World community frets about instability
By Achara Ashayagachat and Agence France-Presse
The international community is fretting about the political tension in Thailand and has called for a democratic and peaceful solution to the stand-off between the government and the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD). The United States wants Thailand's political crisis to be resolved through democratic means, a State Department official said on Friday in Washington.
''We are following the political situation in Thailand closely,'' the official said.
''The United States believes differences should be addressed through Thailand's democratic institutions,'' said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The US embassy has also reviewed the situation and issued a message to its citizens travelling to or residing in Thailand about the ''deteriorating situation''.
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej had a luncheon talk with US ambassador Eric John on Thursday, calling for sympathy and support from the US, sources said.
The embattled prime minister told the ambassador that things would soon be under control and the tension would gradually be defused.
The prime minister expected Mr John to show support for a democratically-elected administration facing street protests, but the ambassador only said he hoped the situation would be resolved in a peaceful manner, the sources said.
Swedish ambassador to Thailand Linner Lennart said he hoped the political situation would be solved in a peaceful manner.
''I'm confident that will be the case in not too many days as it is unfortunate that Thailand's tourism will be hit,'' he said. Because it is now the low season for tourists, the impact of the conflict has been minimal.
''There are a couple of thousand Swedish tourists [in Thailand] and we simply advise them to try to avoid demonstrations,'' Mr Lennart said.
The Australian embassy has also been watching the situation carefully and updated its travel advice for its citizens twice this week.
The advice on the embassy website said tourists need to avoid demonstrations, political rallies and concentrations of military personnel and follow any instructions issued by local authorities.
A European diplomat said the political problems damaged Thailand.
''The longer the stand-off is on, the more damage to your economy. It has been like this for more than two years and no matter how it will end, the political stability in Thailand will still take a long time to recover,'' said the diplomat who requested anonymity.
South Korea yesterday urged its nationals to avoid travelling to Thailand, citing the ongoing political unrest.
''Korean citizens should stay away from any sites of demonstrations and others who plan to travel to Thailand should wait until calm returns,'' the South Korean Foreign Ministry said.
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