Stranded Aussies face delays

28 Nov 2008, 11:35 am   -   Source: AAP
0 Comments
Share This
+ Comment
0

Australians stranded in Thailand due to anti-government protests have been urged to be patient.

RELATED

Australians stranded in Bangkok following the invasion of the city's two main airports by protesters are being urged to be patient until arrangements to fly them home are finalised.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said on Thursday (early Friday AEDT) that Australian officials were working with Thai authorities to help hundreds of Australians leave Bangkok.

"There will be a large number, hundreds, of Australians who have been inconvenienced," Smith told reporters in London.

"The Thai tourist authority has effectively put Australians who have been inconvenienced up in hotel rooms for last night and again for tonight.

"Our officials are doing everything they can both with the Thai authorities and also with the airlines to try and make arrangements for Australians to return to Australia.

"We are trying to do the best we can to resolve that inconvenience but I am much more concerned about their safety and security.

"They should stay in their hotel rooms and as best they can patiently await an improvement in their travel arrangements."

Thailand's Tourism Minister Weerasak Kohsurat said on Thursday the government hoped it could begin flying thousands of stranded tourists home from military bases near the capital within 48 hours.

The Thai government has declared a state of emergency at Bangkok's two airports, which were stormed by thousands of anti-government protesters on Tuesday.

All flights in and out of the airports have been cancelled while the protesters continue to occupy their terminals.

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube

Join the Discussion

Name
City / Suburb E.g. Artarmon, Sydney
Title
Comment
You have characters remaining.
Validation
What's this?
This is a captcha-picture. It is used to prevent mass-access by robots.
All submitted comments become the property of SBS. They are moderated, so we reserve the right to edit comments and remove HTML tags. Not all submitted comments will be published. Publication does not mean we endorse the opinions expressed. Please read our terms and conditions for more information.