A coup d’état has taken place in Thailand with a military junta now running the show. As horrible as that sounds, is it safe to travel to Thailand during this time?
In a word, yes.
King Bhumibol Aduljadej has been on the throne longer than Queen Elizabeth and this marks the 12th coup of his reign. That’s not to say this latest failure in democracy is nothing to be worried about–the junta has dissolved the upper house of parliament and has banned over 200 people, mostly activists and politicians, from leaving the country. Further, a strict curfew has been established between 10pm and 5am that is being enforced by military. But coups are as common as touts in Thailand.
Airport operations at Bangkok and Thailand’s many other airports are normal and most of the country (all but Bangkok) is serenely calm. Resorts are ready and willing to welcome guests and there is no sign of disruption even throughout much of Bangkok.
The curfew takes some enjoyment out of evenings in Bangkok, no doubt, but as people instinctively cancel vacations and business trips, look for great deals to Thailand in the weeks to come. If you go, best to avoid protests (duh!), but even most protests are nonviolent. It remains to be seen what the junta will do next and how this latest coup will play out before the next democratic experiment emerges, but it seems to me rather silly to cancel a planned trip to Thailand based on the facts being reported on the ground now.
How about my trip in December to BKK? Do you think we should cancel now?
Hi Anzhelika,
Definitely not. I think you’ll be fine and have a great time. But, let’s see how things play out–I think things will get better, but only time will tell.
Lets hope for the best. Thank you!
You would think there would be great deals to draw tourists. Not so. Major Bangkok hotels apparently have an agreement not to cut rates. So top hotels continue to charge exactly the same rates as before the coup. No incentive at all for me not to reroute my upcoming trip. So instead of going to BKK and dealing with curfew and terrible crowds on BTS, I will just spend extra days in HKG/TYO.
@matt: “The curfew takes some enjoyment out of evenings in Bangkok”…
I have been in bkk during two coups. The first which started with the center world bombings in 06/07 and again during the airport stakeout in 08. From my experience bars and clubs stay open even during curfews and its EXTREMLY SAFE e en during a thai coup.the media blows it our of proportion with their video clips. Yet then when you visit thailand, its peaceful except around the house of parliment and even then the protests are more like rallies than protests. Regarding the curfew it really only affects mass transit as the subway and mtr closes early and some malls but most people go about their lives as normal. Especially in the heavy party/club areas of silom. Go to Thailand and stop worrying. As far as deals go, you probably won’t find them. Coups there are not like coups in other places in the world.
Thanks Rocky…valuable perspective.