Bangkok blast kills one

Post your comment

Your Comments (10)

, be the first to post a comment.
Your email:

Your comment title:


Your comment:

Email other comments made to this story

5 characters

• One eyed monster
  
  

  Apologies to all the readers who mis-understand my point as much as certain others. I must re-visit my original comment and retract my derogatory remarks - how spiteful and misleading I was. I in no way aimed to detract from the current situation because I was not commenting on the current situation, nor would I contemplate doing what Le Fevre suggests and state that the situation in another country is not as bad as it really is. Come on sunshine get a life ! NB: From TravelMole Editor: I am calling time on this discussion thread. It's getting too personal! But, thanks, guys, for the debate

  By Brian Wright, Friday, November 28, 2008
• Man of straw
  
  

  My role and my interests are clear. The OP is the one who came charging into this story blaming the media, whether it be Travel Mole writers or others, for distorting the situation and the potential for the situation in Thailand to get worse and sensationalizing the protests. By refusing to anti-up to any of the challenges, including identifying his interest, Mr Wright is simply showing he is a straw man. It might be fashionable to criticize the media, but the way the situation has deteriorated in Thailand - and has the potential to get still worse, the media have been vindicated for what they have written. So too have the Travel Mole editors in publishing or re-publishing those stories to keep those in the travel industry world-wide informed of the situation in Thailand. I imagine Mr Wright's next attack will be on the media coverage of Mumbai and the sensationalism contained in stories. No doubt his argument will be that the carnage there is confined to just a small part of India and no-one should be overly concerned.

  By John Le Fevre, Friday, November 28, 2008
• Medication time !
  
  

  Someone please give Hewson and Le Fevre the medication they obviously need to calm the nerves and inject a sense of calm. Original references to 'the media' do not only relate to travelmole writers and no-one ever suggested that any situation would not worsen. Balanced views is what is needed. Any suggestion that I should disclose my 'vested interest' is absolute rubbish andcoul donly come from someone who has their own vested interest - perhaps to justify their existence or their own glorious self-opinions. Who knows. But attacks on people who comment on the news makes no sense at all.

  By Brian Wright, Friday, November 28, 2008
• Bangkok isn't Thailand
  
  

  Whilst the present closure of Bangkok's two airports represents a challenge to many Travellers, there are other ways to enter Thailand that aren't subject to the whims of protestors. Furthermore, the physical areas of the disturbances within Bangkok city are well defined and not frequented by tourists. Only a fool would go and mix it up with demonstrators. Outside Bangkok life continues as usual with the tourist Mecca's open for business as usual, although tourist hot spots seem to be somewhat less crowded than usual. I have been using public ground transportation in my recent travels and have experienced no unusual behavior on anyones part. Could Brian Wright be < http://www.mythaifiancee.com/images/fiancee-visa-director-image.jpg>?

  By Jon Hewson, Thursday, November 27, 2008
• Go shout it from the mountains
  
  

  The role of TravelMole as a community is to keep the travel industry as a WHOLE informed of developments or matters that may affect them or their clients. I don't believe it is to protect the interests of people in one segment of the market alone. Similarly the role of the media is to keep the public informed and not to protect sectors that might be damaged by the reports they publish. The originator started this thread complaining about media coverage of an event that has escalated to the point of both Bangkok airports being besieged, thousands of passengers stranded, dozens of flights canceled or diverted and hand grenades being thrown amongst protesters at both Bangkok airport. When thousands of people surround a building preventing people from entering or leaving the appropriate word is besieged. When a hand grenade explodes it is a blast, and when up to 70 per cent of tourists cancel their bookings it is fair to describe the effecting as cutting the guts out of the market - especially in one such as Thailand that relies so heavily on tourism. I'm not sure what terms Mr Wright would have journalists use: Grenade pop kills one, perhaps? A gathering of people (lets not use the sensationalist word protesters) stopped passengers from entering the airport/police from leaving their headquarters? Sensationalist? No. Correct use of English? Yes. When tens of thousands of people march through the business and shopping districts of any capital city, life does not continue as normal. Unless that view is held by someone who never leaves the comfort of their air conditioned high-rise office. Mr Wright still refuses to disclose which part of Thailand he is in where the tourism sector hasn't been severely hurt by these ongoing protests. I for one am more than happy to fly to such a location that is brimming full of tourists. The truth is that the Thailand tourism industry has been brought to its knees by these ongoing protests and sporadic outbursts of violence. Mr Wright obviously has a vested interest in saying otherwise and it's about time he disclosed what that interest is. To claim "there are various regions which may have opposite seasons" is pure hyperbole. There is a matter of months difference between tourism seasons in Thailand. It's not the same as Europe or even Australia where there is a clear Winter (snow) season and warmer (beach/outdoor activity) season attracting different groups of tourists. Again, I call on Mr Wright to disclose his involvement in the Thai tourism industry and suspect that he may be a staff member from the Tourism Authority of Thailand. I again call on him to put money on the table that the current situation wont deteriorate further than it has now. Instead of trying to find a whipping boy in the media, Mr Wright should be looking closer to home for where the problem lays. Instead of trying to shout from the mountains that all is good in Thailand, Mr Wright should consider how travel agents in other countries are going to deal with complaints from tourists who find themselves stranded at Bangkok airport, or terrified by large groups of protesters marching through the streets and shooting people from the backs of trucks. Travel agents in other countries need clear, concise information and accurate risk assessments when they are selling their products. Providing false information and accusing the media of misinformation and sensationalism does no body any good and defeats the value of this community.

  By John Le Fevre, Wednesday, November 26, 2008
• dont run with scissors
  
  

  It is interesting to see that these comments are still attracting such a response seeing that this writers original comments related only to earlier event reporting and not to what is happenning today. Look at the language used in the repsonses - 'gutted' he believes is justified on what grounds. 'Beseiged' is another; 'blast' - sensational yet again !! Thailand's tourism industry is strong and always will be. There are various regions which may have opposite seasons so one will be low while the other is high. No-one is suggestng that some businesses are not suffering or might suffer in future. Of course there will be effects especially considering the rediculous nature of the situation today.

  By Brian Wright, Wednesday, November 26, 2008
• rose colored glasses
  
  

  I would like to know where Mr Wright is based because from the Northern City of Chiang to the Southern province of Phuket the reports from everyone in the Thailand tourism industry is that for now the industry is gutted. Just today I spoke to travel industry people in Chiang Mai, Bangkok and Pattaya and all have said it is the worst start to a peak season they can recall coming on top of a dismal high season. I've quoted enough Thai industry spokespeople in the articles I have supplied to TravelMole and published on my own blog here [url] http://photojourn.wordpress.com/2008/10/10/thailand-tourism-in-crisis-as-protesters-die-in-bloody-bangkok/]/url] and here [url]http://photojourn.wordpress.com/2008/10/11/thailand-tourism-chief-believes-deadly-clashes-will-not-significantly-affect-tourism/[/url] to show that gutted is the right term. The effects are further reinforced by the large number of foreign owned tourism sector businesses being advertised for sale on various English language forums and bulletin boards in Thailand - just as the peak season gets underway. From my nightly drives around the tourist precincts of Chiang Mai it is obvious from the empty restaurants, deserted bars and blackened hotel windows that the tourism sector in Thailand is gutted. To blame the media for sensationalizing the ongoing protests by the Bangkok urban elitist group known as the PAD (Peoples Alliance for Democracy) is looking at the situation through rose colored glasses. When tens of thousands of protesters march through the main shopping and business district of Bangkok; when the Parliament is besieged; when the national police headquarters is besieged; when the Thai military's Supreme Command Headquarters is besieged, the media are not sensationalizing the situation at all. When people make threats of bombings; when the government issues warnings of intelligence information indicating possible bombing campaigns and warn the public to be alert; when different groups threaten to violently oppose any coup d'etat; and when academics and politicians forecast further bloodshed [url] http://photojourn.wordpress.com/2008/10/20/thailand-political-crisis-worsens-further-bloodshed-forecast/[/url] there is no room to issue caveats on stories to try and buffer the affects on the country's tourism industry. When people can tune in to the BBC [url] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7747966.stm [/url] and see anti-government protesters firing handguns and slingshots at people, setting fire to motorbikes and running amok with iron bars and wooden clubs near the old Don Muang airport with several people wounded by gun shot wounds in the process, the media have an obligation to show that this is not, and is not likely to remain an isolated protest confined to a small part of Bangkok. How easy it is to forget 10,000 foreign travelers stranded just two months ago by the same pistol firing, iron bar wielding PAD mob that only yesterday moved throughout Bangkok from one location to another on mass. Travel agents outside of Thailand have a need to know what the real situation is before sending clients for holiday here. If Mr Wright is prepared to put money on the table that the situation is not going to worsen, then I'll take that wager. If he is not, his criticism of the reporting by the media to date is without any basis.

  By John Le Fevre, Tuesday, November 25, 2008
• smoke and mirrors indeed
  
  

  It is indeed a case of smoke and mirrors. The tourism industry is not gutted as reported above by John Le Fevre and those of us who do work in the industry sometimes see the need for more balanced reporting. Who is presenting smoke and mirrors? Sure it is a job of the media to report news as it happens but if it's no so exciting then why make it exciting. The tourism industry does not downplay any news or present it as anything but what it is in reality on the ground. Mostly it is in reponse to the alarm caused to overseas customers and agents through their interpretation of the news.

  By Brian Wright, Tuesday, November 25, 2008
• smoke, mirrors and misinformation
  
  

  The comments by Brian Wright are fairly accurate and obviously reflect the views of someone in the tourism industry in Thailand - which is totally gutted at this time. With the latest "final stance" by the ant-government PAD movement though and their recent marches surrounding government buildings, the commandeering of a public bus at gunshot, and flooding the urrban transit system to lay seige to the temporary government house at the Don Muang airport one can only reflect on the fact that so far the media reporting has been fairly balanced. There would be very few Thais who do not expect to some degree that a coup d'etat is the likely endgame to the ongoing political stand-off. The media have an obligation to report the news, not to downplay events. A hapless tourist who suddently finds themselves on a train or bus surrounded by a group of yellow shirted thugs on their way to the latest rallying point, or caught up in one of the street protests through the business and shopping district will be far from pleased with news reports that say "protests are confined to a small part of Bangkok." The Thai elite - the people who make up the PAD - are destroying their own tourism industry, they are taking their protest away from a small part of Bangkok, they are attempting to make to the situation escalate because in their mind a coup d'etat will serve their own purpose. Thankfully the government isn't falling for this trick. Reports of protesters planning to lay seige to the Pattaya airport, calls for continuous strikes by State Owned Enterprises, and rallies through the business district are not want holiday makers want. No one can issue a guarantee to holiday makers that a coup d'etat will not occur, or that the situation wont escalate. I sympathise with those in the Thai tourism sector, but any honest person will admit that the current situation in Thailand is too fluid to predict what will happen from one day to the next. The media coverage to date has reflected that fluidity.

  By John Le Fevre, Tuesday, November 25, 2008
• Why is it a blow to Thailand's Tourism Business?
  
  

  It is a media role to report news as it is but what about responsibility for also reporting the fact that everyday life continues as normal. The reaction from the industry is that tourism business must try to undo any negative affects caused by bad news, by releasing news updates to our customers as a precaution against the misunderstandings caused through the media. These incidents are not designed to bring down Thailand's tourism industry so is it possible that the media might play a role to help minimise the affects.....perhaps a trailer at the end of these articles to say that elsewhere the vast majority of people continue their everyday lives without hindrance and that all sites and services remain in operations as normal!! Unfortunately if these incidents continue and reporting continues as is the negative affects may continue...

  By Brian Wright, Sunday, November 23, 2008