They’re at it again…
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Thailand military has declared martial law and word is there is now a military presence in the Capital. Of course the Western media is having a field day with this and while I don’t want to sound blasé…been there, done that! I was in Bangkok for the coup in 2006 and was there earlier this year to check out the protests and the term anticlimactic doesn’t even begin to cover it.
While I believe in caution and safety and our office in Thailand is always being vigilant about our guests well-being, I think all of us can say that we are getting a little tired of the Thai government and their perpetual issues! Here is the perspective from Nicole, who is currently based in Bangkok overseeing our Thailand office:
“Of course they have been exaggerating everything! Since I have been here, none of the protests have disturbed anything much. Like I said before, the feeling on the street is not of worry, no one thinks they are going to a civil war.
The Thai military have been asking the media to stop sensationalizing the actual event. Yes, they are declaring martial law at this point because the red shirts regrouped earlier this month. The two camps are not near each other. They are using precaution at this time. They have closed some of the streets but that is because they expect peaceful protests.
The military has said they will explain the conditions of the martial law today at 2pm. This will likely have a curfew but we are not sure. I will keep you posted.”
Subsequent to this message we received the following update:
-Military has introduced martial law – This basically means that the military, a separate entity from the government, has taken control of the security. There was no curfew imposed as of military meeting this afternoon.
The good news about this: They are keeping a tighter leash on both protest camps. Protesters are confined to their separate camps and it is likely that further restriction will be imposed on them regarding their roving rallies. This will hopefully reduce the number of violent outbursts at protest sites.
The bad news: Having stripped the government of most of its security powers some are looking at this as one step towards a coup. The military has stated that this isn’t the case.
As of today we at Journeys Within suggest that all trips move forward as planned and if you were considering Thailand, ask us about specials, there are sure to be some good deals now that the media is scaring people away.
And so you can see just how seriously the Thai locals are taking the situation:
http://news.yahoo.com/thailands-martial-law-gives-rise-selfies-054022768.html
Best,
Andrea