Warnings are justified as warnings. Travel bans are not. Tourists must be informed that it is possible to go near an ATM and be caught in a bomb blast...even if it may be a small one. I do not think the risk is too high but others may. Business losses as a consequence may be better averted by bussiness leaders training their staff and including teaching on the economic cost of their involvement in violence including losing their jobs

Sorry I missed it where were travel BANS listed.

I believe that some Gulf countries (Saudi?) actually issued a ban - but then almost everything is banned there :-)

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<br />Warnings are justified as warnings. Travel bans are not.  Tourists must be informed that it is possible to go near an ATM and be caught in a bomb blast...even if it may be a small one.  I do not think the risk is too high but others may.  Business losses as a consequence may be better averted by bussiness leaders training their staff and including teaching on the economic cost of their involvement in violence including losing their jobs<br />

<br /><br />Sorry I missed it where were travel BANS listed. <img src='http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/coffee1.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /><br />

<br /><br />I believe that some Gulf countries (Saudi?) actually issued a ban - but then almost everything is banned there :-)<br />

There are far more dangerous places than Thailand. I do not see any reason for a ban.

Blanket travel advisories are only issued on countries that do not have a european/caucasian population. It's simply racism based on ignorance.

Blanket travel advisories are only issued on countries that do not have a european/caucasian population. It's simply racism based on ignorance.

The travel warning and the reasoning for same, seemed fairly straight forward This affected the travel insurance, which many family groups feel required to carry. I disagree that racism was a factor and ignorance (your term) may have come into play by some who make statements without all the facts and possible conquences.

On the basis that previous protests have involved airports in various parts of the country, and these protests involved burning down both shopping centres and civic buildings throughout the country, I don't really see how anyone can say that the disturbance was limited to Bangkok.

They burnt down Central in Bangkok. Who was to know if they weren't going to attempt to burn down all the Central Plazas nationwide? I know for a fact that the reds at one point massed in front of Central in Khon Kaen, and there was a few hours where people furiously negotiated for them not to attack it. There was an attack on the fuel depot at Survanabhumi, unsuccessfully. Could anyone say with complete confidence that there wasn't a co-ordinated nationwide plan to really destroy a lot more beyond City Halls in a few provinces upcountry? Believe it or not, it could have got a whole lot worse, very quickly.

There were a couple of days there, when it could have gone either way in terms of the protests really taking off nationwide, and a travel warning is to advise on what reasonably MAY happen, not just what has just happened.