Tim Leffel's Cheapest Destinations

What the %#&*? – Thailand Edition

I am about to go off the grid for a while in the Andes, but thankfully Stuart McDonald of Travelfish has agreed to stop by and give us the lowdown on what’s going on in Thailand. If you have any thoughts of traveling to Southeast Asia or are on your way there, Travelfish is hands down the best resource out there. If nothing else, surf their great hotel reviews and download some current electronic guides.

Meanwhile, Thailand…

1) What in the world has been going on at the Bangkok airport?

Matters have settled down for now and by all reports the main international airport is running close to normal. Just a week and a half ago though, it was a totally different story. The inaptly named People’s Aliiance for Democracy (PAD), better known as the yellow team, overran and occupied Bangkok’s two primary airports. This was their latest escalation in their long-running anti-government protests. Once they took over the airports, pretty much all operations shutdown. How does a rabble take over a nation’s main gateways? Primarily by taking advantage of a situation where the sitting government is incompetent, lacks control of the army and, most importantly, lacks the explicit support of Thailand’s royalty. Within a few days some 350,000 tourists were stranded in Thailand and close to 50,000 Thais were stranded overseas. It was a complete debacle.

Matters came to a head when, after a week of having the airports shut down, the Constitutional Court dismissed the sitting government (they were found guilty of — shock horror — vote buying) and the PAD left the airport.

But it ain’t over yet! The dismissed government has reorganised itself under a new political party, and as of today, a new government is yet to be annointed. It is looking like the Democrats (previously in opposition) will take the helm. This is likely to enrage the red team (the red-adorned protesters that supported the just-dismissed government), so don’t be surprised if protests recommence. Confused yet?

2) How have the ticketed passengers been dealing with all this? Are travelers worried about their safety?

Well, at the height of the dramas there were some 350,000 people stranded in Thailand, so that’s a figure large enough to cover a full gamut of reactions. Shake your head at the Australians in Pattaya who were threatening to barricade themselves into hotel rooms and refuse to pay their bill or shed a tear for the Brits who were filmed in a suite at the Mandarin Oriental complaining that they’d almost run out of money. On the upside there was virtually no violence aimed at foreign travellers, so while people faced tremendous inconvenience, at least they remained safe.

3) I know it’s more complicated than a leader’s appearance on a cooking show, but from over here the political situation looks kind of silly. What’s the real story?

The heart of the issue, due to Thailand’s laws, can’t really be discussed without fear of prosecution and up to 15 years imprisonment. Some believe that the political parties and  protestors are but proxies for behind-the-scene puppetmasters. Many felt that the previous government and particularly its polarizing leader Thaksin Shinawatra were actively working to subvert Thailand’s beloved, but at 81, aging monarch. Thaksin had promoted many policies which enriched not just himself and his cronies — but also the vast swathes of rural poor throughout Thailand. Thailand’s elite, and particularly the upper middle class in Bangkok, saw this as a threat.

There’s no denying Thaksin had his flaws, but his policies brought direct benefit to millions of impoverished Thais. That “their” government has now been dismissed by Thailand’s “elite” is only likely to harden their resolve to see them re-elected come the next election (which most pundits believe the dismissed government will win). That should take us right back to square one.

4) Any hope of a lasting resolution to the conflict?

Not really. The problems are deep-rooted. The differences between the red and yellow teams and their controllers are vast. The PAD want to replace the elected parliament with a largely appointed one, arguing that rural voters are too stupid to be given the vote. The red team, on the other hand, like it more or less as is. There’s close to no common ground between the two.

Throw in an aging monarch, whose heir is none too popular, a politicized army, and the worldwide economic slowdown, and you’ve got a volatile mix. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see another coup in the next six months.

As far as tourism is concerned, in the short term, the damage has been done. The chaos at the airports was broadcast around the world and is hammering the industry. Long-term isn’t much hotter. The political wheeling and dealing is all about dancing around the elephant in the room and is certainly not addressing the resentments between Thailand’s rural poor and the urban elite. Things will get worse before they get better.
5) So what’s the silver lining for backpackers?

Well, there are some great deals to be had! Hotels in Bangkok and on the most popular islands saw massive cancellations as a result of the PAD’s actions and these rooms are now going for a song.

Related posts:

1. Still a Buyer’s Market in Thailand
2. Get the (Sifted) Dirt on Thailand
3. Cheap Destination Travel News
4. Cheap Travel in Southeast Asia
5. Airport Taxis in Cheap Countries