ESCAPE FROM THAILAND:
Fleeing tourists deal with risky roads
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 20:06:00 12/02/2008
Filed Under: Bangkok Crisis
BANGKOK—Tourists trying to escape a blockade of Bangkok's airports must now contend with the kingdom's dangerous roads, with three foreigners killed in the last few days in traffic accidents.
Thai police said Tuesday that a Dutchman and two Canadians have been killed in two car crashes while trying to flee Thailand after the blockade of Bangkok's two main airports last week by an anti-government group.
One van was headed down to the southern resort isle of Phuket, where airlines have put on extra flights to try and clear the backlog, while the Dutchman was killed in a taxi on his way by road to Malaysia.
This has not stopped some of the 350,000 travellers estimated to have missed flights rushing to try and get out of the capital.
Travel agent Sarin Pinatha is selling seats in a minivan down to the U-Tapao naval airport southeast of Bangkok -- which has become the main hub for evacuating stranded holiday-makers -- for about 500 baht ($14).
"Nobody worries," she said. "If an accident happens, it happens. But nobody worries about it."
Sarin said her drivers are desperate to replace the money they would normally make carting people to Suvarnabhumi international, Thailand's main airport, and are not concerned about safety. Tourists also expressed few qualms.
Tairjing Siripanich, secretary general of the Thai road safety organization Don't Drive Drunk Foundation, said Thailand has one of the highest traffic death tolls in the world, with an average 13,000 road deaths a year.
"I would like to advise tourists to take the public transport such as the inter-province buses and trains. Even though it is time consuming, that is the safest mode of transportation at the moment," he told AFP.
"I don't advise tourists to drive by yourself or rent a car, because the driver may try to speed in order to come back to make another round."
In the Bangkok backpacker ghetto of Khao San Road, tourists said they expected airlines to lay on transportation to the temporary hubs, but many were disappointed.
"How they give the information, how they handle it -- terrible," said Dutch tourist Ruud Jansen, 55, as he and his group of five chatted by street vendors and clothes shops.
Airlines are either flying people out of U-Tapao or routing flights through Phuket in the south or Chiang Mai in the north, but while some are putting on coaches, others are leaving passengers to their own devices.
Amid confusion and arguments with their airline, Jansen's group arranged their train to Chiang Mai through their hotel.
"Within five minutes, we have train tickets," Jansen said. "We leave tonight."
British traveller Etta White, 34, said her airline told her she would have to pay an extra fare if she wanted to leave immediately.
"They said we could fly out today for 200 pounds (298 dollars), which we don't have," she said, adding that now she had no idea how she would escape.
There may, however, be a glimmer of hope for the stranded tourists.
The anti-government demonstrators agreed Tuesday to allow flights to resume from Suvarnabhumi, although exactly how long it will take to get the hub up and running again is unclear.
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