Is Bangkok safe for tourists?

By Khan Peter

Still many tourists are looking for information about the current situation in Bangkok. I see that in the search traffic to the blog and on the blog. This question pops up regularly on bulletin boards and forums.

Travel to Thailand

The TV images of the riots in Bangkok have done what you can expect from them. The fear is good for many tourists. The poll here on Thailandblog shows that the majority (79%) do not care and just go back Thailand shall journey. This figure is of course not entirely representative because many visitors to this blog have a special bond with Thailand. A riot or bomb may not spoil the fun.

You want good travel advice

There are of course plenty of tourists who are not familiar with the current situation in Thailand and only occasionally get information about this from the media. To exclude any risk (?) you look for information, you want good travel advice about the current situation in Bangkok.
And what do you do then? You go Googling and type in, for example:

• negative travel advice Thailand
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• travel advice bangkok
• bangkok safe
• holiday thailand travel advice
• travel advice thailand july 2010
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• dangers in Thailand
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• bangkok safe again
• whether or not to Thailand

I took a look in Google Analytics and these are really the keywords that receive a substantial part of the traffic to Thailandblog.nl.

Travel advice from Foreign Affairs

The travel advice for Thailand of July 27, 2010 on the website of the Dutch Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seems quite clear to me. The literal text:

Due to the still uncertain and unstable political situation in Thailand, travelers are advised to exercise caution, especially in Bangkok, northern and northeastern Thailand.
Since the political unrest in May, the situation has generally calmed down. However, on 25 July 2010 a bomb exploded at a bus stop in the center of Bangkok (Ratchadamri road), killing one person and injuring eight people.

The Thai government decided on July 7 to extend the state of emergency for three months in Bangkok and 18 provinces (Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Ayutthaya, Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, Chaiyaphum, Nakhom Ratchasima , Ubon Ratchathani, Nong Bua Lumphu, Mahasarakham, Roi Et, Sakhon Nakhon, Muk Da Han and Samutprakarn).

The state of emergency gives the authorities extensive powers to maintain order and prohibits gatherings of more than five people. In practice, tourists have so far not been inconvenienced by the state of emergency.

Travelers and Dutch residents in Thailand are advised to register via the website of the Dutch embassy in Bangkok www.netherlandsembassy.in.th so that they can be reached by the embassy (including by SMS) in the event of an emergency. Travelers are also advised to regularly follow the information on the website of the Dutch Embassy.

How dangerous is Thailand?

At the moment, I don't consider the political situation to be threatening for tourists (there hasn't actually been one if you just follow all travel advice). The recent bombing was likely an incident linked to the by-election for a vacant parliamentary seat. Nevertheless, it could still happen more often.

In my view, traffic is much more dangerous with at least thirty deaths per day. Or the outbreak of dengue fever, rabies, drugs and STDs. And especially not to forget the strong current of the sea.

Every year, many tourists die in Thailand because they ride a moped or motorcycle without a helmet. Every year a large number of tourists drown in the sea because they underestimate the current, which is much stronger than, for example, the North Sea.
I don't get any questions about that. There is no tourist who therefore stays at home.

Try to put everything in proper perspective. The chance of your plane crashing en route to Thailand is more likely than being involved in a bombing in Bangkok.

Have a safe holiday!

Editor's Note:

For the sake of completeness and clarity, after I posted this article, news reached me that a hand grenade exploded at the King Power shopping center on Rangnam Road. The hand grenade was hidden in rubbish and went off when someone searched through the rubbish for something useful. This Thai man was seriously injured.

A quote from 'The Nation' is telling.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva later warned of possible further bomb attacks in Bangkok.

“It's likely that the bomb was aimed at inciting unrest,” Abhisit said. “The overall assessment and evaluation of the situation is that more bomb attacks are likely at this time.”

Nevertheless, I still stand by my article. Follow the travel advice of the Dutch Embassy in Bangkok and I am convinced that you can stay safely in Bangkok.