Information on Protest Sites

[maxme]

Asoke is pretty calm during daytime but gets messier during the evening. It's better to avoid the central areas after dark.

[Familyonthemove]

Asoke site - barriers on Sukhumvit at Soi 20 heading in and Soi 23 heading out have been reinforced with tyres. Skywalk over the stage is open again.Almost nobody there in the morning building to large crowd this evening but not as many as on Friday.

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[Leslie Bosch]

This is very helpful information. We have an appointment at the Institute of Dermatology at Rajvithi Hospital at the Victory Monument area. Any idea of what it is like in that area and if the electricity is reliable for a cancer surgery? This is the only place that does MOHS surgery in Thailand.

[millwall_fan]

You could get the Skytrain to Victory Monument then you'd have to walk. The numbers of people there wax and wane. On Friday evening when I was there, there were two to three hundred people at most and motor vehicles were using the east side of VM - but not the west side where your hospital is. AS to the electric shutdown. They seem to be targetting specific people and buildings, so as long as there are no government ministers living nearby (and VM isn't exactly des res you should be OK.). Whether I'd want to chance open heart surgery in this climate, I'm not sure. If its safe to postpone for a few weeks, I'd do so. Good luck.

Thanks for the infor re church Tallguy and Impulse. If it was just me, I'd definitely take your info and go, As I have a 6 year old son, I'll probably leave it until next week and hope the Good Lord understands!!

[Sheryl]

It is not open heart surgery, it is skin surgery that poster refers to.

AFAIK no issue with electricity in the area. Might want ot call to verify the doctor will be there and the place open.

If not I'm pretty sure Siriraj does MOHS.

[jpeg]

I understand that Immigration Services at Chaeng Wattana have been re located, but are the rest of the offices at the Government Complex and it's various departments still/open functioning?

[StJoesy]

Tomorrow morning i would like travel trough Victory monument. Go there from pattaya by van and change van to Hua Hin. Make sense?

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[millwall_fan]

Tomorrow morning i would like travel trough Victory monument. Go there from pattaya by van and change van to Hua Hin. Make sense? Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

As of this morning, you should have no problem accomplishing that feat. I've just walked through VM twice: at 10am and at 12.30pm. The vans are running, there are less than 200 protesters and they are to the West of VM whereas the minibuses leave from the East side. Of course things could change...you never know in this situation.

[samtam]

Rama IV between Thai Belgian and Thai Japanese bridge eerily quiet at 11.30 today with bridge closed and RIV partially blocked.

Lumpini much less busy than usual - not the usual Sunday strollers, joggers cyclists. Tent city at the R V entrance, (which I did not explore), but noisy from that area, with music and the man with a mic scenario with which we are familiar in this city, even in normal times. Also some tents in pockets not in the main area, near the RIV entrance:

and on the Rajadamri/Sarasan corner:

Park looking a bit unkempt, but still a delightful place to enjoy the cool weather, providing you don't stray into the main encampment; there are no problems there, but I would just advise avoiding it.

[taony]

Small but noisy group on motorcycles just went to join the rally at Victory Monument.

[Topah]

Is there any kind of possibility to drive car to Siam Paragon? I usually drive past Central World from Sukhumvit. If its blocked also, then the options are pretty slim I guess?

[Familyonthemove]

Sukhumvit has limited access from Soi Chidlom/Langsuan and at Radjadamri you need to turn left as road towards Paragon is blocked. But back roads open so there will be a way to the Paragon car park. Buy BTS will be simpler.

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[Familyonthemove]

Asoke site has much lower numbers than previous evenings - but road closures all still in place. Skywalk open. More people in Cowboy tonight that at the protest.

[Familyonthemove]

Update on Asoke. Sukhumvit Road towards Nana is open this morning # one lane still tents but two lanes running fro Queen Sirikit/Rama IV direction. Asoke and Suk out of city still blocked.

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[draftvader]

Update on Chaeng Wattana. Passed through the site this morning (07:30 and 08:00) in both directions on my motorbike. The contra-flow I mentioned last week is now a little more "official", 1 lane in either direction, and there is a steady flow of traffic through the site. There are queues to get into the site but these are no worse than the usual delays in the morning.

Naturally if you can take another route DO. However for local traffic it is acceptable enough.

[NanLaew]

I am returning to Suvarnabhumi and have a meeting with a client at Pacific Place on the bottom-end of Sukhumvit (next to Landmark Hotel). What is the feasibility of driving in from airport, exit expressway at Ploenchit, dodge & weave via Soi 1, Nana Nua, Nana Tai and Soi 6 to the office. Then leave via Sukhumvit to the Ploenchit expressway on-ramp and back to airport?

Does that sound doable? If it is, I may have lunch as well!

[Familyonthemove]

I am returning to Suvarnabhumi and have a meeting with a client at Pacific Place on the bottom-end of Sukhumvit (next to Landmark Hotel). What is the feasibility of driving in from airport, exit expressway at Ploenchit, dodge & weave via Soi 1, Nana Nua, Nana Tai and Soi 6 to the office. Then leave via Sukhumvit to the Ploenchit expressway on-ramp and back to airport?

Does that sound doable? If it is, I may have lunch as well!

Sounds doable to me. You are joining Sukhumvit after the Chidlom/Siam protest site and your hotel is before the Asoke site. Traffic has been a bit lighter in this area since the protests.

[samtam]

https://twitter.com/BBauerDeeetlef/status/425181811883270144/photo/1

The closure of Lumpini is an annoying, worrying and irritating development, having enjoyed its quirky charms yesterday, as on many a Sunday midday. There was a strange atmosphere, I have to say, however.

[Familyonthemove]

Seems to be some new developments happening now. New road block on Sukhumvit Road between Soi Chidlom and Wireless. March heading to Asoke.

[NanLaew]

Seems to be some new developments happening now. New road block on Sukhumvit Road between Soi Chidlom and Wireless. March heading to Asoke.

As long as it is just a 'march' and no plans to permanently <deleted> up the Nana intersection.... keep me posted, thanks.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The Asoke protest site is VERY busy tonight as of dinner time. Also, there were very long lines to get tickets at the BTS station that also made walking through the station area upstairs very difficult.

The protest crowd downstairs was loud and large. And the sky walk crossing over Asoke Rd was closed again tonight by the protest guards.

Also, when I passed through there about 6:30 pm, there were ambulance vans with red lights blaring driving into and out of the protest site. That was the first time I've seen that there. But the crowd didn't seem alarmed, so I'm not sure what if anything was going on or why they were there.

Edited January 20, 2014 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[draftvader]

@anelianeB: Chaeng Wattana is reopened, only the part on Gvt building is on one lane

Just spotted this. I don't have a reason to go tomorrow but when I next do I will double check if nobody else has.

[Familyonthemove]

Sukhumvit from Chidlom towards Nana open again - it was only closed till the march got to Asoke.

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[Scott]

Off-topic post deleted.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

BTW, I sure wish some of the other members here who regularly pass thru some of the other major protest sites -- Victory Monument, Pathumwan, Ratchaprasong, etc -- would post updates and photos of what's going on there.

It's almost impossible to get any feel for what's going on out at the various protest sites day-to-day by monitoring the Thai news media.

[taony]

Victory Monument is still noisy. I cam down with the flu this weekend because I've lost so much sleep. The guy on the microphone goes on unti 2 or 3 every morning. And somehow, the sound is exceedingly clear when it reaches my place which is a km or two away. I sleep on and off all night every night.

The stage is still in the SW corner. Traffic northbound on PHayathai is still open only until Yothi Road, where you can go west or come from the east. Traffic in the north bound lane of Phayathai (which is Phaholyothin south of VM) goes in both directions between Sri Ayuthaya Road and Yothi Road, one lane each with cars parked in the middle, once the sun goes down. Based on the way the buses have been running and what I can see, it looks like the same pattern of the last few days is still in effect. North to South is open for buses, mini vans and taxis. From the east maybe also. I see a private car once in a while, but that may belong to protesters or just be someone they let through, I can't tell of course. The western side I believe is totally closed.

I can't see the stage itself , but right now there are a number of people sitting on the monument. It looks like a bit more than the 10-30 I've been seeing lately. A few seem to sleep there, but most leave at varying points through out the night.

This seems to be the routine for the last while.

That's all I can think of right now. Nothing really exciting going on there. But I probably couldn't tell I guess. When the bombs went off yesterday, I knew that's what happened. A few minutes later there was the sound of ambulances. Its getting harder and harder to tell because there are so many noises and sirens these days, but this time it was clear. Just like Thursday night at Suan bpakgard. I couldn't see anything on Sunday. I would have expected a little smoke and people running from where the bombs went off (just out of my view behind the hospital area). What was amazing was how calm it was and the rest of the day proceeded like nothing happened.

I took this photo a few minutes ago, after I read your post.

[millwall_fan]

Tomorrow morning i would like travel trough Victory monument. Go there from pattaya by van and change van to Hua Hin. Make sense? Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

As of this morning, you should have no problem accomplishing that feat. I've just walked through VM twice: at 10am and at 12.30pm. The vans are running, there are less than 200 protesters and they are to the West of VM whereas the minibuses leave from the East side. Of course things could change...you never know in this situation.

As I said, things can change! i posted that 25 minutes before the grenades were thrown.

There are few protesters around VM, but their cars and the large marquee prevent free movement of traffic around the West side. Traffic is moving in both directions on the East side.

[realfunster]

Thai-Belgian bridge closed again this morning. Avoid Rama 4 if possible.

South Sathorn road, heavy traffic all the way back to lumpini intersection.

[samtam]

Protesters currently marching on inside lane of Sathorn Nua (north), going towards Rama IV.

Walked back from Ploenchit to Sathorn at around 4.45pm and noticed that gates of Lumpini are now open again. Yesterday's closure perhaps just the result of precautions ahead of the march from there this morning.

[samtam]

Sathorn Nua at around 6 pm - Suthep leading March to Lumpini