The curfew applies to everyone in Thailand, including tourists, and will take place nightly across the whole country until further notice.

Exceptions to the curfew will be allowed for travellers that need to leave or arrive in the country through airports, along with select groups of workers that are needed for night shifts, such as those in the aviation, hospital sectors etc.

However, what the army did not make clear is how travellers (and others) that do not have their own transportation should get to or from the airport, or place of work, during the hours the curfew is in place. All public transport closes down during the curfew, and it will be very hard, if not impossible, to find taxis as they are also supposed to be under the curfew.

Flights are operating as normal at all airports, though if this situation continues for too long there are likely to be numerous flights cancelled. There were also unconfirmed reports last night, that some land border crossings were closed very soon after the coup was first announced.

Travellers should give themselves plenty of time to travel to or from the airport, make copies of emergency numbers, and prepare all necessary documents in case they are asked for them at a military or police check-point.

 AirAsia issued a statement last night that said, “the airline highly recommends its guests to allocate no less than 3 hours of travel time to the airport and to stay up to date with traffic news to ensure they do not miss their flights. AirAsia wishes to remind all guests that check-in counters will be closed 45 minutes prior to departure time.”

In its travel advice for Thailand, the UK Government says the following, “There is a risk of a violent reaction to the army’s announcement. We recommend that you exercise extreme caution and remain alert to the situation. If you’re in any doubt about your safety, stay in your accommodation.”

Already, some countries have increased their travel warnings about Thailand. Hong Kong is warning visitors to Thailand to adjust their travel plans, and avoid non-essential travel to the country. Many more of such warnings are to be expected.

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has issued a statement that says, “Singaporeans should seriously reconsider visiting Thailand at the moment. The situation is unpredictable and volatile, and may evolve quite rapidly … Singaporeans who are travelling to Thailand should exercise a high degree of caution and take all necessary precautions for personal safety, including purchasing comprehensive travel and medical insurance.”

So, in light of these latest developments, should you still travel to Thailand? The likelihood of you getting embroiled in any nastiness – especially outside Bangkok – remains very low so long as you make a point of staying away from the potential flash points… however your insurance company may disagree. Best to check with your local government travel advisory, call your insurance company to find out what status you will have if you still travel, call your airline and hotel see what the status is with regards to cancelations, and also decide whether you want to travel to a country where you are not allowed out between the hours of 22:00 and 05:00.

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The mine project, by the United Khmer Group, was rumoured to have been just a cover to gain access to the rich forests in the Cardamom mountains… UKG has other logging operations around Cambodia.

See the full story in the Phnom Penh Post today.

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The curfew was introduced after the Thai military moved in on the red shirt protestors in the centre of the capital city. At first, the curfew was from 20:00 to 05:00 but that changed a few times, finishing as a 00:00 to 04:00 curfew that ended on Saturday, 29 May 2010.

I will be in Bangkok on Wednesday to have a look for myself and to feel how things really are.

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Visitors currently need to secure separate visas for each of the 10 members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Philippine Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan said he was pushing for a single visa for citizens of countries not belonging to ASEAN that would enable them to Travel freely within the region. He said the proposal would be discussed at a three-day meeting of regional immigration heads that starts on Monday in the Philippine capital, Manila.

Libanan said a common visa, modelled on the European Union system, would bring huge benefits in trade, investment and tourism.

The ASEAN member countries are: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

At the moment, most visitors travel to Vietnam need a visa to enter the country. Visas for Vietnam are exempted for the citizens of the countries, which have signed a bilateral or unilateral visa exemption agreement with Vietnam, tourist visa may be valid for 15 to 30 days.

Facts

Vietnam remains the most difficult and expensive of the ASEAN countries for most people from outside the region to visit with visas required prior to arrival, or at least authorisation to get one on arrival. Visa exemptions are in place for a few, as follows:

Citizens of ASEAN countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand go to Vietnam from 14-30 days without visa. Citizens of Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Holland can travel to Vietnam for 14 days without visa.

Good luck, Mr Libanan!

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The UK’s Foreign Office (FCO) has revised its travel advice to Thailand, which last week advised against all but essential travel to the whole country.

The travel directive has been amended as follows:

This advice has been reviewed and reissued with amendments to the Summary and the Terrorism and Security section. The overall level of the advice has changed; we no longer advise against all but essential travel to the whole country.  We advise against all travel to specific parts of Thailand.  We advise against all but essential travel to other specific parts of Thailand, including Bangkok.

The website link for more detail is: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/asia-oceania/thailand

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The two sides refused to agree on the issue of redeployment of troops into the Preah Vihear area and also failed to come to any agreement on establishing a joint Thai-Cambodian committee to facilitate negotiations concerning the demarcation of the boundaries.

Talks are expected to continue today.

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At least two Cambodian soldiers were reported to have been killed and five Thais and two Cambodians were injured in the afternoon battle at the mountain-top Preah Vihear temple.
Perched on the top of a 490m cliff, Preah Vihear can be reached far more easily from Thailand than from Cambodia. The territory was awarded to Cambodia in 1962 by the International Court of Justice after lengthy legal arguments, which involved maps produced during Cambodia’s French colonial period. However, one plot of jungle, which measures 1.8 square miles, was never allocated clearly, and it is over this land that the two countries fought.

Each side accused the other of opening fire first and gave a different account of the duration of the battle. Journalists on the Cambodian side of the border reported seeing rocket-propelled grenades fired by the Thais. At least 10 Thai soldiers who were stationed in a pagoda surrendered to the Cambodians.

“We are not the ones who ignited the violence,” Somchai Wongsawat, the Thai Prime Minister, said in the capital Bangkok. “The situation has returned to normal now. It is not serious and I am convinced there will be resolution.”

After the outbreak of fighting military talks were announced, which are scheduled to be held today.

The Situation in Cambodia:

The figthing is concentrated on a very small area on the border between Thailand and Cambodia. Preah Vihear is situated to the north of Cambodia. All inhabitants of this small area have been moved to a safer area and the site is closed to tourists.

Locals in other parts of Cambodia are going about their daily busisness. Flights from Thailand to Cambodia are still running as usual, buses from Bangkok to Poipet are also unnafected by the fighting.

At this stage it is unlikely It for tensions to exculate as  diplomatic talks are being conducted today. This blog will be updated with news about the dispute regularily.

Text for this blog was taken from The Australian. For more information please go to the following sites. http://www.bangkokpost.com/, http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24505494-2703,00.html, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7672891.stm

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