Stuck in Chiang Mai: Stranded foreign tourist spends SIX days at the airport

 

Picture: Sanook

 

Sanook reported that a female foreign tourist - unable to get a flight home due to the coronavirus pandemic - has been hunkering down at Chiang Mai airport for nearly a week. 

 

She spends her days in the terminal and nights sleeping outside - the airport has been closed and will remain shut until the end of the month at least. 

 

The authorities have been helping her out with food, water, coffee and fruit and showing her where she can get a shower. It has lasted six days now.

 

They told Sanook that they had offered to contact the lady's embassy but she said no thanks. She wanted to stay at the airport where she felt safe. 

 

She had no money and was waiting for funds to be sent from her family. 

 

It was not known where she was from or where she had been on her travels but a fuller investigation was promised today. 

 

The tourist is one of many stuck in Thailand since travel restrictions were introduced both in the kingdom and throughout the world to combat the spread of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. 

 

Source: Sanook

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-04-20

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Just like Tom Hanks in the movie Terminal

 

I'm sure it won't be as easy for her as it was for him with the airport virtually closed

Hard to tell but she looks African.

Geez, wish her good luck but being here may be better then where she is going.

Did not want her embassy contacted, then probably British, all Brits know their embassies are useless.

 

Can't find any reference to this story in the Sanook link provided. Anyone had any more luck?

18 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Can't find any reference to this story in the Sanook link provided. Anyone had any more luck?

Read elsewhere that she's British.

British woman stranded in Chiang Mai airport for a week

By The Nation

 

 

A British woman stranded in Chiang Mai Airport for a week after her flight to Bangkok was cancelled has finally been given a place to stay.

 

On Monday (April 20), a reporter interviewed an airport official, after staff noticed the woman had been living in the airport for several days.

 

Chiang Mai Airport director Nattawut Ta-inta said the woman arrived on April 14 but could not take another flight since they all were cancelled due to the Covid-19 crisis.

 

Nattawut revealed that she was a backpacker who was heading to Bangkok and then Surat Thani when she got stranded in the airport.

 

She had no money to buy another ticket as her friends could not make transactions because of the pandemic in their country, so airport officials had taken food and water to her while she was trapped.

 

Tourist police offered her aid, but she rejected it and insisted on waiting for money to be sent.

 

The woman was finally released from captivity in the airport on Monday and taken to a guest house. The airport is taking measures to deal with any similar cases in the future.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30386406?utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=internal_referral

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-04-20

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

24 minutes ago, webfact said:

The woman was finally released from captivity in the airport on Monday and taken to a guest house

...where she build a little den out of straw in the car park and settled down for the night.

45 minutes ago, webfact said:

Chiang Mai Airport director Nattawut Ta-inta said the woman arrived on April 14

Who in their right mind have missed all information, and arrives to a foreign country at a date that is this late into a global pandemic?

9 minutes ago, Matzzon said:

Who in their right mind have missed all information, and arrives to a foreign country at a date that is this late into a global pandemic?

 

...and who goes on holiday without the funds to support themselves?

34 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

...where she build a little den out of straw in the car park and settled down for the night.

Not sure that's a good idea. Sticks would be so much better.

We all know there's more to this story.......

 

i get it, escaping something.  something that MUST be escaped at the time and money is not a concern.  well, ok, i don't really get it, but i can imagine it.  

 

she does need help, maybe a little mental help.  she needs to talk to someone.  she knew her funds might run out and was willing to surf facebook in the airport all day, for days, and sleep outside at night.  and she's probably in her 20's.  that's a crazy age to be homeless abroad. 

 

if she is reading this and can send me the vaccine to COVID19, I'll send her 100 after human trials are completed and I make 100 trillion.  

 

5 minutes ago, RichCor said:

41 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

...where she build a little den out of straw in the car park and settled down for the night.

Not sure that's a good idea. Sticks would be so much better.

You're probably right. A night in the sticks would probably be quieter too.

British...friends in their country couldn't make transactions...False passport or newly acquired UK citizenship

5 hours ago, anterian said:

Did not want her embassy contacted, then probably British, all Brits know their embassies are useless.

 

Contrary to their reputation Brit embassy in Bangkok does offer assistance at present. Too much for apparently stranded guys to check embassy facebook page?

 

Nice to see the immigration officials aren't adding to her worries.

 

I do hope she had somewhere to shower,wash her panties and such like,at least once being a Brit.

1 hour ago, samsensam said:

 

...and who goes on holiday without the funds to support themselves?

Backpackers do.

 

"Nattawut revealed that she was a backpacker who was heading to Bangkok and then Surat Thani when she got stranded in the airport."

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Stuck in Chiang Mai: Stranded foreign tourist spends SIX days at the airport

Why did she Travel? She should've stayed Home .   Be Save , Stay Healthy, Stay  Home

My son and two friends traveled Europe two months playing music 

at small bars etc.... they survived and got back to US successfully..

not professional musicians but loved music and could play well.

 

It wasn’t planned By chance I was going to Paris on two day business trip from Los Angeles they were playing at local place with several groups...he come check it out..  I went and saw them...

 

he didnt ask for money nor did I offer.... if got he could call me but

he never has asked money... Master degree he self funded.. 

Was she really  hunkering?

4 hours ago, marko kok prong said:

I do hope she had somewhere to shower,wash her panties and such like,at least once being a Brit.

“Being a Brit“ one wouldn’t feel the need.

11 hours ago, ThaiPauly said:

Just like Tom Hanks in the movie Terminal

 

I'm sure it won't be as easy for her as it was for him with the airport virtually closed

Ivan Gump, I remember that awful movie.

What a charitable lot you are - you know nothing of the facts yet you slag this woman off at every opportunity.  It was stated that she arrived on 14 April - that was in Chiang Mai, she could have been in Thailand for months for all you know.

 

When she stated that he friends could not make transactions, she may well mean because they are broke - nobody's working here you know??

 

For all you know she could be in the same position as a British couple stuck in New Zealand.  They'd paid for 3 flights home, each one had cancelled and they were out of cash, waiting for refunds.

 

If she's in the wrong then by all means have a go at her but at the moment you know nothing.

22 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

If she's in the wrong then by all means have a go at her but at the moment you know nothing.

I totally agree with your post but I,personally,would amend one thing and say "Even if she is in the wrong there is really no need to have a go at her.." which will lower the level of schadenfreude on the thread to merely that of the usual expat levels.

5 hours ago, hmficc said:

“Being a Brit“ one wouldn’t feel the need.

So no moderator wants to splash this douche that would be too gutless to say it to a brits face ? If anyone mentions septics it gets taken down straight away . Either a bogan or a septic for sure . 

Understand her plight.

None of you ever went adventuring when you were young?

 

After high school, I traveled through Europe with a fixed daily budget, a Eurail pass and a return ticket home.

If a pandemic blew up the world leaving me straanded, even 2 days beyond my return flight would have left me almost penniless, with an expired pass and a cancelled plane ticket.

 

 

15 hours ago, RichCor said:

Not sure that's a good idea. Sticks would be so much better.

Or maybe bricks, like the 3rd little pig. Then no big, bad wolf can huff and puff and blow her house down. There, finished the story for you. ????

17 hours ago, Matzzon said:

Who in their right mind have missed all information, and arrives to a foreign country at a date that is this late into a global pandemic?

So true unbelievable .where ad she come from another planet maybe 

19 hours ago, Matzzon said:

Who in their right mind have missed all information, and arrives to a foreign country at a date that is this late into a global pandemic?

someone seriously lacking critical thinking, maybe time to tweak the school system..