Quarter of a million tourists stranded in Bangkok
BANGKOK – Thailand tourism minister Weerasak Kowsurat said the number of stranded tourists in the country has risen to more than 240,000.
The besieged Thai government has opened a makeshift international departure lounge at the Bitec exhibition centre in Bangkok in an attempt to clear the backlog of passengers who have been stranded by the forced closure of the city’s two main airports.
Anti-government demonstrators occupying Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports brought in reinforcements overnight, when a grenade fired from a nearby highway killed one and injured 22 protestors.
The tourism minister is asking for the special financial package to help small and medium-sized operators in the tourism and related industries that have been hard hit by the shutdown of Bangkok airports.
Protestors have vowed that they are “willing to die” to bring down the government.
In the streets, however, two-thirds of citizens say they are embarrassed and ashamed for the country.
Tens of thousands of stranded passengers have been squeezing into the only terminal at Vietnam War-era U-tapao airport to catch flights out of the country.
Several airlines have been taking out passengers on special flights, but for many the long wait for departure goes on.
Tents have been erected outside the terminal to provide shelter to the passengers and more mobile toilets have been installed.
Traffic to the U-tapao airport has been backed up for several kilometres.
Transport Minister Santi Promphat said the air force base in Don Mueang has also been opened for commercial flights to help stranded passengers get out of the country.
He said authorities were also negotiating with neighbouring countries to see if they can reroute passengers to their airports and send them home.
Stranded foreign tourists or businessmen can receive free medical treatment at either state or private hospitals in Thailand, according to the Public Health Ministry.
Eyewitness accounts from U-tapao airports claim passengers with boarding passes found it difficult to enter the terminal building even after their flight numbers were called as others, some of whom did not hold tickets, blocked the entrance.
Shouting matches erupted between airline officials and the security personnel. This caused most flights to be delayed by more than two hours.
Some planes had to turn back to their country of origin, as they were not allowed to land.
Singapore Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific and Russia’s Oren Air have set up makeshift checking-in desks outside the terminal.
Ian Jarrett
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