General Election - Impact for Tourists

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Most news agencies are citing 2 Feb as the date - although it has yet to be confirmed (even if it is, and given the current situation, there's no guarantee it will actually take place). If it does take place on the 2nd, early (or pre) voting is likely to take place the week before (means the girls don't have to go home). Both weekends should attract the associated alcohol ban. Anything else anyone planning a trip around that time should be aware of (apart from the Buddhist holiday on 14th Feb). Chinese New Year?

Edited December 9, 2013 by CheshireTom

[glynbuk 29]

February is good for me , i have been in Pattaya during voting and didn't like it.

 

Now, as long as they don't do anything stupid at Suvarnabhumi this weekend then i am good to go

[pattaya_mad 208]

I was there for the last local elections. I think the bars reopen after the polls close, around 10.00pm. my memory is hazy but I think it was just one day each weekend

Edited December 9, 2013 by pattaya_mad

[marleyboy 140]

Hmmmmm I go January 16 and return February 14..........a couple of "dry" week-ends for me then! (It will give my liver some rest anyway!).

[nkped 1,208]

I'll be about a month in to a 3 month stay. Probably won't plan anything which would require me to stray far from home, sweet home in Jomtien on Ground Hog's Day or on the Feast of St. Blaise just to be safe.

 

[jacko 8,815]

I think the TGF said 2nd Feb, a Sunday as usual and no impact for me.

[Fireman Sam 336]

Impacted myself last night, I was on the Vibhavadi Rangsit Tollway in Bangkok at 18.30 when the police really aggressively stopped and pulled everyone to one side, absolutely chaos as you can imagine. Held us there for at least fifteen minutes, then the biggest cavalcade I have seen of police motorcycles, black BMW,s and accompanying mini vans came belting past with all the lights and horns blaring, first time I have ever seen them stopping the traffic on the tollways. Sign of the times I suppose.

 

No great shakes not being able to drink for a few weekends, as always in Thailand there are ways around everything.

 

 

Regards

[sailingbill 1,036]

My first trip was shortly after the coup . In 2010 i was midway Tokyo- BKK when the Curfew was first initiated. Never any real problems either time.

So as my luck would have it i'm arriving Feb 2 @ 2200. How soon are the election results known in Thailand? I assume not before the polls close as in th US .

Should we expect immediate reaction , on the streets, from the losing party?

[Fatboyfat 361]

As hinted at by Tom, these "yellow shirted assholes" don't want another election; which they will lose comprehensively every time. My own "blinkered" take is they will gradually cause more and more mayhem, until either the police/army violently surpress them, (highly unlikely) or the military take power again, after some clashes with "reds" which is probably their aim. I have a horrible feeling that this one is going to drag on and on, beyond February. On a more hopeful note tho'; My missus, who was an ardent "yellow" with appalling torylike attitudes, has "burnt her shirt" quite literally over this episode. Hopefully more and more of their supporters will do the same.

[CheshireTom 1,377]

As hinted at by Tom, these "yellow shirted assholes" don't want another election; which they will lose comprehensively every time. My own "blinkered" take is they will gradually cause more and more mayhem, until either the police/army violently surpress them, (highly unlikely) or the military take power again, after some clashes with "reds" which is probably their aim. I have a horrible feeling that this one is going to drag on and on, beyond February. On a more hopeful note tho'; My missus, who was an ardent "yellow" with appalling torylike attitudes, has "burnt her shirt" quite literally over this episode. Hopefully more and more of their supporters will do the same.

 

At this moment in time, I can't see the Democrats participating in an election. More likely they'll follow their 2006 tactics, hoping for the same result. IMHO.

 

Edit in: The Election Commission has announced the election will be on 2 Feb, with the pre-election on Jan 26. That means a 36 hour ban on alcohol sales from 6 p.m. on both 25 Jan and 1 Feb. How rigorously the bans are enforced is another matter. From 2011 ... not quite a disaster, but ....

 

 

 

 

On a brighter note ... The SupperBowl is on 2 Feb (6.30 p.m. New York Time) ... or the morning of 3 Feb in LOS. It'll be nice for some guys to be around to see the live transmission ...

Edited December 10, 2013 by CheshireTom

[MeGoDanceNow 4,281]

As hinted at by Tom, these "yellow shirted assholes" don't want another election; which they will lose comprehensively every time. My own "blinkered" take is they will gradually cause more and more mayhem, until either the police/army violently surpress them, (highly unlikely) or the military take power again, after some clashes with "reds" which is probably their aim. I have a horrible feeling that this one is going to drag on and on, beyond February. On a more hopeful note tho'; My missus, who was an ardent "yellow" with appalling torylike attitudes, has "burnt her shirt" quite literally over this episode. Hopefully more and more of their supporters will do the same.

 

 

Yes, I think the yellow shirts' game plan is to provoke the army into staging a coup, in the hopes of imposing a new, less democratic constitution.

[VPI78 11,516]

My first trip was shortly after the coup . In 2010 i was midway Tokyo- BKK when the Curfew was first initiated. Never any real problems either time.

So as my luck would have it i'm arriving Feb 2 @ 2200. How soon are the election results known in Thailand? I assume not before the polls close as in th US .

Should we expect immediate reaction , on the streets, from the losing party?

 

The most recent coup in Thailand was September 2006 that deposed Thaksin. The uprisings in 2009/2010 resulted in another disbanding of Parliament and the Abhisit Democrats administration for the elections in July 2011 in which Yingluck became PM.

Edited December 10, 2013 by VPI78

[CheshireTom 1,377]

 

The most recent coup in Thailand was September 2006. The uprisings in 2009/2010 resulted in another disbanding of Parliament and the Abhisit Democrats administration for the elections in late 2010 in which Yingluck became PM.

 

Yingluck became PM in July 2011.

[VPI78 11,516]

 

Yingluck became PM in July 2011.

 

Yeah, I forgot the actual election wasn't until the following summer.

[pattaya_mad 208]

Been told over at secrets that the voting closes at 6.00pm on the 2nd, so why may I ask would the bars be closed until midnight?

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Been told over at secrets that the voting closes at 6.00pm on the 2nd, so why may I ask would the bars be closed until midnight?

 

So they stay sober long enough to count the papers.

[ballbag 2]

My first trip was shortly after the coup . In 2010 i was midway Tokyo- BKK when the Curfew was first initiated. Never any real problems either time.

So as my luck would have it i'm arriving Feb 2 @ 2200. How soon are the election results known in Thailand? I assume not before the polls close as in th US .

Should we expect immediate reaction , on the streets, from the losing party?

 

My first trip was shortly after the coup . In 2010 i was midway Tokyo- BKK when the Curfew was first initiated. Never any real problems either time.

So as my luck would have it i'm arriving Feb 2 @ 2200. How soon are the election results known in Thailand? I assume not before the polls close as in th US .

Should we expect immediate reaction , on the streets, from the losing party?

Was on holiday during the coup no problem in Pattaya

[VPI78 11,516]

 

Was on holiday during the coup no problem in Pattaya

 

Especially since there was no coup then.

[Greg_B 306]

Most news agencies are citing 2 Feb as the date - although it has yet to be confirmed (even if it is, and given the current situation, there's no guarantee it will actually take place). If it does take place on the 2nd, early (or pre) voting is likely to take place the week before (means the girls don't have to go home). Both weekends should attract the associated alcohol ban. Anything else anyone planning a trip around that time should be aware of (apart from the Buddhist holiday on 14th Feb). Chinese New Year?

Valentines and a Buddhist holiday in conflict in 2014, oh well

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Valentines and a Buddhist holiday in conflict in 2014, oh well

 

Yeah, I'm going to take my dog out to dinner.

[Chris100UK 520]

Are they stricter in Bangkok? Are we likely to see bars (Nana/Cowboy) closed on the 2nd until midnight...or will they keep them shut all night?

[pattaya_mad 208]

in pattaya the bars open around the 10pm mark,or they did for the local elections, not sure about Bkk though

[Greg_B 306]

Tom

 

I do expect some type of action by the Reds, as they have been very peaceful

 

I do see government services being hit the hardest, it will be harder to get things done (visa extensions, marriage, license, etc)

 

This is democracy at its best

[CheshireTom 1,377]

My own worry is that what we are seeing is the beginning of the "endgame" being played out ... i.e. to be in control come the day we can't talk about. I don't see an obvious solution that will satisfy both sides. As for the Reds, probably conserving their energy and/or resources.

[teelack 9,640]

Re the question asked by the OP. I guess that I am a fairly average tourist to Pattaya. I want to be there in late February and to achieve this I need to make bookings possibly this week. Its not just taking advantage of the best fare deal but in my case its also about saving a serious amount booking feeder flights early and tying in with domestic issues. I also saw the accommodation that I wanted last trip and have already pre-booked.

 

There are so many things that COULD go wrong in Thailand or indeed any place on Earth and if I allowed all the permutations to bother me I would travel nowhere!

 

Bottom line for me I just need to get on and do it and remember that in 20 plus visits to Thailand nothing un-towards has happened other than the odd missed flight due to weather and break down and assuming that your heading to Pattaya I think that this is always treated a bit differently because of the mass tourist trade that descends there.