Outbound travelers pack bus terminals and airports

BANGKOK, April 11 (TNA) - A massive exodus for Songkran or traditional Thai New Year long-holiday period in Thailand has started, as travelers have crowded bus terminals and airports, with the Suvarnabhumi International Airport alone expected to serve a total of over 1.6 million passengers during the Songkran festival 2013, 85 per cent foreseen to board international flights and the rest to take domestic flights. A large number of travelers arrived at the Mor Chit 2 bus terminal in Bangkok on Thursday morning and most of them took long-distance buses to the Northeast. The outbound passengers at the capital's main bus terminal was expected to peak at over 210,000 by midnight. A number of travelers have chosen to leave Bangkok at day to avoid long waits for buses at night. The Transport Company has operated 2,000 additional bus trips daily, which should be sufficient to serve all travelers. The exodus has also begun at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, with the number of air passengers expected to peak at over 164,000 on April 11, on top of 136,000 passengers on April 10, prompting airlines to have deployed over 400 additional chartered flights. Meanwhile, a number migrant workers in Thailand have also begun returning to Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos for the long Songkran holiday, prompting immigration and border authorities to work harder to facilitate their reunion with their families in the neighbouring countries. (TNA)