The Thai pyramid scheme
By Khun Peter It makes me sad when I see the images of the chaos in Bangkok. Law enforcement has always been a problem. The years of visible corruption in the police, civil servants and politicians have left deep traces. Confidence in those in power is completely gone. The first step towards final moral decay and anarchy? The way Thai handles power is extremely reprehensible. Whatever political color one adheres to, many politicians and civil servants use …
Chulalongkorn Hospital Bangkok evacuated after storm
By Hans Bos BANGKOK – The management of Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok has decided to evacuate all patients. This as a result of the storming and search of the hospital by approximately 200 Red Shirts men. This in the expectation that they would find soldiers there. This appeared to not be the case. The director of the hospital complains about the noise nuisance caused by the Red Shirts, not even a stone's throw from the hospital. That disrupts the healing process of…
To go to Bangkok or not?
Click here for an update: May 5, 2010 In recent days, the Thailandblog editors have received many questions from concerned travelers who want to know whether it is safe and sensible to travel to Bangkok. We can do nothing but report the facts on this blog. You have to make the choice whether or not to go to Bangkok. What do the non-experts say? On websites, blogs, forums and bulletin boards fierce discussions arise between people…
Travel Advice Bangkok – Thailand
CLICK HERE FOR UPDATE JUNE 2010 On April 28, another confrontation took place in Bangkok between red shirts and security forces. About XNUMX red shirts traveled through the city in pick-up trucks and mopeds and were stopped by soldiers on Vibhavadi-Rangsit Road, in the north of the city near the old Don Muang airport. In the skirmishes that followed, in which live ammunition was fired, one person was reportedly killed and at least…
Seh Daeng, the Terror of Abhisit
By Hans Bos It looks like a scene from a movie about the history of Thailand. Sharp bamboo sticks in a barricade of stones. Only those old car tires the Thai did not have a hundred years ago. And we have to do it without elephants in the picture…. Commander in Chief of the Red Shirts (we'll just keep calling them that, otherwise the confusion will get worse) is the defected Major General Khattya Sawasdipol, better known as Seh Daeng. He…
Abhisit and Boonpracong drinking chocolate milk?
By Joseph Jongen While resting at the coffee bar at a Thai gas station, my eye falls on two metal cans of cocoa from a well-known brand. Although I almost get an aversion to brands, caused by them wandering around Thailand like walking advertising pillars, and not just there. If they would receive a few baht for it, I would still be okay with it, but to walk around like a kind of sandwich man for free, …
Abhisit: Red shirts want to overthrow monarchy
By Hans Bos The Roodshirts want to overthrow the Thai monarchy by force. This was stated by Prime Minister Abhisit yesterday. He says the political jigsaw is complete as it becomes clear that UDD (Red Shirts), the Puea Thai Party, exiled politicians, academics and local radio show hosts are conspiring to get rid of the royal family. Abhisit says that it has long been thought that the Red Shirts had a more far-reaching plan than just the dissolution of the Cabinet and parliament. The prime minister …
Full Moon Party during the turn of the year
Video of the Full Moon Party at New Year's Eve (January 1, 2010).
Songkran balance and flight problems
By Colin de Jong – Pattaya Fortunately, the Songkran misery is over and I still do not understand that the government still accepts that many millions of liters of precious water are wasted every year. Absolutely unacceptable with the low water level in the lakes and not to mention the hundreds of deaths and many thousands injured every year due to excessive drinking. As a result, the Thai economy is running at extremely low speeds because…
It becomes chaotic
Red shirts that change color and look like multicolors. Yellow shirts who will soon also enter the arena and pure Red shirts in the province. Definitely confusing, but TIT (This Is Thailand), where nothing is what it seems.
Unrest spreads to the northern provinces
By Hans Bos Prime Minister Abhisit and Supreme Commander Anupong have had to fight on two fronts since Sunday: Bangkok and the northern provinces. The United Front for Democracy (UDD) blocked the arrival of 500 policemen to Bangkok on Phaholyothin Road in Pathum Thani yesterday. The Red Shirts have set up their own roadblock there. In Udon Thani, 200 Red Shirts already prevented 200 police officers from leaving for Bangkok on Saturday. Tensions also ran in Phayao and Ubon Ratchatani between …
Pattaya 2010
A HQ video that gives a good impression of Pattaya
Thailand's future in the hands of Abhisit
By Khun Peter The political conflict in Thailand is deadlocked. The Redshirts dug in at the Ratchaprasong intersection. It resembles a free state with its own government and police. The Redshirts are the masters of their own territory and, like wild mutts, are prepared to defend it to the death. The Yellowshirts, however, support the incumbent government of Abhisit. They see the Red Shirts as a destabilizing factor. The yellow shirts are conservative…
Video: Tourists stuck at Bangkok airport
A video from the BBC shows that more than 3.000 tourists are still waiting for a flight home. The Icelandic ash cloud has a nasty aftermath for the tourists who spend the night at Bangkok airport because they have run out of money. .
Update May 6, 2010: In response to the situation in Bangkok, the Calamities Committee has decided on May 6, 2010 to lift the coverage limitation. Looking for up-to-date travel advice for Bangkok and Thailand – click here! The calamity fund announced on April 23 that a coverage limit has been issued for Bangkok with the exception of the airport. What does this mean? Although the term negative travel advice is no longer used, you can interpret this decision as such. …
A conflict, out of all proportion
By Hans Bos For outsiders it is difficult to understand what the conflict between the Thai Red Shirts and the government of Prime Minister Abhisit is all about. Even political commentators can no longer see the wood for the trees here. The Red Shirts say they are fighting for democracy and call the current government of (Democrat) Abhisit unconstitutional. They also say they fight against the elite rulers. Although there is a grain of truth in the latter, parliament is the …
Three killed and at least 75 injured in Bangkok bombings
At least three people have been killed and at least 75 injured in a series of six bomb attacks in the Thai capital. The explosions took place in the Silom business district. A foreigner is said to be among the injured, report Bangkok Post on its website. The bombings caused widespread panic on the street as passers-by rushed into shops and offices. Both military and civilians were injured. Four Skytrain stations are closed. .