Is it safe to go to Bangkok?

May 20, 2010 11:43:11 PM

Austin Bush
Lonely Planet Author

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Recent violent confrontations between anti-government ‘Red Shirt’ protesters and the Thai military have led to the death of 40 people and have left parts of Bangkok in ruins. At the time of writing, things have quieted significantly, but some fires are still burning and parts of central Bangkok are still essentially no-go zones occupied by armed soldiers, leaving potential visitors with many questions.

You can use this page to find the best sources for updates and travel advice.

Is it safe to go?

As of May 21, the vast majority of Bangkok is safe to visit. As illustrated by this BBC map, the main conflict areas are concentrated near central Bangkok’s Lumphini Park, but also include isolated areas near northern Bangkok’s Victory Monument and the Din Daeng intersection. At the time of writing, some of these areas are closed and really only accessible for locals, and for the time being, it’s probably a good idea to avoid them if possible.

The downside is that Bangkok is not the most tourist-friendly destination in Thailand right now. A 9pm to 5am curfew that has been extended to May 23 means your One Night in Bangkok will most likely have to be some other night. Several banks have been vandalised and most others are temporarily closed (for a full list of the 36 buildings damaged during the crackdown, see The Nation’s website). A handful of large, mostly four-star hotels bordering the formerly barricaded area near Lumphini Park have also been temporarily closed, but hotels in other parts of town, including those on and around Thanon Khao San, remain unaffected.

With the closure or destruction of several downtown malls, shopping in much of the city’s central district is no longer an option, although the famous Chatuchak Weekend Market is still open. And due to several major street closures (refer to this Google Map for an illustration of streets that are likely to be closed, and be sure to check the Bangkok Post for updates on the situation), Bangkok is even harder to get around than normal, particularly since the indefinite closure of the BTS, Bangkok’s above-ground mass-transit system, and the MRT, Bangkok’s underground (refer to their respective websites to see when they’ll be up and running again). Bus services are also limited, so taxis are the best way of getting around town for now.

All things considered, this is probably a good time to consider exploring other parts of Thailand. Thankfully, services at Bangkok’s airports, Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi, have not experienced any interruptions due to the clashes, although road closings in parts of central Bangkok have made getting to and from the airports inconvenient in some cases, and Suvarnabhumi’s Airport Express bus service has been temporarily cancelled. In its place is a free bus that runs along Thanon Sukhumvit, parts of Thanon Silom, Thanon Ratchada and Thanon Lad Phrao; for exact route and departure details call 0 2132 1888.

Bangkok’s bus terminal at Mo Chit (0 2936 2852), which services north and northeastern Thailand, the Eastern Bus Terminal (0 2391 2237) and the Southern Bus Terminal (0 2435 1200) in Thonburi have not been affected. And it’s still possible, although slightly inconvenient, to take a taxi to Hua Lamphong, Bangkok’s main train station, where all trains are running on schedule.

If you’re flying into Thailand via Suvarnabhumi and would rather avoid Bangkok altogether, the airport’s bus terminal offers direct connections to a variety of locations around the country.

Where can I go to find up-to-date information?

It’s important to remember that although relatively calm now, the situation can change at any moment.

Travellers and residents in Thailand are posting on the Thorn Tree constantly with updates.

The Bangkok Post’s website has a ‘Breaking News’ box that’s updated regularly, and the BBC’s Asia-Pacific pages and the IHT’s Asia pages both have regularly updated reports, not to mention a wealth of background information.

Bangkok-based blogs 2Bangkok.com, Bangkok Pundit and www.newley.com are good, frequently-updated sources of information on news events in city.

And in the event that conflict does flare up again, the best way to stay abreast of the situation on a minute-by-minute basis is Twitter. Good tweets include those of BBC journalist Alastair Leithead, freelance journalists Andrew Marshall, Newley Purnell and Patrick Winn, and bangkokpundit

What happened?

The conflict actually has its origins back in 2006, when then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was forced from office in a bloodless military coup. Largely working class and rural-based Thaksin supporters felt slighted by this, and in 2009, staged a series of anti-government demonstrations, some of which turned violent.

In March 2010, a mixture of red-shirted Thaksin supporters and anti-government protesters occupied parts of Bangkok, calling for Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to stand down. The protesters, who at their peak numbered in the many thousands, eventually barricaded themselves in an area stretching from Lumphini Park to the shopping district near Siam Square, paralysing tourism and commerce.

Finally, on the morning of May 19, after more than two months of protests, which included both occasional violent confrontations and near compromises, the government used force to disperse the protesters.

Austin Bush is a photographer and Lonely Planet author based in Bangkok.

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Comments

22 May 2010 2:19PM eastglam Report this comment
Saturday 22nd May Bangkok is now quiet and all areas are safe although not all businesses are open today. Most will be open Sunday 23rd or Monday 24th. The underground will open on Sunday and the Skytrain on Monday. Airport has not been affected. As far as I know the rest of Thailand is also quiet and calm. Best to travel to the south Phuket, Krabbi or one of the Gulf of Thailand islands. But Bangkok on Saturday 22nd May is returning to normal activity as the curfew in BKK will end today.
22 May 2010 7:38PM raymond12 Report this comment
A very true story in Thailand's situation.
I'm an American and live and work in Bangkok for an international company. I have lived here for 6 years and have been in and out of Thailand since the early 90s. The international press has not understood the situation here nor reported on it with any kind of real comprehension. The real situation is that the Red Shirts are a very small group of uneducated bumpkins with an obsequious desire to return the ousted PM Thaksin to power. (to be cont.)
22 May 2010 7:42PM raymond12 Report this comment
Thaksin's money is paying each of them 2000 THB a day to keep the protests up. What's so ridiculous is that most Thais are against this because bringing Thaksinocracy back is to bring back gross corruption to the politics here. Thaksin was a self-serving megalomanic who bought his two previous elections and later stole an billions of THB from Thailand and the Thai people before being ousted. The Red Shirts scream for democracy - but they don't even know what it means. It's absurd and everyone here knows it. The real problem now is that the police are 90% in support of Thaksin and the Reds, so they won't do anything to curb the protests and violence (to be cont)
22 May 2010 7:47PM raymond12 Report this comment
The military, which is very powerful here, are on the fence because they are about 50/50 behind the Reds and the Kingdom. There has been sporadic violence but the biggest problem we face is the damage to commerce. With the two largest and most popular commercial areas being closed due to protests for 3 weeks now, retail business, hospitality and the tourism industries are losing about 1.5 billion THB per day. The Reds are doing nothing but hurting the Thai economy, the Thai people and themselves. Current PM Abhisit is an intelligent, respected Oxford scholar trying to find a solution through the proper channels of negotiation while trying to uphold the law.. These all real things..
22 May 2010 8:39PM brusselslion Report this comment
Raymond12 - It is disingenuous to pass off your opinion, and over-simplistic argument, as fact as the situation is far more complex then you describe. This link does not give any answers/ solutions but does pose the relevant questions that all sensible residents of Thailand need to ask themselves and that the politicians need to find answers to. (http://uk.asiancorrespondent.com/bangkok-pundit-blog/baker-and-pasuk-sacrifices-in-bangkok#comments)
22 May 2010 9:41PM johnblye Report this comment
Re: the comments by Raymond12, whether you have lived here for 6 years or not, you do not remotely understand the political situation here as evidenced by your simplistic assessment (which is your opinion and nothing more).
I am an adviser to several high-ranking Thai politicians and, after 20-plus years in Thailand working with Thais, I can absolutely guarantee you are incorrect in your opinion. Please stick to working with your 'international company' and don't try to pass off your 'opinion' as fact. It's not.
23 May 2010 3:06AM yodmanee Report this comment
Johnblye - it would be nice to hear your valuable 20-year insight about this situation in Bangkok.
I've been living in Thailand for 30 some years. We never had this kind of political situation in Bangkok. I'm not saying that those red shirt protesting on the streets are "uneducated". Many of them are very highly educated and work in different wellknown companies. However, the point is that, these people came for different reasons. Some just want their voices to be heard. Some just don't like having the royal family. Some are basically communists. Some were bought to come, and some were tricked to hop on the bus to Bangkok and didn't know how to get back home (without someone taking them there). All and all, Thaksin is the connection. He provides people money, lured people into this war for himself by saying that when he comes back they would be better off again. (more)
23 May 2010 3:07AM yodmanee Report this comment
When you implied that there "other" reasons than what Raymond12 mentioned, I agreed. Not all of the protesters were paid to come to Bangkok. But it would be too naive to ignore the fact that Thaksin is behind all of this. One thing that we must understand, without money, there would be no supply. The innocent anti-government protesters have been USED by Thaksin to destroy the current democracy system for the new Thai republic ruled by Thaksin and his fellows. (more)
23 May 2010 3:07AM yodmanee Report this comment
Many times that Thaksin has intentionally ignored the king and challenged his authority and status. Foreigners may perceive this to be OK but not for Thais. That and other reasons combined have proved that this red shirt protest was not just "another" group on the streets. And it is obvious that they have used weapons during their gathering in the Rachaprasong area.
Again I don't disagree with your comment but just want to learn from the expert like you. And please tell me that the politicians you have been consulted are NOT the "Pua Thai" party members, so that I can listen to your comment.
Thanks :)
24 May 2010 12:55PM tititong Report this comment
Goodmorning from Bangkok Thailand.Now my hometown pass all a lot of painful.Eveything in this morning still find even we are under the curfew notice, This is a last day for curfew also.I think everything will be ok soonest and I belive bangkok will back to normal,But please concern abpot news in thai local only because many internation press it can not trust.The goverment still keep the eye on the red shirt Situation.It should be good to iggnor bangkok just few day but another city in Thailand still safe and peace.We still welcome all of you to land of smile.Thank you
1 June 2010 7:28AM entropy0101 Report this comment
Well, I'm coming over anyway ;)
My flight is scheduled for the end of june and I suppose the state of affairs will be a lot more calm by then. And if not, I guess one has to take the good with the bad. I don't believe it will make my first encounter with Thai culture and fauna any less impressive. For now I wish Bangkok the best of luck! Anyone else planning to go in the near future?
7 June 2010 1:27PM quezzz Report this comment
Greetings! Any thoughts on travel to Thailand in July -- with kids? Thinking about avoiding Bangkok but spending more time in Phuket...I'd appreciaqte any information or advice. Is it safe? Thanks
17 June 2010 11:02AM rangjut Report this comment
Why visit Thailand now? This year is unusually hot in most parts of Thailand. Central and Eastern Thailand have very high humidity, which will get higher as the rainy season kicks in. The political situation seems stable and peaceful now, but many people doubt that the protesters are done. The main threat to tourists is transportation -- the protesters could block roads, railroads, and airports (like the "Yellow Shirts" did at Suwanaphumi).
If you do visit, consider budgeting 4 days for a trip to the ancient city of Angkor in Cambodia. The ruins are spectacular!
27 June 2010 11:45PM rose1989 Report this comment
I'm very anxious to know how the situation is now. I'm leaving for Bangkok this week and I would love to explore the city. It's going to be hard to get around without public transport though. Does anyone have more info on the current situation?