How Long Could The Airport Closure Last?

[freitag1]

The worst thing is even after the airport operates again we all know what sort of travelers will come back to Thailand no matter what... those that stay right next to Nana or in Pattaya. Thailand will lose families and quality travelers but keep the xxx tourists. If you look in their forums you see that those low lifes are already looking forward to reduced prices for girls and everything else.

[samuibeachcomber]

The worst thing is even after the airport operates again we all know what sort of travelers will come back to Thailand no matter what... those that stay right next to Nana or in Pattaya. Thailand will lose families and quality travelers but keep the xxx tourists. If you look in their forums you see that those low lifes are already looking forward to reduced prices for girls and everything else.

its just supply and demand....................ban bar girls,no more low lifes,r u a monk freitag1.

[shochu]

it does not matter when the airport opens. this issue - first and foremost - which is at a crossroads needs to be resolved - obviously, the sooner the better.

to complain because we have been inconvenienced is understandable but to want this issue resolved quickly only because we have been inconvenienced is asking too much.

if anything, i respect the thais more now because they have stayed true to their cause AND because there was very little violence- and not surprisingly because they are thai, but surprisingly because they are human - anytime humans gather in demonstrations, violence occurs - just think about victory celebrations where the winning team fans will ravage a downtown area because they are happy. yes because they are happy. there was some violence, but who was really behind it. do you guys know if they were instigating it, or just responding to it, or trying to protect their group, or maybe even a set up to make them look bad in the eyes of the people.

it is easy for us to just leave if there were to be a serious crisis, but for the many thais, they can not - so - unless you are 100% committed to being here thick and thin - go whine somewhere else.

it would not have come to this if a certain square one had not been instigating things from sidelines.

flights get canceled all the time because of weather delays, sometimes for a week or more if there is a hurricane/typhoon/tsunami. this issue needs to be resolved and it is a process of a maturing country. many countries took this route - just give it a chance.

by the way, i am scheduled to fly to bangkok soon, but if i have to change my plans - so be it. not a big issue. i would think a country at a pivotal point in its maturity is a bit more important than an individuals needs.

in closing, i would like to add, many have criticized this country for many reasons. but since we are in the midst of an economic crisis, which most of you were laughing off as just another market slump soon to be a good buying opportunity, lets not forget some of the things LOS did to control their market like institute capital controls (which many of you howled was blasphemy) which is now limiting the impact of the crisis. LOS will not escape without damage, but they have fared well thus far and are in a better shape than many other countries i know. i do not have rose colored specs. i see things as they are. i also criticize things as well - such as the housing market which i see to be too expensive. i have faith in this country to pull through in the end and mature into a much better country. we may well see some more chaos in the near future, but that rests squarely with the square one. AND the airport will open when ever it does and not sooner!

Edited December 2, 2008 by shochu

[freitag1]

its just supply and demand....................ban bar girls,no more low lifes,r u a monk freitag1.

No just someone who doesn't pay for xxx and with it supports an industry that causes a lot of problems and misery. (Visit an HIV hospital for babies if you want to see one of many of the "side effects" of this industry)

Your supply and demand theory is the same old, same old simple minded excuse. How would you feel if one of your kids would become part of the supply?

[happyendingstickyrice]

the whole bar girl debate just prooves how corrupt every government that this country has ever had is. Prostitution is ILLEGAL in thailand and yet its so blatantly rampant, i personally dont view prostitution as a bad thing but i think it needs to be controlled a lot more with mandatory medical checkups and such, i believe Singapore has some kind of system like that.

As for the airports im sure they will leave before the 5th and then come back when Thai rlak thais 3rd Reich comes into power.

[nopainnobrain]

My best guess would be not earlier than Jan 15, 2009, although I must doubt it to be that soon.

I think it will be much earlier than Jan 15, 2009 (maybe Dec 15, 2008?) but people have to remember that there is no guarantee that shit won't happen again (for example around New Year) so I recommend everybody to reconsider his holiday plans in Thailand.

[nopainnobrain]

Unfortunately I disagree. The tsunami was a natural disaster which should not have scared anyone away. People returned because there was nothing to fear. Thailand's reputation was tarnished even then because some thieving buggers could not resist the opportunity to steal from the money raised via charitable efforts. Not so many would help in a second natural disaster happened.

This is far more serious. The government could and should have stopped PAD occupying the airport. Failing that they should have retaken the airport at the first opportunity, using force if need be.

This is messing with people's lives. It is costing them money and destroying their views of Thailand. Please tell me that if I was one of those stuck at the airport just why I would ever consider this tin pot country for a vacation again ? I would not. I could not. Add to that the millions who are more wary than the more adventurous of us and they will cancel. They will go elsewhere and when they have a good time in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam or elsewhere, then that is going to be their new Thailand and unfortunately, I cannot blame them at all.

The ramifications of this fiasco will be felt for years to come and only a sustained period of political stability will go any way to restoring faith in the country. Add in the current economic problems, the disastrous fx rates and it is not a pretty picture out there.

I agree with the statement above.

Not only the people who were stranded in the city/airport and their families etc. but also many others will think twice before visiting Thailand in the future.

Of course there are some people that won't be discouraged by anything and will continue travelling to the Land of Smiles (I am not sure whether the country should be called this way after all the mess). For example so-called sex tourists addicted to Thai girls (and maybe Thailand should be grateful to them cause they are going to be almost the only non-residents who will support the country's economy in the next weeks/months/years ).

I feel sorry with people whose income will significantly decrease due to the unrest, from bar girls to travel agency owners, but now Thailand has to feel what it has lost.

In German we have a proverb saying Wer nicht hören will, muss fühlen (one who doesn't want to listen has to feel). If people feel pain, maybe they will start to use their brains.

I don't mean punishment, just a lesson for the country and its people.

Edited December 2, 2008 by nopainnobrain

[nopainnobrain]

The worst thing is even after the airport operates again we all know what sort of travelers will come back to Thailand no matter what... those that stay right next to Nana or in Pattaya. Thailand will lose families and quality travelers but keep the xxx tourists. If you look in their forums you see that those low lifes are already looking forward to reduced prices for girls and everything else.

What do you mean with "quality travelers"?

[freitag1]

Quality travelers = traveler who are willing to spend a few bucks more to get good quality accommodation, food and so on, not your average Pattaya visitor.