Political un-rest and rally

[STEVE G]

I hate to have to report this, but there seems to be a No shirt rally heading through the centre of Hua Hin at the moment, completely peaceful, consisting of several hundred people waving flags and banners, heading north through the centre of town, past the old shopping mall about 20 minutes ago.

[crazy88]

Oh good

Pick me a winner. Sarcasm fully intended.

Crazy 88

[richard]

Well we are in deep sh1t here in BK.

Daughters were due to fly out Monday (19th) after 2 weeks in HH of chill out. We are now parked in BK having to visit the airport every day despite having been allocated a position on the standby list.Last input from EVA (or should it be EVILA?) was you will be out by Thursday.

Choice of hotels?. Crummy joints near the airport or luxury jobies downtown. With an early rise to hit the airport and then to spend the rest of the day in a crummy is not on. So it's got to be downtown

Facts

My daughters were told get on the wait list and EVA will call you. Tuesday- No you have to turn up every day. Friday - OK for Sunday but may be Wednesday next week

Both need to get home for serious business reasons


EVA AIR

Well I have always flown EVA because it is a good airline as have my daughters but it is now failing in it's commitments to customers

1) They are totally disorganised in their approach to a crisis
2) All log ins are done in hand written form
3) All other airlines are offering accommodation and meal tickets to passengers. EVA no way

Contactable on the phone with dumbos on the end who no nothing.



ANYBODY KNOW AN EMAIL ADDRESS FOR EVA?



To further complicate matters we have the troubles going on now in BK mounting and we are marooned in a hotel

Bumped into the Reds several times during the day but not at dusk

OK

I admit to being very pissed posting this but I'm pissed off and posting in the hope I can contact EVA via email with your help


See you all in in HH soon (I hope)


PS. Wife has asked me to go back to Khon Kaen as soon as my daughters are out as most villagers there are on the move to BK and maybe safer for me there than outside Isaan. Comments on that please!!!!!

[Big Boy]

Richard,

I've had a really good look around, and the only e-mail address I can find is eservice@evaair.com . I've no idea how helpful it may be, but I found it here https://eservice.evaair.com/online/html ... a819_E.asp . Apart from that I'm afraid you're on your own.

Enjoy the adventure

[margaretcarnes]

I'm sorry to hear of your predicament Richard. It seems to be taking ages to clear backlogs all over the place - not just in Bangkok. Seems to be luck of the draw whether or not stranded travellers get much help. UK flights are still subject to close scrutiny safety wise, with 2 airforce jets reporting engine problems on Thursday. Despite hassle with EVA it's maybe better to be grounded in Bangkok than for the girls to get stuck somewhere else en route home.
But your news about villagers from KhonKaen moving in on Bangkok is alarming to say the least. There's a report on another thread about a mass of people - not reds - moving through HuaHin Friday afternoon. If thousands more Thai protestors ARE descending on Bangkok, even getting to the airport from downtown every day might not be a good idea.

[margaretcarnes]

I see no solution to this - what we have here is civil war without the body count, train hijacking, grenades into public transport systems, civilians fighting civilians on the streets, and no law, order or control of it.

Thaksin must be laughing his arse off somewhere, he's single-handedly bought his own country to its knees.

Agreed Buksi. Military standing around trying to look mildly threatening. Masses apparently now planning to go to Bangkok from upcountry (and clearly from elsewhere). No sign of any control from the PM, and no intervention from higher up it seems.
If attacks on Skytrain can happen there's nothing to stop attacks on the subway or HuaLamphong is there?
Sadly - whatever Thaksin is doing - or has done - I would guess the roller coaster is now out of his, or anyone elses control, and despite Thaksin, how much of the present trouble is down to the Court ruling?

[Super Joe]

Well we are in deep sh1t here in BK.
Daughters were due to fly out Monday (19th) after 2 weeks in HH of chill out. We are now parked in BK having to visit the airport every day despite having been allocated a position on the standby list.Last input from EVA (or should it be EVILA?) was you will be out by Thursday.

My daughters were told get on the wait list and EVA will call you. Tuesday- No you have to turn up every day. Friday - OK for Sunday but may be Wednesday next week

EVA AIR
Well I have always flown EVA because it is a good airline as have my daughters but it is now failing in it's commitments to customers
1) They are totally disorganised in their approach to a crisis
2) All log ins are done in hand written form
3) All other airlines are offering accommodation and meal tickets to passengers. EVA no way. Contactable on the phone with dumbos on the end who no nothing.

To further complicate matters we have the troubles going on now in BK mounting and we are marooned in a hotel bumped into the Reds several times during the day but not at dusk

Richard, EVA air (parents) and Thai Air (sisters family) are both as much use as each other at the moment. No promised call backs, told might get call last night from Thai to fly this morning but no call, no sense by phone, no offer of hotel etc.

The waiting list thing seems to have gone out the window as they're forced to prioritize the people in this link who are sleeping on cardboard at the airport, little food and turning aggressive ... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... rport.html

You either join that melee or stay in BK or HH and wait it out, ours have stayed here. Making the trip to the airport every morning still puts you behind the one's camped out there, hopefully when that levels off then your daughters will get sorted. If the National carrier Thai are in dissaray then what chance EVA.
.

.

PS. Wife has asked me to go back to Khon Kaen as soon as my daughters are out as most villagers there are on the move to BK and maybe safer for me there than outside Isaan.
Comments on that please!!!!!

errr, lose the drama?

SJ

[Super Joe]

There's a report on another thread about a mass of people - not reds - moving through HuaHin Friday afternoon. If thousands more Thai protestors ARE descending on Bangkok, even getting to the airport from downtown every day might not be a good idea.

Think there was a few hundred 'no-colours/yellows' holding a demonstration in the square behind Tessabahn with the boxer statue, it seemed quiet when drove past late last night. Don't know if they're planning on staying there or not!?

SJ

[PeteC]

The Yellows announced they were giving the government 15 days to clear things up. You can't decide on day 14 to call out the members. They've already done that and started printing banners and spending money. The snowball is already rolling down the hill. Pete

[pharvey]

Richard, the only email address we know of is also as BB has suggested.

With regards to the hotel, it does sound a little dodgy in Bangkok and seemingly getting worse. One hotel that we have used several times as a stopover prior to an early flight is the "Great Residence Hotel" http://www.greatresidencehotel.com/. Whilst it's not one of your stylish downtown hotels, it's clean, comfortable, very close to the airport and very reasonably priced - 850 Baht through the site (inclusive of airport transfer), or even less through one of the internet agents.

[Big Boy]

Sky News in the UK is saying that the Red Shirts softer stance of giving Abhisit 30 days (rather than immediately) to disolve parliament is bringing the 2 sides closer to a compromise.

[caller]

I do wonder about the role of the British and other Embassies in all of this? How do they compare? Is ours the only one that never appears to be able to get a handle on situations like this, as they repeatedly arise?

[chopsticks]

They always appear to be pretty useless when needed.
Demonstrated again by the way they handled irate travellers delayed by the recent airline travel restrictions due to the volcano ash.
Their main purpose in life seems to be as a cash cow for issuing visas.

[Big Boy]

Probably can be likened to the British Bobby, too busy targetting the soft target - the British driver, while real criminals such as burgulars are let off or never investigated.

The Embassy is hitting visa applicants, refusing many genuine applicants, getting away with it because the rules are heavily weighted in their favour, whilst making money at the same time. What's in it for them to help tourists trapped in Bangkok? A lot of hard work, and lost income.

Actually, now that I've got off my soapbox, visa applicants are being hit just as hard by the violence. One friend who is trying to bring his wife's sister over on holiday has been waiting a couple of weeks for a decision. The lady keeps visiting the office, and is repeatedly being told to come back in 2 days. The reason given is they can't make such decisions while the Red Shirts are protesting.

[STEVE G]

I do wonder about the role of the British and other Embassies in all of this? How do they compare? Is ours the only one that never appears to be able to get a handle on situations like this, as they repeatedly arise?

My neighbour told me that the British embassy was closed yesterday due to the problems in Silom so I would say that their role is minimal.