THAILAND Foreign Minister :8 countries already issued travel warnings

BANGKOK, 6 November 2013 (NNT) – According to Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichackchaikul, eight countries have already issued travel warnings to their people, urging them to avoid demonstration sites in Thailand. The Foreign Minister said so far French, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Austria, Sweden, Israel, and Japan have already issued warnings to their people traveling in Thailand. However, the ASEAN nations have not yet issued any warnings. The warning issued states that travelers, for their own safety, should try to avoid or not to pass through demonstration sites in the kingdom.Furthermore, the Foreign Minister said in his capacity as the Foreign Minister of thailand that he does not want to see the country’s tourism industry to be affected as now is the country’s high season, with festivities such as Loy Kratong and Christmas closing in. He added that every group has the right to protest, however, they should consider the effects caused whether to the economy or the image of the country. He urged all sides to remain calm and let the senate do its job in deliberating the controversial amnesty bill. ——– BANGKOK, 6 November 2013 (NNT) – Army chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha has declined to comment on the amnesty bill, which will likely be turned down by the Senate, but expressed his concerns over the probable escalation of the demonstrations. According to the army chief, the army is currently allocating more equipment and weapons to the troops in Narathiwat province to enable them to handle the unrest more efficiently. He said he was happy to have heard the news of a proposed peace talk. Gen. Prayuth, however, declined to comment on whether the Senate would pass the amnesty bill – urging reporters to pose the question towards those who are directly involved. In regard to the Thai-Cambodian boarder dispute over the Preah Vihear Temple, the general reaffirmed that the army was ready to protect the nation’s sovereignty, brushing aside suggestions that the Cambodian army was attempting to provoke Thai soldiers by reinforcing its troops on the boarders.