State of emergency declared in Bangkok
State of emergency declared in Bangkok
A state of emergency has been declared in Bangkok. Thailand's prime minister announced the state of emergency violent clashes occurred in Bangkok overnight.
The Thai prime minister Samak Sundaravej said he had no choice but to declare the
state of emergency in Bangkok after dozens were hurt and one person died after clashes in the capital, reports the BBC. The measure, which will be implemented by Thailand's military and police, has been introduced in order to end the week-long revolt by supporters of the
People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).
However, the prime minister explained that the state of emergency should not last long. As a result of the move, measures are in place to detain and remove people from any location, deploy troops to help maintain order, ban gatherings of more than five people and impose restrictions on media reports that could undermine public security.
The Foreign Office has advised travellers to exercise caution and to keep themselves informed of the situation via their website and the media, warning of the possibility of further violence.
The crisis in Thailand began a week ago when thousands of PAD supporters took to the streets of Bangkok and forced their way into government offices, the BBC states. Protesters also
shut down airports throughout Thailand, which have now been reopened. However, according to TravelMole, protestors could block all roads leading to the south of Thailand and shut airports once more.
Rail disruption in the north of Thailand continues after
northern line services in Chaing Mai were suspended on Sunday following protests from rail workers. The airports that may be affected by PAD action are: Hat Yai, Phuket, Suret Thani, Krabi, Samui, Nakhon Sri Thammarat and Trang.
People due to travel to and from Thailand are advised to check with their airline before departing.
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