Please ask tourists who have just returned from Thailand to talk about the impact of the situation in Thailand on tourism.

The situation in Thailand has entered a new round of turmoil. The largest opposition party, the Democratic Party, and its supporters surrounded the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Tourism and Sports, and Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives in the capital Bangkok on the 26th, demanding that staff leave. The Chinese Embassy in Thailand reminded Chinese citizens on the homepage of its website on the 25th to pay attention to the safety risks of traveling to Thailand. Several domestic travel agencies in China stated that tour groups to Thailand have not been affected yet.

The number of hotel reservations has declined

The Chinese Embassy in Thailand issued a reminder on the 25th that rallies in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, are mainly concentrated in political locations such as Bangkok’s Democracy Monument Square and the Prime Minister’s Office. nearby areas. The embassy specifically reminds Chinese citizens who are in Bangkok or plan to go to Bangkok in the near future to avoid going to these demonstration areas, raise safety awareness, and do a good job in self-protection.

Li Yijun, Second Secretary of the Embassy in Thailand, suggested that Chinese citizens who have travel plans pay close attention to relevant information released by the embassy.

The reporter called China National Travel Service and Guangzhou Guangzhou Travel Agency as a tourist consultant. Both travel agencies said that there will be groups traveling to Thailand in the near future. The China National Travel Service operator said that the demonstration location was not included in the itinerary, so it would not have any impact on travel at this stage. The Guangzhi Guangzhi operator said that the team has not yet received any notification of the impact. Without receiving any notification, the tour group still took a flight from Guangzhou to Thailand via Bangkok.

Xinhua News Agency reporter in Bangkok Chang Tiantong said that the current political situation has not had a great impact on tourism, and tourist attractions such as the Grand Palace are still open to the public.

The Thai "Thai Lat News" website reported that Evi Pingyutannotai, president of the Hotel Association of Krabi Province, a tourist capital, said that demonstrations may impact the tourism industry and called on the government and relevant departments to cooperate with Protesters engage in dialogue to resolve issues. He also said that after the demonstrations, the number of hotel bookings dropped, but there were still many tourists who did not change their itineraries.

Protesters surrounded government departments

AFP reported that demonstrators ignored the government's special security decree on the 26th and surrounded multiple government departments with the intention of paralyzing the government and dissolving parliament.

On the 26th, demonstrators surrounded the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the Ministry of Transport, and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, demanding that staff in these departments leave.

Somsak Prisisa, Minister of Sports and Tourism, said: "We had to leave because they cut off the power supply."

AFP reporter witnessed that the demonstrators gave the Interior Ministry Ministry staff issued an ultimatum and asked them to leave within one hour.

The day before, Suthep Tesuban, one of the core leaders of the Democratic Party, directed hundreds of rallies to storm the Ministry of Finance building, and subsequently the Ministry of Foreign Affairs compound was also occupied by Democratic rallies. But the demonstrators later withdrew from the Foreign Ministry.

In this round of rallies, demonstrators demanded the government's resignation, accused corruption and called for reforms.

Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said when arriving at Parliament on the 26th that violence would never be used against demonstrators. But she emphasized, "Everyone must abide by the law, and the legal system cannot be replaced by mob rule."

The number of demonstrators exceeded 100,000

This demonstration is the largest since 2010 At one point, some feared the unrest could spark street violence. According to the demonstration organizers, the organizers issued stickers with serial numbers to everyone who joined the rally, and as of the evening of the 24th, 440,000 stickers had been issued. However, the Thai security department estimated the number of demonstrators at 100,000. According to Thai media reports, this is the largest anti-government rally since the Yingluck Shinawatra government came to power.

In the Thai Parliament, the Democratic Party attacked the Yingluck Shinawatra government, criticized the government for corruption, and accused some policies of undermining economic stability.

Democratic Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva also initiated a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. The no-confidence motion was scheduled to be discussed at parliamentary meetings on the 26th and 27th. The Democratic Party stated that the reason for initiating the no-confidence motion was that the government's rice subsidy plan purchased agricultural products produced by farmers at a fixed price much higher than the market price, causing damage to the national finances. This edition is based on Xinhua News Agency

Viewpoint

It is inevitable that demonstrations will spread and "fire"

In recent years, Thailand's political landscape seems to have fallen into a "vicious cycle": one faction is in power , the other faction tries every means to oust the opposing faction, and the usual method is to take to the streets for demonstrations. Analysts believe that Yingluck's current situation is worrying. Although the police can disperse the rallies according to the internal security law, due to the determined stance of the demonstrators, chaos in Thailand may further escalate in the future.

As anti-government demonstrations intensify, more and more "red shirts" gather at a stadium on the outskirts of Bangkok. Chatupong, one of the leaders of the "Red Shirt Army", said on the 24th that the "Red Shirt Army" is ready to protect the security of the Yingluck Shinawatra government.

Political analysts believe that the current situation is exactly the same as the previous rallies and confrontations between the "Red Shirt Army" and the "Yellow Shirt Army". Although the "Red Shirts" claimed that they would gather quietly, as anti-government demonstrations continued to spread to many areas in Bangkok, it could easily lead to "firefights" between the two sides.

In addition, although the organizers of the rally led by Suthep have repeatedly reiterated that they will assemble peacefully, if the police use tough measures such as tear gas against the demonstrators in accordance with the provisions of the Internal Security Law, bloodshed will inevitably occur. Conflict has unpredictable consequences.

Progress

Thailand’s Prime Minister announced the expansion of the scope of implementation of the Internal Security Law

Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra delivered a televised speech on the evening of the 25th, announcing that the scope of implementation of the Internal Security Law would be expanded. to all areas of the capital Bangkok and several surrounding provinces in response to increasingly violent anti-government rallies and demonstrations.

Yingluck Shinawatra said in a televised speech that the government decided to expand the internal security law currently implemented in some areas of Bangkok to all areas of Bangkok. In addition, nonthaburi province around the capital, Bang Pali district in Samut Prakan province, and Ralakao district in Pathum Thani province have also been included in the implementation scope of the internal security law.

The Thai court approved the arrest of the leader of the anti-government rally

The Thai police submitted a request to the court to arrest Suthep on the 26th, and the court subsequently approved the arrest warrant. Suthep previously stated that he is not worried about the legal sanctions that Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra may take against him and other leaders of the rally, and that he will always stick to the rally site.

After occupying the Budget Bureau of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the evening of the 25th, anti-government organizations set multiple government departments as new targets on the 26th. Demonstrators forced their way into the Ministries of Agriculture, Tourism and Sports and Transport, cutting off power to these ministries and demanding staff leave the buildings immediately.

It is recommended that you do not travel to Thailand yet.