The situation in Thailand grew unruly over the weekend as the “red-shirt protesters” took to the streets of Bangkok on Monday with the symbolic coffins of their colleagues who died in clashes with police on Saturday. At least 20 people have died in the clashes, including Hiro Muramoto, a Reuter’s photographer from Japan, and more than 800 have been injured. An unofficial report claims that among the dead are four soldiers and 16 civilians. The events are taking place even as Thailand celebrates its most important holiday of the year, Song-Kran, or New Year.

According to Ian Swain, president of Swain Tours, “Clients are postponing their trips to Thailand right now. It will take some time, but under normal circumstances Thailand is a very safe and welcoming country and when things settle down it will rebound from these sad events.”

“It hasn’t been a good period for Southeast Asia anyway,” said Bob Drumm, president of General Tours World Traveler. “Business to Thailand was beginning to turn the corner. This will set it back in the short term, but I expect it will rebound over time because it’s a great destination. These days American travelers tend to take these kinds of things in stride. We’ve been in constant touch with our travelers there and they’ve made some adjustments to their itinerary.”

“Our only cancellations came from some honeymooners,” said Marta Visu, vice president of marketing and product development for Pacific Holidays. “This is not the kind of situation that you’d want for your honeymoon. The more experienced travelers are less impacted. The last time there were problems in Thailand, it got blown over in the media because of the terrorist attack in Mumbai.”

“People have a lot of choices as to where they can go,” said Ken Fish, president of Absolute Travel. “This is not going to help Thailand. But in many ways, the last Thai confrontations were worse. They were instigated by the other side of the Thai political conflict, the ones now in power now. I think it hurt business more than because the demonstrations closed down the airport. In many ways, that scares travelers more.”

The protestors are demanding that Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva resign and dissolve the current parliament. Reports indicate that explosives and gunfire were used by a certain element within the protest and the military responded in kind. The clashes took place near some of Bangkok’s most important tourist sites. The British Foreign Office is warning British citizens that the strife is taking place in several areas throughout the country, especially in such southern provinces Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Songkhla. On Thursday, the State Department issued a Travel Alert to U.S. citizens.

The government has declared a “severe emergency situation” in Bangkok and five nearby provinces. In an official statement, the prime minister said the government’s aim was “to restore normalcy and ensure the sanctity of the law, and all actions that will be taken will be in accordance with the law and international standards. There is no intention of using the law to suppress or harm those who are innocent.”

He said instructions have been given to all security agencies that officers exercise the utmost restraint, and should the situation escalate, that they take a graduated response -- from light to heavy measures -- in accordance with internationally accepted practices, with due respect to human rights principles. The Thai government is advising visitors to avoid rally sites in Bangkok such as Ratchadamnoen Avenue, Makkawan Rangsan Bridge near Government House and Ratchaprasong intersection. Both city airports (Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang) are operating as normal. For more information, call 011 662-575-1023 or visit www.tourismthailand.org.
 

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