For those who haven't heard, there's a long story leading up to it. For several months, a group called the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have been protesting, mostly in Bangkok, against the current government. The current situation has its roots in the 2006 bloodless military coup that ousted then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. I won't do it the injustice of trying to encapsulate the whole story here, but you can learn more about it on Wikipedia.
The protesters, who have been mostly nonviolent and civil, have been occupying the Government House (parliament building) in Bangkok since late August. The demonstrations have been mounting ever since, and have been expanding throughout the city. On Tuesday, protesters stormed police lines at Suvarnabhumi airport, Bangkok's main international airport, and broke through airport security checkpoints, rendering the terminal unusable. Flights already in the air bound for Bangkok were diverted to Chiang Mai, Phuket, or sadly to Mumbai. All other incoming and outgoing flights were cancelled on the ground. Worst of all, travelers who were in the airport have been stuck there. In the past few days, the PAD has allowed buses to come and transport the civilians back into the city, although there appear to be a few hundred people still stuck in the terminal (down from around three thousand on Tuesday).
The Prime Minister yesterday authorized the police to forcibly remove the protesters to allow the airport to be reopened. He has since backed down from this position, probably in response to PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang's threat that any force from the police will be met with force from the protesters, and with a "people's uprising" all over the country. I don't know enough about Thai politics to presume to have an opinion, but we're all keeping a close eye on things.
What we hope for most is for continued peace, stability, and democracy in Thailand. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jay and Chandra, and anyone else who is due to travel soon. We hope that this situation causes as little disruption as possible in people's adoptions, and that Thailand remains a safe and stable place for our children until we can bring them home with us. For up-to-the-minute news on this situation, I've been relying on bkkok.com
- Brian
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2 comments:
Rosemary I am glad and sad for your cancelled trip. Glad you're safe and sound at home, but sad that you can't go and enjoy a few Thai treats, hopefully everything will be back to normal and you can still resume your trip.
Rosemary - I am so sorry that I am just getting back to you now. We have been at my in-laws for the holiday. I am so sorry to hear about your cancelled trip. That was surely disappointing. Thank God you hadn't left sooner and gotten stuck at the airport there. We are praying along with you & Brian for peace to come son to Thailand.
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