Travel advisory against Thailand up (6:37 p.m.)
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
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MANILA -- The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday issued a travel advisory against going to Thailand on March 12 (Friday) amid looming anti-government protests in key points of capital Bangkok.
“Filipinos are advised to postpone all non-essential travel to Thailand, specifically Bangkok. Filipinos who are already in Thailand are advised to avoid areas that have been identified as meeting areas and staging areas for the rallyists,” the DFA said on its website.
A report from Thai paper Bangkok Post said that around one million supporters of exiled leader Thaksin Shinawatra will hold a rally in a bid to call for a snap election.
The planned mass demonstration has raised fears of fresh violence in the streets of Bangkok, or at the least cause huge traffic jams.
The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) will converge in key areas of the capital starting on Friday in the run-up for the March 14 rally where Shinawatra is expected to address his supporters in a video patch.
In light of the massive protests, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Monday cancelled a planned trip to Australia and New Zealand from March 13-17 to personally handle the situation. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)
