My sister stranded at the Bangkok Airport

  • Thread starter Thread starter syilla
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syilla said:
by MAS flight... i think she has arrived...but she is too busy to sms me...lol
Click to expand...

or she has to top-up her credit..... :)

But situation in Bangkok is still getting crazier... I've heard that now Pro-Thaksin demonstrators moved into the capital.... if I'm a Bangkok citizen, I would leave Thailand to elsewhere.... maybe Malaysia.. it's cheaper..
 
good your sisters safe syllia.
heh, not many Malays would appreciate that suggestion north_malaysian..
 
Alhamdulillah ur sister's ok.

now i'm worried for most of the Haji jama'at...many of Haji-to-be travel to Jeddah through Bangkok...especially those from Burma, indo-china countries and south china.
Allah Madad
 
Thai Muslims leave for hajj on special flight

The Associated Press
Published: November 28, 2008


BANGKOK: A group of 250 Thai Muslims left Friday for the hajj on a special flight from southern Thailand after their original plan to fly out of the country's main international airport was disrupted by anti-government protesters.

Another group of 460 Thai Muslims remained stranded at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok as the authorities negotiated to fly them out of the U-Tapao military airport, about 140 kilometers, or 90 miles, from Bangkok.

The pilgrims had arrived in Bangkok from the Muslim-majority southern provinces on Tuesday, hours before protesters took over Suvarnabhumi, the country's main airport, and forced it to shut down.

Other pilgrims who had planned to arrive later in Bangkok stayed in the south, unsure whether they would be able to go on the hajj, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most Muslims, who save for years to make the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

Their predicament was resolved when Thai Airways decided to operate a special flight that took off Friday from the southern city of Hat Yai, with 250 pilgrims aboard, an airline official said.

The pilgrims will go to Saudi Arabia via Oman, she said, asking not to be identified because she was not authorized to speak to the media.

Tour operators said the 460 other Thai Muslims stuck in at the Bangkok airport would be taken by bus to U-Tapao. From there, they could get connecting flights on Iran Air to Saudi Arabia.

But Iran Air will not operate the flights until the Thai government guarantees that the airport will not be overrun by protesters, said Sunanta Wuttisakun, an Iran Air representative.

She said the situation could be resolved within two days, which would allow the pilgrims to make the deadline for the start of the hajj on Monday.

"Everyone is trying to help them," she said.

Thai Muslim leaders have warned that a failure to assist the pilgrims could damage relations between predominantly Buddhist Thailand and Saudi Arabia. It could also further damage the Thai government's credibility in the country's largely Muslim south, where Islamic militants have waged an insurgency since 2004.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/11/28/asia/haj.php
 
Thai Airways operates special flight for haj pilgrims

BANGKOK: -- Thai Airways International (THAI) arranged a special charter flight Friday to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from Had Yai Airport to accommodate hundreds of Thai-Muslim haj pilgrims who were stranded in Bangkok by the airport closure.

"So far we have managed to arrange just one charter flight, with a capacity for 250 passengers," said a THAI spokeswoman.

The TG8534 flight, departing from Had Yai Airport Friday afternoon will use an Airbus A300-600 aircraft to fly direct to Jeddah.

-- The Nation 2008-11-28
 
Stranded Muslim pilgrims seen crying inside Bangkok airport

BANGKOK: -- Many aged Muslims, who have been left stranded inside the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, were seen Friday morning crying.

They apparently lost hope that they would be able to travel to attend the Hajj in Mecca in time.

Many were seen sitting absent-minded with tears running down their cheeks.

Some came outside the passengers terminal to sit under the sun, apparently because they were not used to the cool weather inside the building.

About 450 Muslim pilgrims were left stranded after Iran Air cancelled its flight to pick them up for Hajj following the besieging of the airport by the People's Alliance for Democracy.

-- The Nation 2008-11-28
 
THAI service two speical flights to Mecca from Hat Yai

Thai International Airways will provide two special flights for Thai-Muslim pilgrims to Mecca from Hat Yai airport.

The service came after anti-government protesters shut down the airports since November 25.

Saudi Arabia has authorized the THAI to operate an additional flight to accommodate 500 stranded Thai-Muslim pilgrims to join the haj pilgrimage on December 1 (Monday).

Flight TG 8544, Airbus A300-600 aircraft will depart Hat Yai Airport at 10.45am and arrive Jeddah at 5.28pm (local time).

On Tuesday, THAI will operate flight TG 8540 which will depart Hat Y at 00.30pm and arrive Jeddah at 7.07am (local time).

Source: The Nation - 01 December 2008
 
Stranded Thai Muslim pilgrims request extended Haj

November 29, 2008 4:44 pm by pna

BANGKOK, Nov. 29 — Requests are being made to the Saudi embassy in Bangkok to extend the annual Haj pilgrimage held in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for another few more days as nearly 1,000 Thai Muslim pilgrims trying to travel there were still stuck in Thailand Saturday as Suvarnabhumi international airport is still shut down by anti-government protesters.


Thai Airways International (THAI) and Airports of Thailand (AoT) are seeking to find a way to fly 233 Thai Muslims now stranded at Hat Yai international airport in the South and wishing to travel to Mecca to perform the pilgrimage, according to Abdul Rahman Uma, a cultural academic in Songkhla.

The pilgrims originally planned to travel on Wednesday but were unable to leave the country as all outbound flights from Suvarnabhumi airport were suspended late Tuesday after protesters of the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy stormed into the airport terminal.

To help the pilgrims, THAI is providing a chartered flight from Hat Yai airport early Monday morning, just after midnight.

However, the airline is being requested to pick the pilgrims on Sunday. They have been temporary staying at a Hat Yai hotel for the fourth day Saturday.

The hajj is one of five basic obligations of a Muslim, along with a short creed, prayer, giving alms, and fasting during the month of Ramadan. Every Muslim who has the means should perform the pilgrimage at least once in his lifetime.

Simultaneously, more than 400 Thai Muslim pilgrims are also now stranded at Suvarnabhumi airport. Egypt Air will pick up Egyptians stranded in Thailand at Phuket international airport while Royal Jordanian Airlines said it would fly to U-tapao naval airport, to help transport some of the Thai Muslim pilgrims to Mecca.

While not all the Thai Muslim pilgrims will be able to arrive in Mecca within the deadline of the annual Haj — which falls at midnight on Dec. 2, requests are being made to extend it for another one or two days, said Anurak Wan Aaelah, secretary-general of the Haj Affairs Association.
(PNA/TNA)

LBV/rsm

http://balita.ph/2008/11/29/stranded-thai-muslim-pilgrims-request-extended-haj/
 
Thailand: Stranded Pilgrims Leave Bangkok Airport For Hajj

BANGKOK, THAILAND: More than 450 Muslim pilgrims stranded at Bangkok's besieged international airport for four days were bused Sunday to a military base where they were to board a plane for the hajj.

Sen. Anusart Suwanmongkol said buses transported the pilgrims from Suvarnabhumi airport to the U-Tapao naval base, about 90 miles (140 kilometers) southeast of Bangkok. There, they were to board an Iran Air flight arranged by the Iranian Embassy to Saudi Arabia.

"We are going to Mecca. There is only Allah," said Mohammad Rosi, one of the 459 pilgrims, before he boarded his bus.

The pilgrims arrived in Bangkok from Thailand's Muslim-majority southern provinces on Tuesday (25 Nov), hours before anti-government protesters took over Suvarnabhumi, forcing the country's main gateway to shut down.

A separate group of 250 Thai Muslims left Friday from Hat Yai in southern Thailand without coming to Suvarnabhumi.

The 459 in Suvarnabhumi had remained stranded in the airport as the government and protesters debated about how to get them to Mecca.

Several attempts fell through, partly due to fears by Iran Air that U-Tapao would also be overrun by protesters, preventing its plane from leaving.

The hajj is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most Muslims, who save up for years to go on the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

Thai Muslim leaders had warned that a failure to help the pilgrims reach Mecca by a Monday (1 Dec) deadline could damage relations between predominantly Buddhist Thailand and Saudi Arabia. It also could have further damaged the Thai government's credibility in the country's south where an Islamic insurgency has flared since 2004.

More than 3,300 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the violence. Attacks have generally taken the form of drive-by shootings and small-scale bombings intended to frighten Buddhist residents into leaving the predominantly Muslim area.

Muslims in the three southern provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat accuse the central government of discrimination, especially in jobs and education. (By MICK ELMORE / AP)

Associated Press writer Chris Blake contributed to this report.

http://www.mysinchew.com/node/18711
 

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