Belgians stuck in Thailand due to bad weather
In the floods that have been going on since last week in the south of Thailand 21 people have already been killed. Thousands of foreigners, including two Belgians, are still stuck on the tourist islands.
Two Belgians are detained on the stricken island of Koh Samui. That says Jetair spokesman Hans Vanhaelemeesch to VakantieKanaal. “The two had made a tour and booked a beach holiday afterwards,” says Vanhaelemeesch. “They were caught there by the storm. Because the boats no longer sailed and the airport in the area was closed, they had to stay two days longer than they originally planned. Today they fly back to Belgium via Bangkok.”
Travel company Thomas Cook, who also journey organizes to Thailand, says it does not encounter any problems. “Our tourists passed through the affected area last week and last weekend, but nothing was wrong then,” says spokesperson Baptiste Van Outryve. “At the moment we have no Belgians in the affected areas.”
Meanwhile, ominous reports about the local situation are being sent out: many places are without electricity, roads, railway lines and airports are closed. “About a million people in several provinces have been affected. Initially we thought the floods would last for a day or two, but they have now lasted for a week," said Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban.
Itineraries
However, next week's tours will continue as usual. "The last information that we have received is that there is no problem for the tours scheduled for next week. If necessary, we can do them the other way around, so that the tourists arrive later in the affected area,” says Van Outryve. “Should the storm continue, we can flexibly adjust the itinerary and go to unaffected areas first.” Jetair does not expect any operational problems either.
Foreign Affairs, unlike the Netherlands, has not issued any negative travel advice for Thailand. “We have warned about events such as this one, but that does not apply to the whole of Thailand,” said spokesman Bart Ouvry. On its website, Foreign Affairs advises Belgians traveling to the south of Thailand to contact the airlines to find out the state of affairs.
Source: The Importance of Limburg