Is Thailand safe??

wolfyboy555

Hi i'm thinking of going to thailand in July for roughly a month. But after hearing all the news reports about protests and violence going on i'm not sure. Is anybody in a similar situation?? Do you think the unrest will die down by july? Any other parts of the world you would recommend to go instead??

kraggy

wolfyboy555 wrote: »

Hi i'm thinking of going to thailand in July for roughly a month. But after hearing all the news reports about protests and violence going on i'm not sure. Is anybody in a similar situation?? Do you think the unrest will die down by july? Any other parts of the world you would recommend to go instead??

Not even the protestors themselves know if they'll be protesting in July.

For an even better experience than Thailand, I'd recommend going to Peru and Bolivia for the month.

2 weeks in each country and you'll have the time of your life. Less touristy than Thailand, more real, and some of the most amazing sights in the whole world.

Flights might be more expensive to get there (say, 300/400 more than to get to Thailand) but it's a little cheaper there to live.

Thailand has been ruined by tourism in my experience.

Dante10

wolfyboy555 wrote: »

Hi i'm thinking of going to thailand in July for roughly a month. But after hearing all the news reports about protests and violence going on i'm not sure. Is anybody in a similar situation?? Do you think the unrest will die down by july? Any other parts of the world you would recommend to go instead??

Like i said on the other very recent thread, i was in bangkok 4 times since january and the protests were going on on all 4 occasions but i had no bother whatsoever. If you know where in the city the protests are (watch the news or ask your hotel receptionist) and you stay away from there, you're going to be perfectly fine and will have a great time. Obviously if you buy yourself a red shirt and join the thai boys, you're asking for it and you'll get it. Dont be so naive. You're a tourist, nobody is out to get you so as long as you stay out of the way and dont get involved you'll be fine! Thailand is an amazing country!

kraggy

Yeah but supposedly in recent days the trouble has become much more intense.

Just this morning, there was serious stuff with a soldier killed. And the British Government has advised against all non-essential travel to the country.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8648109.stm

Dubsox

kraggy wrote: »

...And the British Government has advised against all non-essential travel to the country.

So has the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs as of yesterday and, as I also mentioned on the other thread, this move immediately invalidates your health and/or travel insurance policy which brings considerable risk to any trip to Thailand. If you are unfortunate enough to have an accident or to fall ill and require hospital treatment during your stay, you will not be covered by any health or travel insurance that you may already have purchased or were planning to purchase. This is irrespective of whether or not your accident or illness has anything to do with the violence. Once this warning is issued, you insurance is no longer valid.

With regard to the potential for ongoing violence, the situation is very unstable right now and even if the Government (with the help of the Army) is able to clear the protest sites in Bangkok, this will not be the end of the matter. Thailand has been drifting towards civil conflict for a number of years now and it would be impossible to predict what the next battleground is likely to be and where and when it will occur.

I have already booked my flights and some accommodation for June and I’ll give it a few weeks to see how things develop but right now it looks as if I may have to cancel or make alternative plans. If the travel warning had not been upgraded and I was due to travel tomorrow, I would definitely go as I feel I have sufficient knowledge of the country to limit the risk. I usually spend a few days in Bangkok (not this time though) and travel on to Phuket where there is currently no trouble. However, I would have contingency plans in place just in case it all kicked off while I was there.

Let's just hope common sense prevails and all sides back off...I won't be holding my breath though.

Naid23

Me and a few friends are heading over at the start of June, Really uncomfortable about the whole 'Insurance is void/invalid once the dfa have declared it unsafe'. Am really hoping that it calms down over the coming weeks. This would be our first big travelling trip and would hate to see if ruined over this.

Fingers crossed it calms down, at least for June.

kraggy

I reckon it will be ok by then.

Unrest pops up every few years in Thailand. Yes, this is slightly more serious than before, but it usually winds down after a few weeks, so, you SHOULD be ok.

tomED

I'm just back from Bangkok - it's very easy to stay well clear of the Red Shirts - it's in one area of Bangkok at the minute. I wouldn't be worried just yet.

If the Yellow Shirts get involved (as they say they will), maybe then it might be a little bit worrying but for now - it's quite easy to avoid them. Bangkok is a huge city!

me1724

im in thailand for the last month and bangkok at the moment and if it wasnt for my mudder texting me about the protests i wudnt even know they were still on... but i suppose if i was leaving home now id be a little worried about the insurance and you dont really know when it could get worse...