Coup in Thailand
The Thai army seized power Tuesday night, dismissing the prime minister. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra got the news at the General Assembly of the UN in New York and announced a state of emergency. Tourism agencies say that all Russian tourists in Thailand are safe.
Army commander-in-chief Sonthi Boonyaratglin took the reins of power without a government title. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Thaksin canceled the speech he was to give to the U.N. General Assembly later in the day to return to Thailand.
75,600 Russians visited Thailand in the first half of 2006, 121 percent more than in the same period last year, according to official Russian statistics.
There are currently 1,500 Russian tourists in Thailand. The Russian high season begins in Thailand in late October with the start of school holidays. Tourism agencies report that all Russian tourists are in hotels now, and their lives are safe. However, it is not clear yet when they would be able to go back home since a number of Thai airports were closed. Russian airlines report no changes in their flights and keep on operating the Bangkok route.
Tour operators are expecting a surge of tour cancellations in the next few days but hope the political situation in the country will stabilize.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Sep. 20, 2006
|
