"Bangkok Shutdown" protest heats up; avoid wearing yellow or red when traveling to Thailand for business

▲ Thai anti-government groups will hold a "Bangkok Shutdown" protest demonstration, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintains the travel alert level for Bangkok at yellow. (Photo / Provided by the Tourism Authority of Thailand)

Reported by Chen Tzu-yin / Taipei

Thai anti-government groups will hold a "Bangkok Shutdown" protest demonstration on January 13. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a notice on the evening of the 8th,maintaining the travel alert level for Bangkok at yellow while reminding citizens that if they must travel to Bangkok or nearby areas for business in the near future, they should pay special attention to safety and avoid wearing yellow or red clothing.

The "Bangkok Shutdown" protest aims to paralyze Bangkok's traffic in an effort to force Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to step down. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' notice, the anti-government groups claim they will not target public transportation systems such as the MRT, BTS, Airport Link, or buses.There are 20 protest sites across central Bangkok, with seven major locations including Ladprao, Lumpini Park, BTS Siam, BTS Chitlom, BTS Silom, Victory Monument, and Asok stations. The Thai Ministry of Transport expects up to 151 roads to be affected, along with nine MRT stations, 13 BTS stations, 14 piers, one expressway, five train stations, two airport rail link stations, and 131 bus routes experiencing varying degrees of disruption.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminds citizens traveling to Thailand for business in the near future of the following precautions:
1. Stay informed about related gatherings and avoid areas where protests or demonstrations are taking place;
2. Avoid wearing all-yellow or all-red tops as much as possible to ensure personal safety;
3. Traffic in Bangkok and nearby areas may become more congested due to changes in protest routes. Please stay updated on protest information and traffic conditions, leave earlier, and allow extra travel time to avoid delays.

【ETtoday Travel Alert Guide – Travel Alert Levels】
Red (High): Not advisable to travel
Orange (Medium): Exercise high caution, avoid non-essential travel
Yellow (Low): Pay attention to travel safety and consider whether to travel
Gray (Minor): Advisory notice