Is it helpful to go to Thailand?

Is it helpful to go to Thailand?

Over the last six months, Thailand has reached the headlines across the globe. In November 2008, the "Yellow Shirts" held the International Airport at Bangkok under siege, and over the last few weeks, the country has faced another national emergency, when the "Red Shirts" decided to fight aid with their protests in Bangkok. Yet, in many areas of Thailand, all seems mild and calm, and there are no signs of these political protests. No stamp that is, apart from the peril and anxiety of the locals, and the quieter bars, restaurants and hotels.

The issues tedious these protests are complex, but to achieve it as simply as possible:

The Yellow Shirts (also known as The People's Alliance for Democracy or PADs), agree with the notion of democracy, but also feel that people need to have some concept of the long term economic, social and political consequences of their vote. They have that Thaksin faded corruption to catch the vote of the majority population of the rural regions of Northern Thailand, on the lead up to the 2001 elections that made him prime minister.

The Red Shirts, however, spy Thaksin more as a Robin Hood character, who took from the rich and gave to the dreadful. They occupy they would be financially better off both in the short term and the long term under the rule of Thaksin. Now, Thaksin faces corruption charges, and an unelected party and prime minister are ruling their country. As a result, they feel cheated.

Who is fair and who is evil is not for discussion here. We are currently more concerned with the impact these struggles could have on the economy of Thailand and on the number of tourists who want to visit. When the first major protests began in November 2008, many holidaymakers cancelled their wobble, and having fair recovered from the impact of the Tsunami, many businesses in the tourism industry of Thailand faced yet another season of lowering tourist numbers. The fallout from this is wide spread. Entire families rely on the income delivered by tourism to survive.

As such a high proportion of the population in the tourist hotspots of Thailand survive on the income of tourism alone, the majority of the locals in these places want nothing but a smooth resolution. They want foreigners to continue to regard Thailand as The Land of Smiles.

Whilst no one wishes to relieve you to meander into the middle of a conflict, I'm certain I'm speaking for the mountainous majority when I ask you to contemplate the right impact of these struggles on your visit to Thailand. Neither the Reds nor the Yellows have an snarl with tourists or expats, but if you are concerned about the fresh troubles in Bangkok, I would like to highlight that you do not need to hover to Bangkok if you wish to visit Thailand. You can sail from Kuala Lumpur to Krabi, or coast train into Phuket. From there you can go straight to your final holiday destination, where a warm welcome and a composed atmosphere awaits - honest as tourists have grown to examine from Thailand - The Land of Smiles.