UPDATE: The info below is about the 2006 coup in Thailand. For the latest information about the May 2014 military coup in Thailand, please see Is Thailand Safe After The Military Coup?
With the recent peaceful military coup in Thailand, it’s inevitable that tourists will ask – Is Thailand safe? The answer is yes – and there are plenty of other holiday dangers to keep things in perspective
It’s now Day 3 since the military coup happened in Bangkok. (See my previous post Thai Military Coup in Bangkok: A Personal View). At the time it was happening, things were a little bit uncertain – but the coup happened without a shot fired or any lawlessness at all.
Life in Bangkok has gone on exactly the same, as it has everywhere else around the country. Law and order is still firmly established. Businesses are still open. Flights in and out of Thailand have continued uninterrupted. Khao San Road is still packed with travellers and has not seen a mass exodus of people. So for tourists who have booked holidays to Thailand and are wondering whether they should still come, the answer is yes. There now appears to be very little prospect that the situation will deteriorate here.
Of course, it’s important to keep an eye on the news and stay updated on what’s going on. Unfortunately reading the advice of the Foreign And Commonwealth Office in London and other government agencies makes nearly all travel sound like a litany of huge risks.
Being worried about any of the above should also be kept in perspective: the main danger for tourists in Thailand is themselves. Motorbike accidents remain the number one killer of tourists in Thailand: Koh Samui is awash with people riding without a helmet, shirt or even shoes and usually pissed up too. They feel invincible because they’re on holiday. End result: in a ditch, dead.
Unsurprisingly, it’s the British who hold the record for most motorbike deaths at 148 in 2003, followed by 137 tourists from the United States, 120 from Germany and 73 from Japan. (See Viagra, Alchohol, Motorbikes and Sexercise for more entertaining Thailand tourist death statistics – the second highest cause of death amongst tourists in Thailand? “Heart attacks during special in-bedroom activities”).
It’s also worth mentioning that the other way to cause yourself real pain in Thailand is trying to smuggle drugs into the country. Thailand has a death penalty for drugs which is commuted to a life sentence if the accused confess to being guilty – and it’s rigidly enforced. Read Warren Fellows’ compelling The Damage Done about his 12 years in the “Bangkok Hilton”, Thailand’s most notorious prison, if you need any more persuasion.
Excellent. A post that was meant to offer some reassurance has probably scared everyone to death.
Bottom line: the military coup has happened in Thailand, but there is little reason to not visit the country. Trouble is unlikely to break out, and if it does, it will be at big demonstrations around government buildings in Bangkok, which can be easily avoided.
In short, the military coup is not really a reason to cancel your holiday to Thailand.
