Thailand's image has been destroyed miserably. There is no law, order, peace or security.
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For 2nd day, no flights to Bangkok
Top News
Written by Recto Mercene / Reporter
Thursday, 27 November 2008 23:53


FOR the second day, Philippine Airlines (PAL) called off its morning flight to Bangkok for Friday, and is considering scrapping the evening service, as well, depending on the situation on the ground as the political standoff continues in the Thai capital.

PAL also canceled its two flights to Bangkok on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the office of Thai Airways at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) posted several signs saying its office at the Suvarnabhumi airport in Thailand remains closed to clients due to the unstable political situation there. The airline told passengers they would be rebooked as soon as the situation normalizes.

The Airline Operators Council (AOC) at the Naia said Suvarnabhumi airport would allow only international airlines to land during emergency and distress situations, as dictated by international laws.

“They can’t deny aircraft on emergency or in a similar distressed situation like someone being sick onboard, asking for permission to land,” the AOC officials said.

The same official said the airspace in Mumbai, India, was also temporarily closed due to the series of deadly terrorist attacks there at dawn Thursday that killed more than 100 so far, and that all international airlines were advised, through a notice to airmen, to seek alternative routes to avoid untoward incidents.

Thursday’s canceled PAL flights were PR 730, a wide-body Airbus A330-300 service originally scheduled to depart for Bangkok at 10:30 a.m., and PR 732, a narrow-body Airbus A320 flight slated to take off for Bangkok at 7:05 p.m. Their respective return flights were also canceled.

Friday’s canceled flight was supposed to be a wide-body Airbus A340-300 service that would operate as flight PR 730, with a published departure time of 10:30 a.m.

Both PAL flights on November 26 were canceled as the Thailand Airport Authority shut Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport out of concern for passengers’ safety when antigovernment mobs took over the facility. The airspace over Bangkok remains closed to air traffic.

Affected PAL passengers are advised to monitor news media or contact PAL’s 24-hour flight information telephone number 855-9999 for updates.

Cebu Pacific Air (CEB) flights 5J 931 and 5J 932 Manila-Bangkok-Manila scheduled on Thursday were also canceled. Affected passengers are asked to rebook their flights for travel in the next 15 days.

CEB passengers may call the Cebu Pacific reservations at (632) 702-0888 and (6232) 320-8888.

German flag carrier Lufthansa, which uses the Bangkok airport as its hub in Southeast Asia, said affected passengers of flights to the Thai capital have been rebooked to other airlines.

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-- Reportedly, BBC. Radio3 news, the TH. gov't. is mulling-over flying-OUT stranded tourists etc. from mil'y. air-bases within 48 or so hours.
-- Bibi.. --

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E316346, as you appear to know a lot about flights and The Philippines, could you comment on my plan to fly to Cagayan de Oro on Cebu Pacific from Bangkok one day soon as there appears to be a stack of cute boys floundering around aimlessly waiting for money and sex...if Gayromeo postings are to believed. I have called and spoken to many of the boys and they sound exciting and fresh. Also there is the island resort not so far away. Do you have any comments or experiences that may interest for me and others?

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If you're not in too much of a hurry, you could try flying to Penang and then taking a nice leisurely train ride to Bangkok.

Tao

__________________
Urepentantly irrascible old fart!

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-- An Aussie. acquaintance of mine who should have flown-OUT of BKK. last thursday, (27th.), on SGP. Airlines - in fact he had had to change his original and return booking to that date because of another's EMGY. back in OZ. and thus he had had to pay an extra AUD.550.oo. to change his tkt. - has been re-booked to fly-OUT on 07 dec..
- Interestingly enough SIA. has refunded his AUD.550. payment for his previous change of flt. plans.

-- Well, I suppose that there are worse things on Planet Earth than being forced to spend an extra 10 or so daze here in the LoS. - where every day is another day's holiday in Paradise - ha!
-- Bibi.. --

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Any first hand reports of how the bars,massagae venues and saunas are faring one week after ?

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Business appears slow but steady. People are definitely not staying home because of this. DJ Station was packed over the weekend, as usual.

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-- Y'day., (30th.), I met a Finnish couple who asked me for dirn's. to the MONTEIN HTL., (tnn. Suriwong.), where Finnair, (AY./FIN.), would be briefing their PAX. on the current sit'n..
- While I haven't cum-OUT to the LoS. to chat-up farangs yet this one was so attractive, (med. ht. & neatly built; clear skin with a complexion that suggested that he needed to shave but seldom; lt. gingerish hair; lt brown eyes.), - almost like eye-candy to these tired and olde eyes - that had he been unaccompanied I might have make a suggestion?

-- Today, (01st.), forenoon I spoke with a farang acquaintance whose flt. OUT has been postponed.
- He told me that y'day. he went to TG's temp'y. office on Tnn. Suriwong. He arr'd. around 09.oo.hrs., was given a numbered tkt. and asked to return later and during the a'noon.. He was seen by a clerk at around 16.hrs. and left at about 19.oo.hrs. clutching in his hot & little hand a confirmed tkt. for a flt. OUT in the next few days from the former USAF. base nr. PATTAYA.
-- Bibi.. --

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While this is a present day disaster with huge consequences tourism will climb back when the world economy does..Bali,which had huge shocks, has returned to previous levels.Memories fade, and while some of it is being squandered, Thailand has fantastic world-wide goodwill.

Unless....And on the other hand....

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It may be a co-incidence... but this week I've had emails from 3 property development companies (in BKK and Pattaya) offering me "very good buying" on new condos. Comments like "now buyers' market" "special pricing" and "offers considered" suggest that good -will may be fading fast. With the THB at 22 to the AUD $ , the pricks at Suvarnahbumi are showing Thailand as a country in the grip of complete anarchy and chaos.. a true banana republic. It's just so sad for the Thai's who will loose their jobs, their businesses and their homes. So sad for the land of smiles.....

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Yes, but that has taken years! I was in Bali in April 2004 - 18 months after the bombings, and the tourist industry was then still very fragile. I reckon Bali had a similar image to Thailand - warm, friendly people, great culture, lots of sun and sand etc. Sadly I feel Thai tourism will take at least 2 years to recover.

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Agreed ! and in Bali 99% of the population were horrified by the bombings and did all they could for the tourists. The yellow pricks at the airports seem determined to specifically piss of all the foreign tourists that are the country's bread and butter. What f**kwits ! Now that the court has outlawed the PPP - will the PAD show reason and withdraw?

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This is the most disgusted and angry that I have ever felt while living in Thailand, a period over 12 years. And I was a regular twice-a-year visitor for over 4 years prior to moving here. This airport closure has done much more than just inconvenience people. There will also be huge job losses in the tourism sector; not just in Thailand but in neighboring countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar) as well. The simple fact that these so-called democratic thugs could waltz in and take over such an important facility virtually unchallenged is also very disturbing. I think it will much more than a couple of years for Thailand to recover from this idiotic episode. I'd wager it takes closer to a decade before we see tourist numbers similar to last year. This is gonna hurt big time.

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Is anyone concerned about the fact that it was under Thaksin and his cronies that the government initiated a number of anti-gay moves? And that PAD members seem more aligned with urbane sensibilities than with traditional moralities? Or are my perceptions simply wrong?

It's true that, at least in the abstract, democracy is a good form of government, but it also seems true that democracy can be and has been manipulated by crooks and charlatans. I don't generally favor oligarchy, but I also don't favor puritanism, so as an outsider I have mixed feelings about the PAD confrontation with the government.

If PAD actions have hurt tourism, that's regrettable, but does "anti-vice" crusading help tourism?

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-- I see that people are beginning to trickle-out of TH.:
- The acquaintance who waited the best part of one whole day with TH. has left - he flew back to the ME. via SGP.;
- My Aussie. acquaintance will fly-out on 05 dec. with SIA., who will be providing a coach from the BKK. office to the ex-USAF. Base, wch. they are using pro tem., for 600.Bh..

-- From a Thai and English language 'paper's rpt. I read that the US., (the self-styled: 'Home of the brave, land of the free.'), is refusing to allow PAX. to fly-back directly to the USofA. from their ex-USAF. Base here in TH. - citing security concerns. All PAX. have to return via an internationally recognised int'l. airport, where they will de-'plane., and in wch. they can u'go. the full-gamut of sec. checks before being allowed to fly-on and to return back home!

-- Bibi.. --

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