Airport takeover forces abrupt change of plans, inconvenience for travellers who cannot get home,
Surasak Glahan
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| Astrandedpassenger hangs her clothes out to dry as she passes the time inside Suvarnabhumi airport. CHANAT KATANYU |
It was a long and stressful day for 26-year-old holiday maker Jean-Paul Tanghe and friends who had spent 12 hours waiting on the floor of Suvarnabhumi airport's departure terminal, hoping to board a plane to Paris.
They were unable to leave after the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) shut the airport on Tuesday night and forced the cancellation of all inbound and outbound flights.
"Some of us have to go back home to work," said Mr Tanghe. "One day is tolerable. But if the shutdown continues longer than this, it'll be very difficult for me."
Stranded passengers and yellow-clad PAD supporters tried to make themselves comfortable in the terminal yesterday. Some passengers slept behind empty check-in counters, others on the ground. Many were desperately trying to get information from airport authorities.
While some did not seem irritated by the shutdown, many said the airport takeover had confused, worried and upset them.
They were not part of the local political conflict and should not be forced to bear the burden of it.
"Protests are okay but they [the protesters] shouldn't shut the airport, we're foreigners and not involved," said Daniela Batistoni, 45, who was waiting for a flight to Milan.
Like other passengers, Ms Batistoni said she did not know what she would do if she was unable to leave on time.
For more than 400 Thai pilgrims waiting for a flight to Jeddah, the airport's closure also brought to an end their year-long plan to join the annual largest Islam pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
"I'm angry about the protest and worried that I may be unable to go," said 39-year-old pilgrim Navi Sulungku who travelled from Yala to the airport. "I've planned a year for this trip."
PAD allowed this flight to leave, but passengers were still unsure about their plans because the plane could not take off and no ground staff were working.
Some passengers will miss a chance to join family reunions during the American Thanksgiving holiday.
Nathan Sydnor, 28, said it was now no longer possible for him to celebrate with his family in Virginia.
Thai passengers were furious too. Sutthisak Jiwawisitnont travelled from Phuket for a trip to Macao. Unfamiliar with Bangkok, he did not know where to stay.
He had agreed with the PAD protest and supported its campaign. But its latest strategy upset him.
"I'm so angry. Thailand seems to be an unsafe country," he said. "PAD has gone too far and I can say this step makes me like the group less and less."
An airline worker said his passengers worried about their work. Some had little money left and were not sure how to survive, he said.
Late in the afternoon, Thai Airways International and the Tourism Authority of Thailand stepped in to help stranded passengers, taking them in buses to hotels in Bangkok.
Free accommodation was provided, they said. But what they cannot tell the passengers is when flights will resume.
"I've never seen an airport shutdown overseas before and never imagined it would happen here," said 28-year-old German Guenther Seeber who was waiting to return to Munich after a three-week holiday in Thailand.
"I'm not sure if this is the right way to go about protesting," he said. "My impression of Thailand has changed and I may think twice about coming back here again."
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