Public Announcements and Warden Messages
Information for American Citizens - December 1, 2008
American citizens travelling or living in Thailand should be aware that the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has entered and forced the closure of Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports in Bangkok. All incoming and outgoing flights have been cancelled. We do not know when flights will resume. While we have conveyed our deep concern with these closures to the Thai authorities and remain hopeful that the airports will reopen in the near future, ultimately it is a situation that can only be resolved by those involved.
The Thai Foreign Ministry has arranged for credited compensation for stranded foreign travelers. This compensation consists of 2000 Thai baht credit per day for hotels and meals at those hotels. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, this credit is available at hotels in Thailand that are members of the Thai Hotel Association. A complete list of participating hotels is available here. For more information, you may contact the Association of Thai Travel Agents (02-237-6046 / 02-632-7400), the Thai Hotel Assn (02-281-9496 / Hotline No. 1552), or the Tourism Council of Thailand (02-250-5500 ext 1646).
Americans who have been unable to depart because their flight was cancelled due to the closure of the airports should show a copy of their passport and air ticket to the hotel front desk for the 2000 baht per day credit to be deducted from their bill.
These airport closures have, unfortunately, left a large number of Americans in Thailand unable to leave the country as planned. It is unclear when normal flight operations will resume. Americans in Thailand, or those with plans to travel to or transit Thailand, should monitor local media and contact airlines for the latest departure/arrival information. We understand the inconvenience this places on American travelers to Thailand, and we continue to monitor the situation very closely.
In addition, the following numbers may be helpful for those who find themselves stranded by airport closures:
Ministry of Tourism Aid Center: 1414, 02-356-0720, 02-356-0729
ATTA (Association of Thai Travel Agents): 02-134-4263
Thai tourist police emergency line: 1155
Suvarnabhumi International Airport hotline: 02-132-1882, 02-132-1888
Suvarnabhumi International Airport flight inquiries: 02-132-0000, 02-132-9328-9
Don Muang Airport: 02-535-1669
Don Muang Flight inquiries: 02-535-1616
Tourism Authority of Thailand: 02-652-8313-4
We wish to remind American citizens that even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence. American citizens are therefore urged to avoid areas of demonstrations, and to exercise caution within the vicinity of any demonstrations.
For the latest security information, Americans living or traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Alerts, Travel Warnings, and health-information resources can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or, for callers in other areas, by calling a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
American citizens traveling or residing in Thailand are encouraged to register with the Department of State at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ or with the U.S. Embassy. The Embassy is located at 95 Wireless Road in Bangkok. The Embassy website can be visited at http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/embassy/wwc/recent.htm. The American Citizen Services Unit of the U.S. Embassy can be reached by phone at 66-2-205-4049 and by e-mail at ACSBKK@State.gov. The after-hours emergency telephone number is 66-2-205-4000.