAD anti-government protestors, pro-government protestors, and police, Samak enacted his authority to declare the crisis official. The prime minister’s declaration was prompted by overnight fighting between anti-government and pro-government protestors in the streets of Bangkok. One man was killed and dozens of protestors injured during the running street fights. General Anupong Paojinda, the commander of the Thai army, has been put in control of the crisis, and now has absolute power to deal with the political unrest in Bangkok. The state of emergency effectively means that any protest gathering of five or more people is prohibited. The police and military can use whatever force they deem necessary to disperse the illegal gatherings. Media that encourages public protesting can also be censored or shut down. United front of Democracy against Dictatorship leaders stated immediately that they would “obey the law and go home,” thus ending their rally at Sanam Luang. The People’s Alliance for Democracy’s (PAD) Suriyasai Katasila, stated that his group would now meet to discuss their next move. This new Emergency Law has never been officially used in Thailand, and takes the stand-off to a new unpredictable level. Samak is nominal head of Thailand’s Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), so the army and police are effectively under his command. All travellers heading to Bangkok should be aware that there will likely be delays in all areas of infrastructure and transport, as well as the rising potential for street clashes. Check the latest news at [The Bangkok Post][1] [1]: www.bangkokpost.com 2008-09-02T16:49:00+07:00 864 2008-09-02T16:50:48+07:00 5 true 864-bangkok-under-state-of-emergency Andrew

Late August marks the beginning of the end of Thailand’s rainy season, but Mother Nature still has a few lashings to dish out, and [Surat Thani](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surat_Thani_Province) and Phangnga have seen the worst flooding in decades has hit the area these past few days. 7 of the 8 Phangnga districts experienced torrential flash floods. Takua Thung is the only lucky area to remain free of high water. Waters over 2 metres high were reported in Tambon Tham Nam Phud and many schools were closed in the municipality of Takua Pa. The 7 inundated districts have been decalred disaster zones by Governor Winai Bupradit and has petitioned the Interior Minister for emergency aid. [Bupradit reported to national media](http://www.bangkokpost.com) that these floods were the worst seen in 60 years, as water run-off from Khao Sok national park invaded over 500 homes across six villages in Phanom district, and the area also saw over 2,000 rai of fertile farmland sink below the waves. 2007-08-23T06:30:00+07:00 287 2007-08-23T06:34:10+07:00 7 true 287-floods-inundate-surat-thani-phangnga DaveB