I am stuck in Cambodia and unable to get to Bangkok as planned if the occupation of the Thai airports continues. Those poor, deluded middle-class suckers who have pandered to the PAD must soon realise that they have made the tourist industry a golden sacrifice to the political aspirations of a few crazy leaders. Jobs will go by the thousands, people will be driven into poverty by this sheer lunacy. And nothing will change. Things will just get worse.

Posted by angelfire on November 27, 2008 13:34

The ideologies of a few are ruining the lives of millions. Time for the rest to stand up and make themselves heard. Why should the few break all manner of laws and impact the lives of the majority? Why are the army and the police doing nothing? When this comes to an end (hopefully soon) I hope someone has the sense to lock-up the PAD leaders for breaking a raft of laws and sack the head of the police and the army. They are clearly not doing their jobs. Time Thailand was admired by the international community again. It is a great country.

Posted by Anonymous on November 27, 2008 14:55

We were very, very lucky. We held tickets on Thai Airlines from Phuket to Bangkok in order to meet up with a China Airlines flight to Taipei and then on to JFK (New York). With the airport in Bangkok closed, we were stuck and all outgoing flights from Phuket were totally booked for days. When the Phuket Marriott Business Center staff told us that Thai Airways was brining in additional aircraft and taking stranded Thai Airlines passengers out of Phuket to one of three international destinations; Hong Kong, Singapore and Frankfurt, on a first come, first serve, stand-by basis, we ran to the airport. At the airport we told the Thai Airlines ticket agent that we would go anywhere in the world, but just get us out of Thailand. Luckily we were able to purchase new tickets to Singapore and then on to New York. I was never so thankful to be a US citizen and to get back home. Thailand was a wonderful vacation spot, but I had the feeling that the situation could turn bad very quickly and I did not want to be stranded. Thank you to Thai Airways for adding the extra flights and assisting us in getting home.

Posted by Simone on November 29, 2008 09:05

Why is a November article showing up as the headline article in mid-December? What happened to all the more-recent news?

Editor: The column on the right-hand side of the front page shows our 'MOST POPULAR' items of news from the past month, the ones that have attracted the most attention from readers. Likewise, 'MOST COMMENT' lists the ones that have drawn most readers' responses. The latest news is in the left-hand column and in the photo rotator in the centre of the page.

Posted by fred on December 10, 2008 14:01