ID :
17583
Sun, 08/31/2008 - 12:26
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/17583
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Aussie tourists still stranded in Phuket
Hundreds of Australian travellers remain stranded in Thailand for a second night after protesters seeking to overthrow the government forced the closure of three airports.
A Jetstar spokeswoman said a Sydney-bound Airbus A320 scheduled to depart from Phuket was still unable to leave, forcing 265 Australian passengers to stay in Phuket for a second night.
"At this stage the airport remains closed," the spokeswoman said. She said the Australian passengers stranded at Phuket and 274 Australian passengers diverted to Bangkok would be accommodated at hotels.
"We've found other hotels for those passengers who were unable to stay on in their accommodation," she said.
Some Australian tourists arrived back in Sydney after making it out from Phuket just before the airport closed. "There were all these traffic jams because there were mobs rioting and stuff and to
get out of there we walked for a kilometre and climbed the fence to get into the airport," Kathryn Wellington told the Seven Network.
Fellow traveller Jane Davies said about half an hour after she left the situation "got a lot worse".
"On the way to the airport it was a bit scary to be honest and we panicked because we've never seen real shooting guns," Josephine Hook said.
The resort island of Phuket was the first airport to be shut down, followed by Krabi and Hat Yai in the country's south as protests spread across the country.
More than 5000 protesters stormed Phuket airport's two runways and about 400 protesters from the so-called People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) blocked access to the airport.
The hundreds of Australians left in limbo have joined more than 15,000 international travellers waiting for Phuket airport to reopen.
But they may be in for a long wait after anti-government protesters said they would not back down until the Thai prime minister Samak Sundaravej resigns.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesman said Australians should stay away from the political rallies or "concentrations of military personnel", and follow any instructions issued by local authorities.
Thailand's southern provinces continue to have a "do not travel" rating, while for the whole country tourists are urged to show a "high degree of caution", according to DFAT.
Budget carrier Jetstar flies between Sydney and Phuket three times a week. Qantas flies only into Bangkok, and a spokeswoman said it was not facing any disruptions to its services.
A Jetstar spokeswoman said a Sydney-bound Airbus A320 scheduled to depart from Phuket was still unable to leave, forcing 265 Australian passengers to stay in Phuket for a second night.
"At this stage the airport remains closed," the spokeswoman said. She said the Australian passengers stranded at Phuket and 274 Australian passengers diverted to Bangkok would be accommodated at hotels.
"We've found other hotels for those passengers who were unable to stay on in their accommodation," she said.
Some Australian tourists arrived back in Sydney after making it out from Phuket just before the airport closed. "There were all these traffic jams because there were mobs rioting and stuff and to
get out of there we walked for a kilometre and climbed the fence to get into the airport," Kathryn Wellington told the Seven Network.
Fellow traveller Jane Davies said about half an hour after she left the situation "got a lot worse".
"On the way to the airport it was a bit scary to be honest and we panicked because we've never seen real shooting guns," Josephine Hook said.
The resort island of Phuket was the first airport to be shut down, followed by Krabi and Hat Yai in the country's south as protests spread across the country.
More than 5000 protesters stormed Phuket airport's two runways and about 400 protesters from the so-called People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) blocked access to the airport.
The hundreds of Australians left in limbo have joined more than 15,000 international travellers waiting for Phuket airport to reopen.
But they may be in for a long wait after anti-government protesters said they would not back down until the Thai prime minister Samak Sundaravej resigns.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesman said Australians should stay away from the political rallies or "concentrations of military personnel", and follow any instructions issued by local authorities.
Thailand's southern provinces continue to have a "do not travel" rating, while for the whole country tourists are urged to show a "high degree of caution", according to DFAT.
Budget carrier Jetstar flies between Sydney and Phuket three times a week. Qantas flies only into Bangkok, and a spokeswoman said it was not facing any disruptions to its services.
