3 Airports closed in LOS...

[batman4ever]

(stogie bear @ Aug. 30 2008,16:39) Moved, merged and retirred!  

didnt know it was so bad now a days.....

[jet712]

ok guys, in the event that this thing drags on, I've got to make some alternative plans.

I've got a couple of days in Bangkok and five days in Patts already factored into my trip so what should I do with the other twelve days of my holiday if I can't get to Phuket ?

[Snick]

Rent a villa in Hua Hin, Grab 6 LB and take them there, invite me !

[jet712]

Cheers Snick,

Having seen the pics, I'm tempted.

We should start drawing up a list of invitees...I'll volunteer to do some recce work.

[robbo]

(Snick @ Aug. 31 2008,10:09) Rent a villa in Hua Hin, Grab 6 LB and take them there, invite me !

this is indeed a sound idea,something ive been thinkin on doing for a while,i love H hin,and so do a lot of the girls.its one to do.gota be a better idea than pattaya!

[Ivor Biggun]

Phuket airport apparently re-opened about 30 minutes ago.

[haze69uk]

As long as they leave Suvarnabhumi alone... i fly in on wednesday. Was planning to stay in Bangkok for a week or so first before i made any onward travel plans, so i can work round the problems provincial airports.

[Snick]

This is one of the best summaries of the current situation I have seen. The situation is even more complicated/weird than whats in the article, but it would take too long to summarize everything.
--


BANGKOK: Now playing here is a balancing act between political theater and deadly serious power struggle that both fascinates and alarms the public.

Will mass demonstrations, the occupation of the seat of government and of some airports force the resignation of the elected prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, whom opponents see as surrogate for the prime minister deposed in 2006, Thaksin Shinawatra?

Will these high profile, well-funded but disparate activists fail to foment a full-blown crisis? Or will the military step in with another coup? Or will the king impose a compromise which implicitly undermines rule by ballot box?

So far, Thailand has just about kept its balance as shifting alliances make the issues more complex than a simple struggle between the pro- and anti-Thaksin forces. The former prime minister himself is now in Britain, having jumped bail when faced with corruption charges.

At stake for the longer run are fundamental issues: What form of democracy, if any, should Thailand have? What will be the role of the monarchy when King Bhumipol, 80, whose standing has risen in step with his 62 years on the throne, is no longer there.

The protesters under the banner of the Peoples Alliance for Democracy include both liberals and conservatives - liberal, constitutionalist democrats outraged by the corruption and authoritarianism to which democracy, they allege, degenerated under Thaksin; right-wing royalists who loathe populism and would like rule by a military and bureaucratic elite blessed by the monarch. With them are assorted opportunists better known for their love of the limelight than for principles.

As for Prime Minister Samak, 73, at one level he is a Thaksin surrogate whose legitimacy stems from last year's election won by the People Power Party created by Thaksin loyalists. But at another he has long associations with right-wing royalists and with the military and police who accord him some trust even though they remain mostly anti-Thaksin. So far, the army has stood aside.

While Samak remains under pressure to quit, Thaksin loyalists are beginning to wonder if he will opt to survive in office and let the judiciary press on with the prosecution of Thaksin and the appropriation of huge assets held by his family and associates.

Thaksin himself was clearly surprised that he was not able to do a deal with the Samak government, in part due to pressure from the royal palace to let the law take its course. To many, Thaksin's crime was not so much corruption, which has been rampant in every government, as his centralization of power and largesse.

Some monarchists also hint that Thaksin is a covert republican. But what they really fear is that King Bhumipol's successor, lacking his authority, will be unable to act as a balance to populist democracy and will revert to the purely ceremonial institution the monarchy was during Bhumipol's first two decades, when military strongmen ran the country.

They know that whatever case is made against him, Thaksin will remain admired by the poor, whom he helped with health and credit schemes, and by businessmen, who praised his "get things done" approach.

The Bangkok middle class espouses democracy but in practice fears that it could threaten not just their liberties but the income disparities that make their lives comfortable. Likewise the bureaucracy in this highly centralized state is hardly corruption-free but resents being bossed by the likes of Thaksin.

As for the army, it still sees itself as the ultimate defender of stability and the monarchy. But it has learned from experience that direct interventions are not solutions. Indeed, things are much the same now as before the 2006 coup when Thaksin was facing daily demonstrations by the same people as Samak today.

Thailand is an open society, and most Thais want democratic participation. The military and most of the monarchists accept that. But the question of what kind of democracy and to what extent it should be balanced by the courts, the army, the Bangkok mob or the king remains unsettled.

Unstable but manageable politics is likely to continue - at least until the succession, at which points predictions are impossible.

http://www.iht.com/bin/printfriendly.php?id=15769005

[manarak]

(haze69uk @ Aug. 31 2008,18:34) As long as they leave Suvarnabhumi alone... i fly in on wednesday. Was planning to stay in Bangkok for a week or so first before i made any onward travel plans, so i can work round the problems provincial airports.

pfff... I can't think of anything better than to be stranded in Bangkok.

what could possibly be luckier than being on a business trip in bangkok and the PAD disrupts Suvarnapoom for 2 weeks straight?
Wooohooo

sucks for those planning to come in, tho

[eslmiker]

Yes, it does suck! Well, like Haze69uk I'm one of those planning on coming in, but my flights at 10:20am tomorrow. My plans include (or included) travelling to Phuket.

I understand the Phuket Airport has reopened, at least for now:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=130199

But PAD is now threatening strikes on the utilities in Bangkok and to stop electricity & water supplies to all police stations, as well as further strikes at 7 southern airports, including Phuket.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=130211

So, to go or not to go?

[katoeylover]

Definitely go!!

[stogie bear]

Democracy is a thing of the past. Only a few silly countries still cling to the idea that this is a fair minded way to run a country.

There are simply too many people for this to be an effective system of government.

China has it about right. If they get out of line just shoot the fuckers.

[manarak]

The Bangkok middle class espouses democracy but in practice fears that it could threaten not just their liberties but the income disparities that make their lives comfortable.

Now that argument is totally sensible to me.
If they started the welfare and high minimum wage nonsense in Thailand, real estate prices would soar, and Bangkok and Thailand in general would quickly become too expensive for most of us.

Short times at 150 USD... brrr...

Can't blame the PAD under that perspective.

[pacman]

Democracy will be viewed as a 20th century experiment that, like communism, was seen as the answer,
the only problem has proved to be the fact that ultimately it is self-defeating.

When half the population votes for one plan & the other half votes for the opposite, how does anything get done?

Then legislation has to be thrashed out in parliament through both houses, & you finish up with government by committee,
the least effective, most cumbersome style possible, that delivers decisions after all self-interest groups are satisfied.

Benevolent dictatorship is the one truly efficient & fair style of government ever devised.

[SamplerDoc]

Finally Wings up and out of here
Not thats a bad place but