Thousands stranded in Thailand
By Noel Adlai O. Velasco
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:05:00 11/29/2008
Filed Under: Bangkok Crisis, Civil unrest
(Editor’s Note: The writer is an Inquirer deskperson who is currently detailed with the Asian News Network office in Bangkok.)
BANGKOK, Thailand—Thousands of travelers remain stranded in Thailand after four days of unrest that have shut down Bangkok’s two main airports, disrupted exports worth tens of billions of dollars a day and tarnished the kingdom’s image as the “land of smiles.”
The Thai Ministry of Tourism called a crisis meeting Friday attended by airport officials and representatives from 50 airlines to try to map out a strategy for getting people in and out of the kingdom.
Airlines yesterday struggled to get even a handful of passengers out of the Utapao naval base, about 190 kilometers southeast of Bangkok—a low-tech, one-runway airfield built by United States forces during the Vietnam War.
“Around 40 flights are going to fly in and out of Utapao today (Friday),” said an official at the Department of Civil Aviation.
But Tourism Minister Weerasak Kowsurat said “no big batch of travelers” had been able to leave through the Utapao naval base which can only handle 48 flights a day. Suvarnabhumi, the international airport, can handle 700 flights every day.
“The travelers had better wait at their hotels for further information because Utapao airport cannot cope with a large number of people,” he said.
Weerasak said 7,000 travellers were stuck at Suvarnabhumi when it was raided last Wednesday, more than double the figure given by airport authorities at the time.
They were taken to hotels on Wednesday, and are among the tens of thousands of travellers trying to get out of the kingdom.
Emergency centers
Protesters late Wednesday also surrounded the smaller Don Muang airport, forcing its closure on Thursday.
Weerasak said the government would be setting up emergency centers to help the estimated 90,000 passengers who have missed flights since protesters shut down Bangkok’s airports.
He said the ministry would open information centers at four Bangkok hotels “in the next 48 to 72 hours,” where airlines could set up desks and travelers could reschedule flights, get new tickets and check in.
He said that immigration authorities had also agreed to extend the visas of all foreign tourists trapped and people will not face the usual fines if they overstay their visas.
As of yesterday, the total number of Filipinos stranded in Bangkok has reached more than 1,200 after two Philippine airlines canceled their flights scheduled to depart yesterday.
Philippine Airlines canceled its two flights bound for Manila yesterday, stranding 400 more passengers in Bangkok.
Canceled till Dec. 3
Cebu Pacific Air also canceled its flights to Manila-bound flights Friday, affecting 179 passengers, and another flight scheduled for tomorrow, with 125 passengers.
Yesterday, the airline decided to extend the cancellation of all flights to and from Bangkok until Dec. 3. All reservation offices have been ordered to stop selling tickets for the Manila–Bangkok–Manila and Clark–Bangkok–Clark routes during this period.
With other Filipinos booked on other airlines like Thai Airways International, the number of stranded Filipino in Bangkok could be much higher.
Juthaporn Rerngronasa, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) deputy governor for marketing communication, said the Thai government would shoulder food and hotel accommodations for stranded travelers until the airport reopens.
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The TAT has allocated a Bht2,000 (P2,750) daily budget for each stranded passenger, Juthaporn said. She said that stranded tourists need only to present their passports and their plane tickets to avail of the assistance. But the cash will not be given directly to the passengers, she said.
As of Friday, 428 Filipinos have availed of the assistance through the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok and are now billeted in different hotels in the Thai capital.
Philippine ambassador to Bangkok Antonio Rodriguez said the Bht2,000 assistance was more than enough for the needs of the stranded Filipinos
“Without the assistance, it would be a big problem for the embassy,” Rodriquez said in a phone interview.
The embassy has a stand-by fund of $10,000 which it can use in emergency cases such as this, but the amount has remained untouched as of yesterday.
Rodriquez said that so far the embassy has not received any request for monetary assistance from any stranded Filipino. “They just seek our assistance to help them book hotels since they had already checked out,” he said.
As the airport crisis entered its fourth day yesterday, airlines here are getting more calls from frantic and irate passengers demanding to leave Bangkok immediately due to commitments at home or in other cities.
A Filipino passenger whose father died had to travel by train to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and catch a flight there to Manila.
In Manila, Claro Cristobal, the Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, said stranded Filipino travelers have been billeted in various hotels while waiting for the two airports to reopen.
Cristobal said Filipinos in Bangkok have been asked to stay away from areas where antigovernment demonstrations are likely to break out.
Stay put
They have also been advised against flying to Manila by way of Kuala Lumpur because the route entails land travel through Thailand’s restive south. They should stay put in Bangkok, he said.
“Our embassy is in constant touch with them. They should keep away from potential trouble. They are not restricted where they want to go, but they should avoid areas of demonstrations,” Cristobal said. With Kristine L. Alave, Riza T. Olchondra and Reuters
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