Gaybutton Posted April 9, 2009 Posted April 9, 2009 It's a very brief 'breaking news' article that appears in THE NATION, but it certainly says enough! Traffic in Pattaya yesterday flowed smoothly and was relatively light. Today (Thursday, April 9) however, from what I'm hearing, the closer you get to the beach area, the more it all becomes chaos. A few minutes ago (11:45am, Thailand time) I received a call from a friend who lives close to the beach and his report is that it's an absolute nightmare down there. He can't even go anywhere on his motorcycle. He says that he's running into streets that are blocked and/or traffic at a complete standstill and gridlocked. Meanwhile, regarding the US Dollar to Baht exchange rate, the baht has actually strengthened slightly so far today. As of 11:50am the exchange rate is 35.15. Go figure . . . _____ Red Shirts Threaten Pattaya Rally if Demand Not Met By The Nation Jatuporn said the political struggle has moved into a final showdown which there must be a winner and a loser. "Anything can happen today or tomorrow," he said. The red shirts may move the rally site to Pattaya, coinciding with the Asean Summit, after today's deadline on their demand for the prime minister and privy councillors to step down, rally co-organiser Jatuporn Phrompan said on Thursday. ____________________ Obviously, the Prime Minister and other Thai government officials have no intention of resigning. The ASEAN conference is scheduled to begin tomorrow, April 10 and is scheduled to end some time on Sunday, April 12 (just in time for the Songkran 'activities' to begin the next day). If the Red Shirts do move tens of thousands of protesters to Pattaya, you're guess is as good as mine as to what will happen both during and after the ASEAN conference. One thing is clear. If it does happen, those of you who are anywhere near the goings on are likely to be stuck right where you are. If you live in the areas likely to be under virtual siege, then today, before anything happens, it might be a good idea to stock up on groceries and other essentials. Those of you here on a holiday might want to consider going elsewhere, or at least away from the beach area, if we start hearing about massive movement of protesters on their way to Pattaya. If this does happen, I can easily envision the local restaurants and entertainment venues in the affected areas being forced to close if the staff can't even get there. Quote
Guest lvdkeyes Posted April 9, 2009 Posted April 9, 2009 Yesterday about 1830 I started out for N. Pattaya from Jomtien. The police wouldn't allow traffic to go north on Thrappaya Road. Winding our way through back roads was a traffic nightmare. We got to Theppasit Road which was also a mess. We couldn't go east to Sukhumvit Rd. We eventually ended up on Third Rd which was a mess also until we reached Pattaya Nua. It took about 1 1/2 hours to get there. Coming home was a breeze even though we came down Beach Road. I can see Thrappaya Road and Theppasit Road from my condo and there is no northbound traffic at all on Thrappaya Rd. and no eastbound traffic on Theppasit Rd. So--- I will stay put at home today. Quote
Gaybutton Posted April 9, 2009 Author Posted April 9, 2009 I will stay put at home today. Apparently, if you want to go anywhere, then you need to go either very early or very late. Out in my area, "The Dark Side," there are no traffic problems at all. It's 1:45pm now. I just got back from running a few errands. I was on Sukhumvit Highway, but had no need to venture into the city. Traffic on Sukhumvit Highway is heavy, but flowing smoothly. However, someone is expecting something because there was a hell of a lot of police presence on Sukhumvit. It would be quite helpful if those of you in various locations in Pattaya would keep us informed of any traffic problems. In Bangkok, the Red Shirts apparently intend to disrupt traffic and cause traffic chaos. Of course, given the usual state of traffic in Bangkok, who's going to even notice . . . . ? I hate to bring this up, but I can't help wondering if there is going to be an attempt to blockade the airport again or at least block access to the airport. Those of you who plan to fly elsewhere to avoid Songkran or have other flying plans might want to give some thought to going to Bangkok before things get out of hand, staying at a hotel close to the airport, and making sure you can get out if it comes to that. Unfortunately, there's no telling what the fanatics are going to do, but I'll bet they're giving plenty of thought as to how the Yellow Shirts managed to bring down the last "Government-of-the-Month." Here's the latest information: _______________________ The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Taxi Drivers Block Roads at Victory Monument Some 20 taxi drivers used their cars to block two roads at the Victory Monument at noon Thursday to pressure the government to resign. They started blocking the inbound Rajvithi Road in front of the Center One shopping mall at 12:30 pm and later on blocked the inbound Phayathai Road. The members of the Taxi Community Radio Club said if the government refused to resign by 4 pm, they would use 20,000 taxis to block all roads in Bangkok. ____________________ The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Red Shirts Look to Crank up their Campaign Published: 9/04/2009 at 12:17 PM Red Shirt protest leaders are looking to step up their campaign, with possible rallies in Pattaya to disrupt the Asean+3 Summit and traffic chaos in Bangkok, after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva spurned their ultimatum that he resign by 4pm on Thursday. In an interview with TV Channel 7 on Thursday morning, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he would definitely not step down, as the leaders of the pro-Thaksin United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship had demanded on Wednesday afternoon. He said all demands except the demand for the restoration of democracy were unacceptable. The prime minister said he believed most of the protesters were for democracy, but a handful were exploiting democracy to advance their own political agendas. The demand for the resignation of Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda and two other privy councilors, Genl Surayud Chulanont and Charnchai Likhitjittha, has also been rejected. The 4pm deadline was likely to pass without any untoward incidents and a new deadline was expected to be set by the protest leaders. Sources close to the UDD leadership said they might decide on new measures to put more pressure on the government to bow to their demands. This could include an attempt to disrupt the Asean+3 summit in Pattaya this Saturday, the sources said. Another possibility was for the protesters to scatter and reform in various places, including the Democrat party head office and the Constitution Court, with the intention of causing traffic chaos in the capital city. The government is determined the summit will go ahead as scheduled. Assurances have been given to leaders of Asean and dialogue partners China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand that they will be safe during the meetings this weekend in Pattaya. Early on Thursday morning there was a minor incident in front of the residence of Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda. A woman wearing a yellow shirt drove a Toyota Saloon into a group of red shirt protesters camping out there. One protester was slightly injured. The driver, whose identify was not known, escaped by driving her car towards Suan Amporn park. Police have asked that she report to police. Quote
Guest lvdkeyes Posted April 9, 2009 Posted April 9, 2009 I think the road closures down this way have to do with the Asean Summit at the Royal Cliff Hotel. Quote
Guest Patexpat Posted April 9, 2009 Posted April 9, 2009 Just had a late lunch at a cafe on the corner of third and klang, and there is a very noticeable police presence with checkpoints for traffic heading in to Pattaya on Pattaya Tai and Klang that I know of, so I assume there is one on Nua as well .... Quote
Guest shebavon Posted April 9, 2009 Posted April 9, 2009 With Thailand's prestige on the line in keeping the ASEAN summitteers safe and sound, I can understand some of the road closures and detours, but why is Jomtien Beach, as far south as Chaiyapruek, so screwed up? Quote
