Thailand – State of Emergency Declared

The Thai Government has declared a 60-day State of Emergency in and around Bangkok from Jan 22. This enables the government to impose curfews, ban political gatherings of more than five people, detain suspects without charge and restrict political demonstrations. Anti-government protesters have vowed to continue, and escalate, daily demonstrations in Bangkok, but have promised not to shut down the airport or public transportation. Police have vowed that they will not engage in a crackdown, but will attempt to negotiate with protesters to get them to dismantle their camps. Despite the daily events, most businesses in Bangkok continue to operate. The protests are significantly increasing already severe traffic congestion in Bangkok, but police are on hand to detour traffic onto available routes, so travel remains possible. While the BTS skytrain and MRT underground services are limited, many commuters are also using them to avoid traffic delays. Dozens of countries – including Australia, France, Germany, the UK, and the US – have issued travel advisories due to the protests, but most have not yet warned against travel to the country.