People are entitled to hold political demonstrations but also must recognise a line that can hurt the economy, and even mean life or death. Closing airports shows disrespect for the travelling public and innocent foreign tourists - and endangers people in distress who need to be transported quickly for medical treatment.
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By Boonsong Kositchotethana
Deputy Assignment Editor (Business), Bangkok Post
Those anti-government demonstrators who recently forced the closure of three airports should never resort to that senseless and embarrassing action again. Their action of setting up a blockade and marching down the tarmac at Phuket, Hat Yai and Krabi airports, has had a far more disastrous effect than they may have ever imagined.
For starters, their mindless movement sank Thailand deeper into political chaos and ruined our economy. It has dealt a severe blow to the country's struggling tourism and dependent industries, which provide a livelihood for millions of people; the recovery may take a very long time.
The closure of airports due to political motivation, which is virtually unheard of anywhere else in the world, has worsened the situation caused by the political stand-off, coupled with the declaration of a state of emergency in Bangkok. Hotels, airlines and tour operators have already seen massive cancellations in bookings as 14 countries, including South Korea, Japan and Britain, in the past week have issued advisories warning their citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Thailand, and to exercise caution if they do.
As the political crisis has gone from bad to worse, at the end of last month foreign arrivals at Suvarnabhumi Airport had fallen by one-third the normal level of about 80,000 a day. The closure of Phuket airport, Thailand's second busiest airport, alone caused losses of about 750 million baht.
Many visitors who have been to Thailand and are familiar with developments here, would still come if they knew the airports were operating as normal.
But forcing the airports to shut down simply closes the gateways, as tourists do not want to be stranded here - like the thousands who were forced to spend an unexpected longer time in the country.
Thailand's terrible political chaos has really comes at a bad time, as most European tour agents were starting to select country packages for the high season, which starts from late October and lasts till April; this is the period when the Thai tourism industry really makes up for the slow business in the other months.
Any more closures of Phuket airport in particular by supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) could further dampen the tourist industry in the resort island, which attracts about a third of the 15-16 million visitors to the country each year. Phuket, a favourite among Europeans and Asians alike, managed to recover from the deadly tsunami of December 2004; the island generates at least $2.75 billion in revenue each year, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Similarly, laying siege to Hat Yai airport is undermining the bid to rebuild the southern Thai city's struggling tourism industry, which has been reeling from a wave of insurgent attacks. With all these troubles, Thailand's target to earn about 700 billion baht and attract some 15 million visitors this year, is now seriously in doubt. Tourism is a major income earner for Thailand, accounting for about 6% of gross domestic product. It is one of the few economic sectors that really has a long-term sustainable growth potential.
In a democratic society like ours, people are entitled to hold political demonstrations. But they have to draw a line between their political agenda and the survival of the country. Closing airports also shows disrespect for the travelling public at large, those innocent foreign tourists as well as people in distress who need to be transported quickly for medical treatment - a matter of life and death, indeed. There are scores of other effective means which demonstrators can adopt to air their hatred of the Samak Sundaravej administration and carry out political campaigns, like holding rallies at provincial halls, offices of the People Power party and/or residences of key politicians.
A plea to PAD members: Do not make good on the threat to close airports again, as such a move would only directly hurt the public more than your political adversary. We can no longer afford to let the image of, and confidence in, our country slip further beyond this dangerous level. And finally, please do not take our economy hostage. Don't bite the hand that feeds you.
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By Boonsong Kositchotethana
Deputy Assignment Editor (Business), Bangkok Post
Those anti-government demonstrators who recently forced the closure of three airports should never resort to that senseless and embarrassing action again. Their action of setting up a blockade and marching down the tarmac at Phuket, Hat Yai and Krabi airports, has had a far more disastrous effect than they may have ever imagined.
For starters, their mindless movement sank Thailand deeper into political chaos and ruined our economy. It has dealt a severe blow to the country's struggling tourism and dependent industries, which provide a livelihood for millions of people; the recovery may take a very long time.
The closure of airports due to political motivation, which is virtually unheard of anywhere else in the world, has worsened the situation caused by the political stand-off, coupled with the declaration of a state of emergency in Bangkok. Hotels, airlines and tour operators have already seen massive cancellations in bookings as 14 countries, including South Korea, Japan and Britain, in the past week have issued advisories warning their citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Thailand, and to exercise caution if they do.
As the political crisis has gone from bad to worse, at the end of last month foreign arrivals at Suvarnabhumi Airport had fallen by one-third the normal level of about 80,000 a day. The closure of Phuket airport, Thailand's second busiest airport, alone caused losses of about 750 million baht.
Many visitors who have been to Thailand and are familiar with developments here, would still come if they knew the airports were operating as normal.
But forcing the airports to shut down simply closes the gateways, as tourists do not want to be stranded here - like the thousands who were forced to spend an unexpected longer time in the country.
Thailand's terrible political chaos has really comes at a bad time, as most European tour agents were starting to select country packages for the high season, which starts from late October and lasts till April; this is the period when the Thai tourism industry really makes up for the slow business in the other months.
Any more closures of Phuket airport in particular by supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) could further dampen the tourist industry in the resort island, which attracts about a third of the 15-16 million visitors to the country each year. Phuket, a favourite among Europeans and Asians alike, managed to recover from the deadly tsunami of December 2004; the island generates at least $2.75 billion in revenue each year, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Similarly, laying siege to Hat Yai airport is undermining the bid to rebuild the southern Thai city's struggling tourism industry, which has been reeling from a wave of insurgent attacks. With all these troubles, Thailand's target to earn about 700 billion baht and attract some 15 million visitors this year, is now seriously in doubt. Tourism is a major income earner for Thailand, accounting for about 6% of gross domestic product. It is one of the few economic sectors that really has a long-term sustainable growth potential.
In a democratic society like ours, people are entitled to hold political demonstrations. But they have to draw a line between their political agenda and the survival of the country. Closing airports also shows disrespect for the travelling public at large, those innocent foreign tourists as well as people in distress who need to be transported quickly for medical treatment - a matter of life and death, indeed. There are scores of other effective means which demonstrators can adopt to air their hatred of the Samak Sundaravej administration and carry out political campaigns, like holding rallies at provincial halls, offices of the People Power party and/or residences of key politicians.
A plea to PAD members: Do not make good on the threat to close airports again, as such a move would only directly hurt the public more than your political adversary. We can no longer afford to let the image of, and confidence in, our country slip further beyond this dangerous level. And finally, please do not take our economy hostage. Don't bite the hand that feeds you.
Discuss
Add this link to...
Tell a friend
Bury
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