Warning to Britons over Thai unrest

12 April 2012

Britons have been warned not to travel to the Thai capital Bangkok as violent showdowns between troops and anti-Government protesters escalated dramatically.

Red-shirted demonstrators were said to be prepared for a "final stand" after being forced back by state forces using automatic weapons and tear gas.

The mounting violence led the Foreign Office to harden its official guidance, advising travellers to scrap all but "absolutely essential" trips to the capital and to review plans to travel elsewhere in Thailand.

Foreign Office Minister Bill Rammell also called on the estimated 40,000 expat Brits not to leave their homes in the affected areas, where there was "a high risk of further bloodshed" and called for an end to the violence.

"Reports of increasing tension are of real concern. We do not believe that violence has any part to play in achieving political aims and urge restraint," he said in a statement.

"British citizens are warned not to travel to Bangkok unless their visit is absolutely essential and to review their travel plans to other parts of Thailand. British residents in Bangkok and other cities affected by the violence are advised to stay indoors and to monitor the media and Foreign Office travel advice."

The protesters are demanding the resignation of the Government led by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, which they say took power illegitimately four months ago.

A state of emergency was ordered on Sunday and soldiers and armoured vehicles sent on to the streets but following its introduction ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra called for a revolution.

The Tourism Council of Thailand predicted the country would lose at least 200 billion baht (£3.8 billion) as foreign tourists avoided the country.

About 812,000 British nationals visited Thailand in 2008, according to the Thai tourism authority.

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