Town Hall Meeting

[padfoot]

Are any Americans planning to attend the U.S. embassy's town hall meeting at the Marriot Hotel on monday? It is scheduled for 2:00 PM and details are on the embassy web site.

[Gluestick]

I got the SMS on my phone from the embassy but I won't be able to go due to work. If anyone else goes, would you mind maybe taking down some notes and reporting back the important details? Thanks.

For those that didn't get the SMS, make sure you bring your passport or other identification that shows you are a US citizen or they won't let you in.

[Lovedog100]

Message to the Americans in Thailand Town Hall meeting: Monday, April 26, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. at the J.W. Marriott, 4 Sukhumvit Road, Soi 2, Bangkok, in the large ballroom.

You are invited to attend a Town Hall meeting on Monday. Ambassador Eric G. John, along with other officials from the Embassy, will be present to discuss the current situation in Bangkok.

The Town Hall meeting for American citizens only will be held on Monday, April 26, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. at the J.W. Marriott, 4 Sukhumvit Road, Soi 2, Bangkok, in the large ballroom. The J.W. Marriott can be reached at 66-2-656-7700.

Bring your passport or other form of U.S. citizenship! You must present proof of U.S. citizenship at the door in order to be allowed in to the Town Hall meeting. You will not be admitted without proof of U.S. citizenship.

Acceptable forms of U.S. citizenship are:

--U.S. passport,

--U.S. birth certificate plus photo identification,

--Consular Report of Birth Abroad plus photo identification, or

--Naturalization Certificate.

This opportunity is intended for American citizens and is an off-the-record meeting intended to inform American citizens about the latest developments in Bangkok.

The American Citizen Services Unit of the U.S. Embassy can be reached by phone at 66-2-205-4049 and by e-mail at [email protected].

If anyone went, could you tell us what was said. Was any new information given, or advice? I'm just to far from BKK to make it, not that I want to be in BKK anyway.

[Groongthep]

I was unable to make this meeting. Any info on what was said would be appreciated. I sincerely hope they were able to control the attendees and keep it on the topic of the political situation in Thailand and quash those who would hijack it into a discussion of US domestic issues.

Edited April 26, 2010 by Groongthep

[FreedomDude]

I was there. The crowd was very big, I thought. Maybe 2,000? It was standing room only in the grand ballroom.

They spent a lot of time just giving common sense advice: stay away from the protest area, stay inside if there's turmoil outside,etc.

I thought they seemed remarkably unconcerned as far as evactuation goes. They basically advised that it should be quite easy to get away from any conflicts by driving a few kilometers in the opposite direction of any fighting. Nothing about evacuating people from the embassy was even mentioned. They said this is nothing compared to the dangers faced by Americans and State Dept staff in other countries. It seemed they were kind of trying to downplay things. Ambassador John is not a serious man: very lighthearted, joking kind of fellow.

One guy actually committed les majeste at the microphone, and that received quite a few nervous giggles throughout the crowd.

The topic stayed on Thailand...domestic issues were not discussed.

I'd be interested to hear what others thought as well. Given the large group there, I thought there would already be a big discussion going on here. Is there another thread on this?

Edited April 26, 2010 by FreedomDude

[alaina]

I was there. The crowd was very big, I thought. Maybe 2,000? It was standing room only in the grand ballroom.

They spent a lot of time just giving common sense advice: stay away from the protest area, stay inside if there's turmoil outside,etc.

I thought they seemed remarkably unconcerned as far as evactuation goes. They basically advised that it should be quite easy to get away from any conflicts by driving a few kilometers in the opposite direction of any fighting. Nothing about evacuating people from the embassy was even mentioned. They said this is nothing compared to the dangers faced by Americans and State Dept staff in other countries. It seemed they were kind of trying to downplay things. Ambassador John is not a serious man: very lighthearted, joking kind of fellow.

One guy actually committed les majeste at the microphone, and that received quite a few nervous giggles throughout the crowd.

The topic stayed on Thailand...domestic issues were not discussed.

I'd be interested to hear what others thought as well. Given the large group there, I thought there would already be a big discussion going on here. Is there another thread on this?

Didn't find another thread with a first-hand account. Thanks for your post.

[mauiguy90]

I got the SMS on my phone from the embassy but I won't be able to go due to work. If anyone else goes, would you mind maybe taking down some notes and reporting back the important details? Thanks.

For those that didn't get the SMS, make sure you bring your passport or other identification that shows you are a US citizen or they won't let you in.

Most of what was said was commonsense. A couple things I thought were worthwhile were:

1) If you hear an explosion, stay away from windows. They gave an example(forgot location) where many people were killed by shattered glass when they heard a small bomb go off and ran to the window to see what happened. Thereafter, a larger more powerful bomb was set off seconds later, resulting in many deaths.

2) Get supplies which will last at least 72 hours. The speaker, a guy named Randall, stated that most battles don't last longer than that. You should be stocked with flashlights, water, first aid supplies and presumably non perishable food. He suggested that power may be cut off to the combat area and that you should be prepared for that event.

3) Randall also said that the problem zone is in a defined zone and consequently, if you feel unsafe go to a place where you feel safe. He suggested that if no place else, Americans can always go outside of Bangkok. However, he also said with a laugh that you probably would be safe going to Sukhumvit 59.

4) The website address is www.bangkok.usembassy.gov .

I'm sure others who attended have additional points of information which they thought was important. Hope that we all don't have to use any of the emergency procedures.

[xbusman]

The US Embassy held a town hall meeting today to update American citizens in Thailand on the current situation.

While mostly a rehash of information that can be found in news sites or in warden messages there were a few good points that should probably be written here for those who were unable to attend.

The single strongest point they made is to stay the heck out of the areas of confrontation. We don't belong there and it makes no sense to put ourselves in harm way. I for one will admit that having been in Thailand for so long I was half tempted to go have a look. Despite all these warnings, every time there is a photo or video footage, in the background is some westerner in shorts, flip flops and an open beer. The embassy is right, we need to avoid those areas for the duration.

We should put together a 72 hour kit in case we need to "hunker" down for a few days. Include food, drinking water, and anything else you might need to lock down and stay put for 72 ours. For some us that probably means six packs of cigarettes and for the Aussies, around twenty cases of beer. Include a flashlight, portable radio and it would be good sense to have a rudimentary first aid kit. It would be prudent to have such a 72 hour kit in both our business and home because in the event we do have to hunker down we might not be able to choose our location.

If we encounter problems on the street, the natural tendency is to push our way through and try to get home. If things erupt or there are warning signs, turn around and get back to safety. That is hard to do, like turning into a skid on ice, but if you really take this advice it could save your life.

The last point was very important. If something is going on outside, loud noises, bombs, whatever. DO NOT go to the window or the balcony to see what is happening. This might be the hardest but most important advice to remember. If you go to a window or the balcony, any future blasts will break windows and broken glass is a leading cause of death in explosions. INSTEAD, if there is something going on outside, head inside to a room with no windows. That is very unnatural thing to do but could save your life. Reminds me of when you see the ocean go out and see the ocean floor, do not run down there with the other 99% of the people, instead turn around and run for the hills. Forewarned is forearmed.

Ambassador Eric John did a great job fielding questions, most of which were either irrelevant or inane. I was very very impressed with his communication and good graces. I for one, really appreciate their efforts to keep us informed.

[Damacles]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Town-Hall-Meeting-t359282.html

[givenall]

I also appreciate the meeting and the way was conducted.

One thing that surprised me was the number f people attending the meeting. I would guess more than 500 American attended this meeting. This shows that most of information through networking out there works. One thing that I will advice is to filter communication comes from the Red Shirt sources. They are very much trying to create chaos so often the information they provide are less trustworthy, so check other sources and make your own conclusions

[FreedomDude]

This is the 3rd thread on this topic.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Town-Hall-Me...en-t359586.html

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Town-Hall-Meeting-t359282.html

Edited April 26, 2010 by FreedomDude

[FreedomDude]

I also appreciate the meeting and the way was conducted.

One thing that surprised me was the number f people attending the meeting. I would guess more than 500 American attended this meeting. This shows that most of information through networking out there works. One thing that I will advice is to filter communication comes from the Red Shirt sources. They are very much trying to create chaos so often the information they provide are less trustworthy, so check other sources and make your own conclusions

What Red Shirt sources are you talking about? The government blocked their tv channel and all of their internet sites.

It's the government that's trying to play down the whole thing trying to convince everyone not to worry, that the Reds are just a small insignificant group of troublemakers. I would not trust any newspaper based English news sources BASED in Thailand. Read as many different perspectives as you can from international news sources, and TWITTER is your friend. I used to hate Twitter, but I've recently discovered what a usefull tool it is in understanding the conflict here with all of the translations that are needed for us to understand.

On another note, how about the guy who talked about the unspeakable subject? I wonder if the authorities met him outside?

[givenall]

I also appreciate the meeting and the way was conducted.

One thing that surprised me was the number f people attending the meeting. I would guess more than 500 American attended this meeting. This shows that most of information through networking out there works. One thing that I will advice is to filter communication comes from the Red Shirt sources. They are very much trying to create chaos so often the information they provide are less trustworthy, so check other sources and make your own conclusions

What Red Shirt sources are you talking about? The government blocked their tv channel and all of their internet sites.

It's the government that's trying to play down the whole thing trying to convince everyone not to worry, that the Reds are just a small insignificant group of troublemakers. I would not trust any newspaper based English news sources BASED in Thailand. Read as many different perspectives as you can from international news sources, and TWITTER is your friend. I used to hate Twitter, but I've recently discovered what a usefull tool it is in understanding the conflict here with all of the translations that are needed for us to understand.

On another note, how about the guy who talked about the unspeakable subject? I wonder if the authorities met him outside?

I am right over the Ratchaprasong and can hear the speaker all night. Sometimes they translate to English too. And when they talk they try to scare you. It seems the “Previously Known as Red Shirts” are frustrated that most of time people ignore them and don’t take them seriously. Just don’t believe you read on internet or what a group tells you since there is a conflict of interest.

[MiG16]

This is the 3rd thread on this topic.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Town-Hall-Me...en-t359586.html

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Town-Hall-Meeting-t359282.html

now merged into this one

cheers