Last Updated: 24 May 2010, 19:00

UPDATED - DEMONSTRATIONS IN THAILAND 24 MAY 2010
Please allow me to update you on the latest developments with the ongoing anti-government political protests in Bangkok.

Today is very peaceful after the end of the anti government protest rally. Our Asia World and Asian Connections Head Office has re-opened today and all of our staff are safe and looking forward to promoting Thailand again. It will take a lot of hard work but we expect to have some very special price led promotions for you shortly.

The curfew will be extended until this evening, but we expect this to be the last night. The Bangkok curfew will be in effect from 23.00pm till 04.00am. There will also be a curfew in place tonight in Chiang Mai, but again it is hoped this will be the last night.

Yesterday more than 4,000 volunteers (mostly students) gathered in Rajaprasong to help clean up the area affected by the protests. The volunteers were brought together via Facebook and worked hard to clean the streets and remove debris. The volunteers said they were trying to help the country by showing that Thai people could work together harmoniously.

The Thailand Travel Mart (TTM) scheduled for June 2-4 in Bangkok has been postponed, but will happen at a later date. More news will follow as soon as we receive amended dates.

Please see the following update on re-opening of the hotels which were forced to close because of the protesters:

Asia World and Asian Connections will continue to monitor the situation and will report regularly in case there are any new developments. Again thank you for your kind messages to our staff.

Please do not hesitate to contact Asian Connections for any further information on this situation.

UPDATED - DEMONSTRATIONS IN THAILAND 21 MAY 2010
Please allow me to update you on the latest developments with the ongoing anti-government political protests in Bangkok. The anti government red-shirts have now been removed from central Bangkok and surrounding areas. The protesters have been safely returned home using government transportation and were provided with money for food.

Life is again returning to normal and we expect that Bangkok will be completely safe after a few days of clean up operations. The Central World Department store which was set on fire by red-shirt protesters has partially collapsed and the debris is being cleared. The government has re-take all areas of Bangkok and the situation has been stabilized. It will take some time to clean up areas of the city but we will keep you informed of the progress. The BTS and MRT mass transit systems will remain closed until tomorrow but hope to re-open in their entirety on Monday.

I, for one, would like to congratulate Prime Minister Abhisit on restoring law and order with a minimum of force and casualties. Mr. Abhisit has announced that his 5 point reconciliation for peace will go ahead with fresh elections due later this year. External factions are being investigated for their part in inciting unrest in Thailand.

The Asia World and Asian Connections Bangkok offices will re-open 100% next Monday so all of our operations will be back to normal. All of our staffs are safe and relieved that the crisis is over.

Asia World and Asian Connections will continue to monitor the situation and will report regularly. We will also assist any clients if they wish to leave Thailand and make sure all of our in-country guests are safe.

Lastly, many thanks to all of our travel partners around the world who have contacted us to express their sympathy and support. Your kind wishes are most appreciated and in times like this it is good to know we have so many friends around the world. Bangkok is again safe to travel to, so please do reassure your clients.

Please do not hesitate to contact Asian Connections for any further information on this situation.

UPDATED - DEMONSTRATIONS IN THAILAND 20 MAY 2010
The governments major offensive yesterday, has broken through the protesters barricaded settlements. The leaders of the 'red shirt' protest leaders surrendered to police at 13.30pm yesterday and before they left the site, the leaders asked their supporters to return home. Most protesters have walked to the nearby National Stadium where transportation was arranged by the government to transport them to their homes up-country. 600 people including many women, children and the elderly have already left for their villages. It now appears that most of the demonstrators wanted to return home some time ago but were prevented from doing so by 'red shirt' guards.

Some hard core groups of protesters refused to stop their protest and have started fires in 35 locations around Bangkok. This included Central World department store and Centara Hotel. It is believed that this was done to cause maximum damage and confusion while some hard core demonstrators fled Bangkok.

The final phase of the governments operations is expected today and by this evening it is hoped that all protest sites will be cleared. There will then be a period of cleaning up central Bangkok before life can, hopefully, return to normal.

The government has announced that the curfew in Bangkok and 23 other provinces in North, North East and Central Thailand will continue until Sunday morning. The curfew will be in force from 21.00 hrs until 05.00 hrs. Any foreigners who are outside their hotels during this time must have their passports with them.

As the situation is still not stable we would not advise travel to Bangkok at the moment. However tourists transiting in Bangkok to visit other parts of Thailand are completely safe. There is no problem with the area around Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport.

There is absolutely no danger in the southern Thai beach resorts such as Samui or Phuket and there many tourist arrivals for these destinations still enjoying their holidays.

The Asia World and Asian Connections Bangkok offices are quite close to the Rajaprasong area so we have been forced to close, but hope to re-open on Monday 24th May. It looks like this will really happen!!

Our staff are still working from home and all enquiries can be dealt with as usual. You can use the normal Asia World and Asian Connections e-mail addresses, but there may be some delays.

Please be aware of our emergency contact details for our operations teams if you wish to gain information about your clients currently in Thailand.

Mr. Drax : Telephone +66 866 195 665
Mr. Kamron : Telephone +66 815 546 570

Asia World and Asian Connections will continue to monitor the situation and will report regularly. We will also assist any clients if they wish to leave Thailand and make sure all of our in-country guests are safe.

Please do not hesitate to contact Asian Connections for any further information on this situation.

UPDATED - DEMONSTRATIONS IN THAILAND 19 MAY 2010
The government has finally decided to take resolute action by enforcing a crackdown on the protesters after several atrocities pushed them over the edge. Protesters were filmed using children as human shields and trying to set light to a petrol tanker yesterday - which was thankfully empty. Several banks and shops were looted by the protesters and buildings were set on fire.

This morning hundreds of troops supported by armoured cars approached the protesters makeshift camps and warned them to disperse immediately. When the warnings were ignored the troops began to dismantle the baracades and used water cannon and tear gas on the red shirts. So far Lumpini and Sarasin have been cleared of protesters but the operation is expected to continue on to the main protest site of Rajaprasong. Many protesters including 2 Buddhist Monks have been arrested. A hoard of war weapons have been seized from the protesters. Several key leaders of the red shirts have announced they will surrender themselves to police this afternoon.

Chulalongkorn hospital prepared to evacuate patients as thick black smoke from burning tyres covered the hospital grounds. It has been noted that most live fire has come from the red shirt militia. One foreign journalist, an Italian national, was shot and killed during the clashes.

Several banks have closed all their branches at lunchtime today including Bangkok Bank, Krung Thai Bank, Kasikornbank and Siam Commercial Bank . The stock exchange of Thailand (SET) will only be operating in the morning today.

The list of hotels in Bangkok which are closed due to the violence is as follows:

• Central World
• Four Seasons
• Hyatt Erawan
• Intercontinental
• Dusit Thani
• Holiday Inn
• Sukhothai
• Plaza Athenee
• Indra Regent
• Pullman
• Banyan Tree
• Metropolitan
• Conrad
• Novotel Siam
• Century Park
• Amari Watergate

The government has announced that in Bangkok from Monday 15th until Friday 21st May, will be official public holidays for schools and government offices. Most businesses around the capital are closed and people are staying home. The US, UK, Australian and Swiss Embassies are closed also.

As the situation is getting more serious we would not advise travel to Bangkok at the moment. However tourists transiting in Bangkok to visit other parts of Thailand are completely safe. There is no danger in the southern Thai beach resorts such as Samui or Phuket. Chiang Mai has experienced some riots also and extreme care should be shown when travelling to the northern capital.

The Asia World and Asian Connections Bangkok offices are quite close to the Rajaprasong area so we have been forced to close, but hope to re-open on Thursday. Our staff will be working from home and all enquiries can be dealt with as usual. You can use the normal Asia World and Asian Connections e-mail addresses, but there may be some delays.

Please be aware of our emergency contact details for our operations teams if you wish to gain information about your clients currently in Thailand.

Mr. Drax: Telephone - +66 866 195 665
Mr. Kamron: Telephone - +66 815 546 570

Asia World and Asian Connections will continue to monitor the situation and will report regularly. We will also assist any clients if they wish to leave Thailand and make sure all of our in-country guests are safe.

At last there seems to be some serious action to end this mess, so hopefully in the near future, we can start to return to normalacy.

Please do not hesitate to contact Asian Connections for any further information on this situation.

UPDATED - DEMONSTRATIONS IN THAILAND 18 MAY 2010
In the central Bangkok area of Rajaprasong plus Lumpini and the Klong Toey intersection, the anti-government 'red shirts' are continuing their blockade and refuse to disperse. The Thai government gave a 3pm (Monday) deadline to end the rally but a hard core group of around 5,000 remain, including women and children.

So far 38 people have been killed over the past 5 days during clashes between protesters and soldiers, who have been authorised to use live ammunition. A hard core group of protesters are continuing to attack security forces and central Bangkok should be avoided.

The list of hotels in Bangkok which are closed due to the violence is as follows:

• Central World
• Four Seasons
• Hyatt Erawan
• Intercontinental
• Dusit Thani
• Holiday Inn
• Sukhothai
• Plaza Athenee
• Indra Regent
• Pullman
• Banyan Tree
• Metropolitan
• Conrad
• Novotel Siam
• Century Park
• Amari Watergate

The government has announced that Monday 17th May and Tuesday 18th May public holidays for schools and government offices. Most businesses around the capital are closed today and people are staying home. The US, UK and Swiss Embassies are closed today as they are located in the same area. The holiday might be extended till Thursday.

As the situation is getting more serious we would not advise travel to Bangkok at the moment. However tourists transiting in Bangkok to visit other parts of Thailand are completely safe. There is no danger in any other Thai resorts such as Samui, Phuket or Pattaya. Chiang Mai is safe though a few minor incidents have occured.

The Asia World Bangkok offices are quite close to the Rajaprasong area so we have been forced to close today, but hope to re-open on Wednesday. Our staff will be working from home and all enquiries can be dealt with as usual. You can use the normal Asia World e-mail addresses, but there may be some delays.

Please be aware of our emergency contact details for our operations teams if you wish to gain information about your clients currently in Thailand.

Mr. Drax: Telephone - +66 866 195 665
Mr. Kamron: Telephone - +66 815 546 570

Asia World & Asian Connections will continue to monitor the situation and will report regularly. We will also assist any clients if they wish to leave Thailand and make sure all of our in-country guests are safe. Guests are advised to avoid large gattherings and to not discuss the political situation with local people.

Lastly, it is my view that the TTM (Thailand Travel Mart) scheduled to be held in Bangkok from 2-4 June should be postponed, but this decision will depend on the Tourist Authority of Thailand. At the moment Bangkok is not safe and the sensible decision would be to postpone the show.

Please do not hesitate to contact Asian Connections for any further information on this situation.

UPDATED - DEMONSTRATIONS IN THAILAND 13 MAY 2010
Hotels located in the Ratchaprasong area are closed for business, including The Holiday Inn, Four Seasons, Grand Hyatt Erawan and The Intercontinental. Furthermore, they have announced that they are not accepting any new bookings until 16th May 2010 at the earliest.

The Centre for Resolution of Emergency Situations (CRES) had announced that they will seal off the area where the protesters are gathered, starting at 6pm today. The government's plan is to cut off water and food supplies to the protesters to pressure them to end the anti-government rally and return home. Telephone signals will also be cut off, and there will be no access for public transport - buses, trains and boats - to the protest site. Protesters will be allowed to leave the protest site, but no-one will be allowed to enter.

Meanwhile the BTS (sky train) services are operating as normal for today from 6am - 12pm, but four stations – Ploen Chit, Chit Lom, Siam and Ratchadamri - will be closed from 6pm. The BTS will assess the situation before deciding on Friday's elevated train services. The MRT (subway) is operating as normal from 6am - 12pm.

All tourist attractions around the capital and around Thailand are operating as normal. Asian Connections can assure you that your clients will not be taken to the area where the protesters are based. The Asia World regular tours do not pass through this area.

Please do not hesitate to contact Asian Connections for any further information on this situation.

UPDATED - DEMONSTRATIONS IN THAILAND 12 MAY 2010
The "red-shirt" protesters continue their sit-in protest around the Ratchaprasong intersection, although the mood is a lot calmer now and the number of protesters has fallen considerably. Some traffic is still blocked, though, and access is limited to major department stores. These include Siam Discovery Center / Sima Center / Siam Paragon and Gaysorn Plaza.

Hotels located in Ratchaprasong are closed for business, including Holiday Inn, Four Seasons, Grand Hyatt Erawan and The Intercontinental, who announced that they are not accepting new bookings until 16th May 2010. The Four Seasons expects to open this week.

Some red-shirt protesters continue to demonstrate at Sala Daeng Intersection near the Lumpini Park and King Rama VI statue. Reinforcements of troops and police are now stationed at the Sala Daeng intersection.

As of yet there is no official statement from the red shirts as to when they will end their rally, while a CRES spokesman announced today that water and electricity will be cut off, and food supplies blocked to red-shirt protesters camping in the Ratchaprasong area from midnight to pressure them to end the anti-government rally and return home. Telephone signals will also be cut off, and there will be no access to public transport - buses, trains and boats - from the protest site.

After midnight, authorities will not allow anyone to enter - non-protesters living in the area as well as embassies would be affected by the measures.

Meanwhile the BTS (sky train) services are operating as usual for today from 06.00 - 24.00 hrs but, moving forward, we will be informed depending on the situation. MRT (subway) is back to its normal schedule and operating as usual from 06.00 - 24.00 hrs.

All tourist attractions around the capital and around Thailand are operating as normal. Asian Connections can assure you that your clients will not be taken to the area where the protesters are based. The Asia World regular tours do not pass through this area.

Please do not hesitate to contact Asian Connections for any further information on this situation.

UPDATED - DEMONSTRATIONS IN THAILAND 30 APRIL 2010
The red shirt protesters continue their sit-in protest around Ratchaprasong intersection where traffic is blocked and access is limited to major department stores. These include Siam Discovery Center / Siam Center / Paragon and Gaysorn.

Traffic is closed at the Asok-Montree, Phayathai, Sala Daeng, Phong Phraram, Narathiwat and Henri Dunant intersections surrounding the anti-government 'red shirt' base.

Hotels located in Ratchaprasong are closed for business including Holiday Inn, Four Seasons, Hyatt Erawan and Intercontinental. Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square has decided to reallocate all guests from now until 2nd May 2010, to its sister hotel - 'Grand Sukhumvit by Accor, which is located on Sukhumvit Soi 6.

Some red-shirt protesters continue to demonstrate at Sala Daeng Intersection near the Lumpini Park and King Rama VI statute. Reinforcements of troops and police are now stationed at the Sala Daeng intersection.

Yesterday, representatives of the red shirts demonstrates requested the EU to question the government's use of force against the protesters on 10th April. A spokesman for the EU has stated that both sides should negotiate and to solve the political crisis through peaceful and democratic means.

The BTS (sky train) is operating on all stations from 6.00am until 8.00pm until further notice. MRT operates its service as per normal, except Silom station which will be closed earlier at 7.00pm.

All tourist attractions around the capital and around Thailand are operating as normal. Asian Connections can assure you that your clients will not be taken to the area where the protesters are based. The Asia World regular tours do not pass through this area.

Lastly, please note that there are a number travel advisories about Thailand, which have been issued by certain governments around the world. If these travel advisories were issued by your governments, please do keep your clients informed before they travel to Thailand.

Please do not hesitate to contact Asian Connections for any further information on this situation.