Stranded In Bangkok

[MAC10]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8639020.stm

Stranded in Thailand: Your stories

The British government is advising against all but essential travel to Bangkok after violent clashes between riot police and anti-government protesters. But hundreds of British tourists are still stranded in the Thai capital, after their flights were cancelled due to the volcanic ash cloud. Below are some of your stories.

TIM RUTLEDGE, PORTSMOUTH

Tim Rutledge

My wife and I have been stuck here in Bangkok since Sunday now. The situation is getting worse and worse. Am I worried for my safety? Yes I am - because our government is not doing anything to help get us out of here. Other countries are helping their citizens get out of Thailand. But not ours. We have to stay in this area of the city which is very near all the clashes because that's where EVA airlines have their offices. We go to the office every day to try and get a flight home. Every time they tell us the same thing. "You are on a list. You are on a list." And the date we've been given - 10 May - is just stupid.

They tell us: "Go to the airport - we can't help you". But we can't afford the taxi fares. Think about it - every day we have to check out of our hotel, take all our bags to the airport, sit there for hours, and then come right back. My wife is in tears - we have two teenage sons at home and she can't even bear to talk to them any more And the unbelievable thing is - they are still selling flights! For £2,500 a seat. How can they justify that? How can I afford five grand? I can barely afford the taxi fares.

My wife is in tears. We have two teenage sons at home and she can't even bear to talk to them anymore. She just breaks down. She's a teacher - like many of the Brits stranded here. But we've heard that her teaching body will not be paying her wages. Her head teacher texted to say "don't worry", but how can we not worry? You can sense the tension in the city. We went to China town for a cheap meal last night, and while we were in the restaurant the clashes came on the news. You could sense things are not good. We really are getting quite worried now. What do we do? Can we just go home now? Please?

RICHARD AND EMMA STUBBS, NEWCASTLE

Richard and Emma Stubbs

We are having a bit of a nightmare. We were supposed to fly home on 18 April with Qantas - but now they tell us we are stuck in Bangkok until 3 May. And there are bombs going off around us. It's not ideal. If things get any worse, we won't be able to leave our hotel, for fear of being hit by a grenade. We are staying in Sukhumvit, which is not far from the troubled area. It seems to be getting increasingly fraught. But if you are stranded here, you need to stay on this side of town, so that you do not get cut off from the airport.

To visit the Qantas office, we had to get off the underground at the junction at Silom, where the police barricades are. There were lots of riot police on one side of the road and a rally was going on with the red shirt leaders on loudspeakers on the other side. There are hundreds of people camped at the airport - it's like concentration camp

Then yesterday a bomb went off just yards from the Qantas office. We will not be going back. We were at the airport for five hours today and will be back tomorrow with all our luggage - just in case of a spare seat. There are hundreds of people camped at the airport. It's like a concentration camp. And although there is camaraderie - there is also competition. It's dog eat dog. We have heard of other passengers who have lied - making up sob stories - so they get prioritised over the rest of us who are stranded.

One woman admitted to us that she had lied that she had a wedding to get to. It's infuriating for us. But we are not going to stoop that low. What goes around comes around.

Are you in Bangkok? Have you witnessed any clashes? Send us your experiences using the form below.

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