Hat Yai Fears Heavy Losses As Tourists Flee

[george]

Hat Yai fears heavy losses as tourists flee

BANGKOK: -- More than 7,000 tourists have cancelled visits to Songkhla's Hat Yai district following Saturday night's bombings, and local tourism heads believe the explosions have drained at least Bt100 million in tourism revenues from the area.

Hat Yai Hotels Association president Somchart Pimthanapoonporn estimated that more than 7,000 tourists - mostly Malaysians - have cancelled return-trip holidays to Hat Yai.

Shortly after the blast, average hotel occupancy in the southern tourist city plunged from a normal level of about 80 per cent to a single-digit percentage, as frightened tourists packed up and left.

Somchart said the aftermath of the blasts would see the area lose at least Bt100 million in tourism revenues.

-- The Nation 2006-09-18

[Scott]

This is very sad. I hope things get back to normal reasonably soon.

[Nam Kao]

Piece be apon you

[Bottlerocket]

I hope it doesn't calm down. I hope that there really is something to the "Thailand definitely needs tourism money" statements that are always made. Maybe then, when they're losing millions upon millions of tourism proceeds, when they're losing one of the only things most people around here care about, they will take the upper hand with these atavistic reprobates who call themselves muslims and start dishing out lead salad. If they could only stack a few more in trucks on a hot day again. Those were the days. Now they just stand around sifting through debris and body parts trying to figure out where else a school has been set afire, a teacher shot down in cold blood, a monk with his head macheted off, the next bank, shopping mall, airport terminal, etc.

[astral]

Piece be apon you

Alecum salem

[mittheimp]

I hope it doesn't calm down. I hope that there really is something to the "Thailand definitely needs tourism money" statements that are always made. Maybe then, when they're losing millions upon millions of tourism proceeds, when they're losing one of the only things most people around here care about, they will take the upper hand with these atavistic reprobates who call themselves muslims and start dishing out lead salad. If they could only stack a few more in trucks on a hot day again. Those were the days. Now they just stand around sifting through debris and body parts trying to figure out where else a school has been set afire, a teacher shot down in cold blood, a monk with his head macheted off, the next bank, shopping mall, airport terminal, etc.

yeah that'll work!! Perhaps thailand should ask the US advice on how to deal with the problem!

[meemiathai]

What blasts? What aftermath?

Muslims are peace-loving. What are they talking about?

Look at the reaction after the few bloody words of the Pope, you'll know!

[Ulysses G.]

If their religion is so "peace-loving", the Muslims need to start to practice what they preach.

[meemiathai]

They are already. Peace means guns and bombs.

[mittheimp]

some typically intelligent responses!!

I don't think the problem in Southern Thailand has much to do with Islamism and Al Qaeda - more to do with exclusion, nationalism, identity and poverty.

By mixing them all up you generate an unintelligible debate that serves little purpose!

[Ulysses G.]

some typically intelligent responses!!

I don't think the problem in Southern Thailand has much to do with Islamism and Al Qaeda - more to do with exclusion, nationalism, identity and poverty.

By mixing them all up you generate an unintelligible debate that serves little purpose!

Whatever.

Haven't you noticed that Muslims seem to rely on violence to promote their agenda no matter where they are?

[geoffphuket]

If their religion is so "peace-loving", the Muslims need to start to practice what they preach.

99.99% do

[serpentine]

Unfortunatly thailand is not famous for it's respect of human rights, minorities or poor people effected by environmental destruction. I hope bottlerocket is using sarcasm. The packing of all those protestors in trucks like sardines is probably the reason this situation is getting worse.

[John K]

In another note, I was informed by someone who works at MBK in Bangkok that tourist shopping was extremely busy today because they want to exit Thailand ASAP because of the coup.

[eljeque]

"Whatever. Haven't you noticed that Muslims seem to rely on violence to promote their agenda no matter where they are? "

What does the US government do? What does the Thai government do when people want to form a union?

One hundred years ago the Thais agreed to take the southern provinnces and the Brits got... I think it was some northern land, or whatever. Anyway, the Thais should have been more careful about getting what they asked for.