Thai military seizes power in coup

[noviapriani]

Yes let's go guys. There is no army or curfew in Phuket or Pattaya. We may enjoy cheap price while others are scared. Revenue from tourism industry occupies large percentage in Thailand's GDP and large Thais population live on tourists. I guess they will come up with some strategy to get tourists back. Imagine what might happen if hundred thousand people are unemployed due to the stop of tourist flow to this beautiful country. It is gonna be worst than the presence of army in the street.

An important tip for those who are planning a trip to Thailand: you are gonna enjoy interesting exchange rate (THB/USD, THB/EUR) due to this chaotic situation.

[Rigon]

Yes let's go guys. There is no army or curfew in Phuket or Pattaya. We may enjoy cheap price while others are scared. Revenue from tourism industry occupies large percentage in Thailand's GDP and large Thais population live on tourists. I guess they will come up with some strategy to get tourists back. Imagine what might happen if hundred thousand people are unemployed due to the stop of tourist flow to this beautiful country. It is gonna be worst than the presence of army in the street.

An important tip for those who are planning a trip to Thailand: you are gonna enjoy interesting exchange rate (THB/USD, THB/EUR) due to this chaotic situation.

Yea, I think now is indeed a unique time to visit Bangkok. See how the military rule is like. However, you are putting your safety at risk. But who knows, it might be safer now if crime rates manage to decrease due to the military preserving the peace.

[sana8410]

Then do not go to Bangkok Rigon, Thailand has lots of interesting places other than Bangkok. Honestly I could not find any inspiration in Bangkok for all my 5 visits to this country. I prefer some beaches in the south.

P/s: with or without army in the streets, crime rates in Thailand has never been higher than those in the States. So where is the problem then? Nop, at least for me ...

[Rigon]

Then do not go to Bangkok Rigon, Thailand has lots of interesting places other than Bangkok. Honestly I could not find any inspiration in Bangkok for all my 5 visits to this country. I prefer some beaches in the south.

P/s: with or without army in the streets, crime rates in Thailand has never been higher than those in the States. So where is the problem then? Nop, at least for me ...

Wow, you've been to Bangkok 5 times? business or pleasure? My friend was there for a family vacation during the Anti-Thaksin protests. He said everything was safe even though there were a lot of angry people lol. He even had a good time taking pictures with the protesters.
This reminds me of the pictures and videos I saw of the coup. Violence was at a minimum and the military was non-confrontational.

[sana8410]

Then do not go to Bangkok Rigon, Thailand has lots of interesting places other than Bangkok. Honestly I could not find any inspiration in Bangkok for all my 5 visits to this country. I prefer some beaches in the south.

P/s: with or without army in the streets, crime rates in Thailand has never been higher than those in the States. So where is the problem then? Nop, at least for me ...

Wow, you've been to Bangkok 5 times? business or pleasure? My friend was there for a family vacation during the Anti-Thaksin protests. He said everything was safe even though there were a lot of angry people lol. He even had a good time taking pictures with the protesters.
This reminds me of the pictures and videos I saw of the coup. Violence was at a minimum and the military was non-confrontational.

Most of my visits were just vacations because of affordable expenses in Thailand, great tropical climate and I am exempted from visa. I was there in the Anti - Thaksin protests too and it surprised me. Protesters walked in the streets, others were still doing business, selling things, enjoying coffee on the sidewalk. when I visited Chiang Mai people there seemed not to be aware or concerned about what was going on in Bangkok.

Thais attitude is very strange: if you are in, you are in. If you are out, you are out. So I did not witness any damage or destruction of civil properties by protesters (no idea if there was any in fact).

[zolace]

There is not many reasons to delay a trip to Thailand if you have already booked it. As I remember years ago (cannot remember when exactly) when the same happened in Bangkok, my friend was living there. On the contrary with what I saw everyday in the news. I was so surprised when he told me he was enjoying Thailand, just avoid the demonstration. Other cities like Chiang Mai, Phuket, Pattaya etc were like "nothing ever happen".

So if someone wanna enjoy Phuket, Pattaya or even Bangkok, it is a unique experience.

[umair127]

If someone is concerned about security or safety in Thailand, he must read news too much while never travelling to this country. My impression about this country is: pacific.
Thais are pacifists. Most of them are Buddhist. They are very friendly, simple. There is pickpocket but I guess it is not worse than the same in Rome, Milan, Paris or Madrid.
People who demonstrate must suffer too much for too long. If I have another chance to travel there, I would not mind.

[zolace]

If someone is concerned about security or safety in Thailand, he must read news too much while never travelling to this country. My impression about this country is: pacific.
Thais are pacifists. Most of them are Buddhist. They are very friendly, simple. There is pickpocket but I guess it is not worse than the same in Rome, Milan, Paris or Madrid.
People who demonstrate must suffer too much for too long. If I have another chance to travel there, I would not mind.

I think you're right. Correct me if I'm wrong but the most extreme Buddhist extremist I've seen so far is self-immolation. Even when they get so angry they could harm someone, the first person they harm is themselves! I think that says a lot about their idealism.

[umair127]

Yes let's go guys. There is no army or curfew in Phuket or Pattaya. We may enjoy cheap price while others are scared. Revenue from tourism industry occupies large percentage in Thailand's GDP and large Thais population live on tourists. I guess they will come up with some strategy to get tourists back. Imagine what might happen if hundred thousand people are unemployed due to the stop of tourist flow to this beautiful country. It is gonna be worst than the presence of army in the street.

An important tip for those who are planning a trip to Thailand: you are gonna enjoy interesting exchange rate (THB/USD, THB/EUR) due to this chaotic situation.

Yea, I think now is indeed a unique time to visit Bangkok. See how the military rule is like. However, you are putting your safety at risk. But who knows, it might be safer now if crime rates manage to decrease due to the military preserving the peace.

Agreed. No matter how pacific Thais people are, or real situation in Bangkok is, or how much lower crime rate in Thailand is in comparison with one in US, I could not find any reason to visit that country during this time.
Vacation is vacation, where people go to relax and refresh. If I search for an adventure, I would go to Columbia for rock climbing, but not jumping into a war.
For you guys who love tropical beaches, Maldives is close by Thailand.

[bryant.coleman]

Agreed. No matter how pacific Thais people are, or real situation in Bangkok is, or how much lower crime rate in Thailand is in comparison with one in US, I could not find any reason to visit that country during this time.

Foreign tourist arrivals are again picking up in Thailand. The imposition of military rule has actually helped to strengthen the confidence of the tourists. The temporary dip in the arrivals are over. 

[umair127]

If someone is concerned about security or safety in Thailand, he must read news too much while never travelling to this country. My impression about this country is: pacific.
Thais are pacifists. Most of them are Buddhist. They are very friendly, simple. There is pickpocket but I guess it is not worse than the same in Rome, Milan, Paris or Madrid.
People who demonstrate must suffer too much for too long. If I have another chance to travel there, I would not mind.

I think you're right. Correct me if I'm wrong but the most extreme Buddhist extremist I've seen so far is self-immolation. Even when they get so angry they could harm someone, the first person they harm is themselves! I think that says a lot about their idealism.

Well I think most extreme Buddhist extremists are in countries where Buddhism is national religion. They put pressure on the government to throw away from the country some people. You can find it in Burma or Sri Lanka. Most recently in Burma Buddhist people wanted to deport a minority group who is not Burmese originally.
But these people, I mean Buddhist, seem not to like the idea of killing. And you are so right that if they have to kill, they choose to kill themselves. But to me it is bad enough. Just an opinion.

[wachtwoord]

If someone is concerned about security or safety in Thailand, he must read news too much while never travelling to this country. My impression about this country is: pacific.
Thais are pacifists. Most of them are Buddhist. They are very friendly, simple. There is pickpocket but I guess it is not worse than the same in Rome, Milan, Paris or Madrid.
People who demonstrate must suffer too much for too long. If I have another chance to travel there, I would not mind.

I think you're right. Correct me if I'm wrong but the most extreme Buddhist extremist I've seen so far is self-immolation. Even when they get so angry they could harm someone, the first person they harm is themselves! I think that says a lot about their idealism.

Well I think most extreme Buddhist extremists are in countries where Buddhism is national religion. They put pressure on the government to throw away from the country some people. You can find it in Burma or Sri Lanka. Most recently in Burma Buddhist people wanted to deport a minority group who is not Burmese originally.
But these people, I mean Buddhist, seem not to like the idea of killing. And you are so right that if they have to kill, they choose to kill themselves. But to me it is bad enough. Just an opinion.

I don't like any religion. But at least the ideology that is usually preached amongst Buddhists is pacifistic. Add that to the fact they never try to convert others (which I hate so much, what would Christians* think if I went door to door telling every Christian* I see they should change to atheism because their religion is flawed?).

*Change Christian for any mainstream religion (and probably also non-mainstream).

[bryant.coleman]

Most recently in Burma Buddhist people wanted to deport a minority group who is not Burmese originally.

The ethnic group which you have mentioned is called Rohingya. They are Bengali speaking Muslims from the neighboring Bangladesh, who immigrated to the Arakan region of Burma during the British colonial period. Ever since Burma got independence, the Burmese and the Rohingya are fighting against each other. Both sides should be blamed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rohingya_rebellion_in_Western_Burma

[Este Nuno]

I wouldn't worry at all about coming to Thailand as a tourist. The curfew was an annoyance but now that it's lifted in Pattaya, Samui, and Phuket that's going to take care of a big percentage of tourists who are going to want to be out at night.

Thailand is a very safe country in general and with the Army in control it's even safer really. There's been minor peaceful anti coup protests but in reality the majority of Thai people support the coup and are happy to see Thailand back on track to stability.

[bryant.coleman]

I wouldn't worry at all about coming to Thailand as a tourist. The curfew was an annoyance but now that it's lifted in Pattaya, Samui, and Phuket that's going to take care of a big percentage of tourists who are going to want to be out at night.

Yes... a large majority of the tourists usually stays at Pattaya and Phuket. Those places were not much affected even during the opposition protests. So it seems that tourists are very much safe in Thailand.

[nickenburg]

I wouldn't worry at all about coming to Thailand as a tourist. The curfew was an annoyance but now that it's lifted in Pattaya, Samui, and Phuket that's going to take care of a big percentage of tourists who are going to want to be out at night.

Yes... a large majority of the tourists usually stays at Pattaya and Phuket. Those places were not much affected even during the opposition protests. So it seems that tourists are very much safe in Thailand.

Yes ofcourse the places where the tourists come, they keep them clean and clear of protestors.
So the tourist dont see what is really happening in the country, if they would see what was really happening.
Maybe they wouldnt come and throw money in the economy, So ofcourse they will keep those people as ignorant as possible.

My brother and a few friends are going to thailand soon, I hope everything will be cool then.

[Este Nuno]

I wouldn't worry at all about coming to Thailand as a tourist. The curfew was an annoyance but now that it's lifted in Pattaya, Samui, and Phuket that's going to take care of a big percentage of tourists who are going to want to be out at night.

Yes... a large majority of the tourists usually stays at Pattaya and Phuket. Those places were not much affected even during the opposition protests. So it seems that tourists are very much safe in Thailand.

Yes ofcourse the places where the tourists come, they keep them clean and clear of protestors.
So the tourist dont see what is really happening in the country, if they would see what was really happening.
Maybe they wouldnt come and throw money in the economy, So ofcourse they will keep those people as ignorant as possible.

My brother and a few friends are going to thailand soon, I hope everything will be cool then.

The thing is there isn't really anything happening. There's no violence any longer now that the Army has taken control. Even in Bangkok tourists would be safe. They might see a lot of Army personnel with guns and that might be frightening for them, but it's not dangerous.

[bryant.coleman]

There is a small decline (~19%) in the arrival of tourists from China. For the other groups, there is no change.

[Este Nuno]

There is a small decline (~19%) in the arrival of tourists from China. For the other groups, there is no change.

We'll see how the coup will affect the post April numbers. I think it might have a noticeable effect. In reality it's not dangerous for tourists to come but I think a lot of foreigners falsely assume that the Army is dangerous. I've personally seen quite a few people asking and being very worried about their upcoming trips. With some even canceling altogether.