Stranded pilgrims leave Bangkok airport for hajj Dec 1, 2008
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. (Yahoo News)
Thai Airport Closures Tourists Tr... Nov 30, 2008
The main route out by road is through Hat Yai to the Malaysian border and onto Penang or direct to Kuala Lumpur. However, a little known and much more sedate route is the Thai-Malaysia Langawi ferry from the city of Saturn, (around 2 hours from Hat Yai) to the breathtakingly beautiful island of Langawi ... Buses and private vans to Saturn leave from Phuket or Hat Yai and there is also daily VIP bus direct from Bangkok. (Suite101.com)
Thai Airways to arrange flight for Thai Muslims going on the Hajj Nov 28, 2008
The flight with about 250 pilgrims will depart from the Hat Yai airport the country's Muslim-majority south, said Thai Airways Executive Vice President Narongsak Sangapong ... About 450 are stuck at Suvarnabhumi and another 200 at Hat Yai. (International Herald Tribune)
Bangkok airports shutdown ripples through region Nov 28, 2008
One flight with about 250 pilgrims will depart Friday from Hat Yai airport in the country's Muslim-majority south, said Thai Airways Executive Vice President Narongsak Sangapong. Monday is the last day they can arrive in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj. (International Herald Tribune)
Thai government demotes national police chief Nov 28, 2008
Thai Airways flew 250 pilgrims on a special flight from Hat Yai in southern Thailand on Friday, but 460 more remained stuck in Suvarnabhumi. The lack of use of force by the government and the firing of the police chief have raised doubts about whether Somchai has the support of the police and the army, a powerful institution that has traditionally played a key role in the country's politics. (Florida Times-Union)
Bangkok's airport paralyzed after protesters' intrusion Nov 26, 2008
The PAD stormed airports in key tourist hubs in the country, prompting brief shutdowns of Krabi, Phuket and Hat Yai airports in Thai south in August when they seized state agencies and occupied the Government House, in their first mass battle to bring down the Somchai government, which the PAD said is a proxy of ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra. The government had to set up a temporary office at the Don Mueang airport, the former Bangkok International Airport before Suvarnabhumi opened in... (Xinhuanet, China)
Hawaii Hotels Roll Out The Deals Sep 7, 2008
In the days before the emergency declaration the rallies spread to the popular tourist areas of the Andaman coast and forced the closure of three airports, including Phuket, Krabi and Hat Yai, stranding thousands of tourists, some for four days. For updates and further advisories, call the State Department at (888) 407-4747 or visit. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Travel)
Bangkok stand-off continues Sep 4, 2008
Protesters blocked access roads at the airport in the southern city of Hat Yai but flights out of Bangkok were continuing as normal. In central Bangkok, the protesters remain defiant. (BBC News -- Asia-Pacific)
Thailand's political impasse clings on Sep 3, 2008
The Hat Yai international airport in Songkhla province was forced to shut down again after blocked by PAD protesters. Imposing a state of emergency was deemed a last resort on the government side as laws allow it to do, as the prime minister has ruled out a resignation of his own -- as the PAD demanded and a House dissolution. (Xinhuanet, China)
Thai leader won't quit, despite protests Sep 1, 2008
A third international airport, at Hat Yai, reopened Saturday. Thousands of tourists were stranded in Phuket and Krabi. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Politics)
Thai PM seeks parliament debate Aug 31, 2008
A third regional airport, Hat Yai, reopened on Saturday. Although the atmosphere was calmer on Saturday, the demonstrations continued outside police headquarters and thousands remained camped out at the prime minister's official compound, Government House. (BBC News)
* Thai protesters break into empty PM office Aug 31, 2008
But the southern airport in Hat Yai had reopened for a Thai Airways flight early yesterday, after protesters had forced its closure on Friday as well. This story has been viewed 336 times. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Thai premier vows not to resign, despite protests Aug 31, 2008
A third international airport, at Hat Yai, reopened on Saturday. Thousands of tourists were stranded in Phuket and Krabi. (International Herald Tribune)
Smith urges caution in Thailand Aug 31, 2008
Similar protests closed down the airport in nearby Krabi and the southern commercial centre of Hat Yai, although Hat Yai had since reopened. The anti-government protests are centred on Bangkok, where up to 25,000 people have occupied the main government complex calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
I will not quit, insists Thai PM Aug 31, 2008
Similar protests closed down the airport in nearby Krabi and the southern commercial centre of Hat Yai, cutting off air traffic to much of southern Thailand. So far only Hat Yai has reopened, leaving air links cut to Phuket, the crown jewel of Thai tourism - an industry that generates 6 per cent of the economy. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Thailand's Ruling Coalition Calls for Urgent Session as Protests Expand Aug 30, 2008
Thousands of protesters yesterday blocked access to airports in Phuket, Krabi and Hat Yai in southern Thailand, forcing their closure. Hat Yai airport was reopened today, Channel 9 reported. (Bloomberg -- Asia)
Pressure mounts on Thailand's PM Aug 30, 2008
Phuket and Krabi airports have closed, and there were reports of blockades in Hat Yai. Reports suggested protesters were planning to mount similar actions at Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in the north. (BBC News)
* Thai protesters scuffle with police in Bangkok Aug 30, 2008
A spokeswoman at the Airports of Thailand (AOT) operator said thousands of PAD sympathizers have blocked airports in the southern holiday destinations of Phuket and Hat Yai, while Thai TV said a similar rally broke out in Krabi. Five thousand protesters virtually blocked access to the Phuket International Airport so passengers cannot get in or out, Monrudee Ketphan said. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Pressure grows on Thai PM after protests escalate Aug 30, 2008
One of the airports, in the southern town of Hat Yai, was functioning again on Saturday. The protests are being led by the PAD, a motley group of businessmen, academics and activists who accuse Samak of being an illegitimate proxy of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, now in exile in London. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
3 airports blocked as Thai protests spread Aug 30, 2008
Protesters also blocked the entrance of the airports in Krabi and Hat Yai, two other tourist destinations in southern Thailand. Today in Asia - Pacific. (International Herald Tribune)
Protests force closure of three Thai airports Aug 30, 2008
" Soon after, the company's president Sereerat Prasutanont confirmed two further airports had closed. "The authority shut down both Hat Yai and Krabi airports soon after Phuket was closed because officials are unable to operate," he told AFP. "The duration of the closure will depend on how the situation develops," he added. Monrudee said there was speculation that similar protests were planned for the northern hubs of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. In a further blow for airlines, the union leader at... (Channelnewsasia.com)
Police scuffle with protesters as turmoil spreads through Thailand Aug 30, 2008
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Thai police fire tear gas as protests escalate Aug 29, 2008
Similar rallies soon prompted officials to close Hat Yai and Krabi airports. "The duration of the closure will depend on how the situation develops," said Sereerat Prasutanont, president of government operator Airports of Thailand. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Thai Protesters Storm State-Run TV Station Before Anti-Government Rally Aug 26, 2008
The People's Alliance for Democracy, which claims Samak is a nominee of said they'll block highways connecting Bangkok with northern provinces, seize ministries and close and Hat Yai airports today. Led by , a former Thaksin business associate who fell out with him in 2005, they've held daily demonstrations for the past three months. (Bloomberg -- Asia)
Full Story » Feb 12, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008. New Thai govt to consider self-rule for Muslim south Posted: 12 February 2008 1411 hrs. (Channelnewsasia.com)
Thailand Weighs Self-Rule for South Feb 12, 2008
Chalerm said intelligence suggested the militants are planning to expand their violent campaign to southern Thailand's tourist and commercial hub, Hat Yai, in Songkhla province. In April 2005, two people were killed by a bomb at Hat Yai International Airport. (Newsmax)
Celebrating Christmas In Phuket Dec 15, 2007
At midnight on Christmas Eve everyone will celebrate by singing along with the Carol Singers, who have travelled up from Hat Yai, especially for the occasion. The 24th December is also Mafia night ,when patrons are encouraged to wear something black, Al Capone Style. (Suite101.com)
Disaster probe begins Sep 18, 2007
We're going to try to get to other airports in Surat Thani or Hat Yai and fly back from there. " Underneath signs flashing "Delayed" for every flight, honeymooners Pavlos and Sarah Christoforou from Cyprus said they were trying to make the most of their time stuck on Phuket. "We have to catch a connecting flight in Bangkok to Dubai, and then to Nicosia, but now we don't know when we will be leaving," Sarah Christoforou said, sitting on their luggage. Post this story to : more news from around... (7DAYS)
Grim scenes at Phuket crash site| Sep 17, 2007
"We're going to try to get to other airports in Surat Thani or Hat Yai and fly back from there.". Underneath signs flashing "Delayed" for every flight, honeymooners Pavlos and Sarah Christoforou from Cyprus said they were trying to make the most of their time stuck on Phuket. (iAfrica.com)
Bloody May reflects mounting insurgency in Thai south Jun 7, 2007
On Monday, they derailed a train by sabotaging tracks, shutting down rail services south of Hat Yai, the commercial centre of the south. The state railway expects to resume train services in the far south on Thursday after fixing the damage. (AlertNet)
Thailand halts trains after attack Jun 5, 2007
The train was heading from Yala, one of three Muslim-dominated provinces which have been the focus of the uprising in the region which flared in January 2004, to Hat Yai, the commercial centre of the south. No trains would run south of Hat Yai until the track inspections, which were expected to be completed on Wednesday, Tanongsak Pongprasert, another rail official, said ... "We have had to suspend all 18 train services from and to Hat Yai today as we have to check the damage to the tracks and... (Aljazeera.Net)
Violence kills 18 in S Thailand Jun 2, 2007
BANGKOK, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Police have detained six young men in Hat Yai district of Thailand's southern province Songkhla over suspicion that they were involved in the coordinated seven bombings which hit the southern business hub city last Sunday night, media here reported Thursday. According to the Thai News Agency, the six suspects, all young men from the insurgency-plagued southernmost provinces of Yala and Pattani neighboring Songkhla, were detained Wednesday night at a rented house in... (Xinhuanet, China)
* Taiwanese travelers urged to be careful Jun 1, 2007
Wang also advised Taiwanese to refrain from traveling to the Songkhla and Hat Yai areas in southern Thailand following a series of explosions there on Sunday and Monday that killed four people and injured 36. Thailand-bound travelers are advised to contact Taiwan's mission in Bangkok via the hotline 002-6681-666-4006 if they need emergency assistance. (Taipei Times, Taiwan)
Militant attacks kill 13 in Thai Muslim south-army Jun 1, 2007
Earlier on Thursday, six Muslim youths were detained after police raided a rented house in the southern city of Hat Yai and found bomb-making equipment, police said. The young men were suspected of being involved in a spate of small bomb attacks last Sunday, which killed one and wounded nine, police said. (AlertNet)
Thai market explosion kills four May 29, 2007
Co-ordinated blastsThe attack came as police began investigating a six apparently co-ordinated bombings that wounded 13 people in the tourist resort of Hat Yai late, elsewhere in Songkhla province, late on Sunday. Hotels, pharmacies, a department store and a restaurant were hit in Hat Yai [Reuters ... In September last year, six bombs exploded in Hat Yai, killing four people, including the first Westerner to die in the violence. (Aljazeera.Net)
* Bangkok blocks access to Thaksin's official Web site May 29, 2007
AFP, BANGKOK AND HAT YAI, THAILAND Tuesday, May 29, 2007, Page 5 ... The small bombs hit hotels, shops and restaurants across Hat Yai, the main tourist hub in a southern region beset by separatist violence that has killed more than 2,200 people since January 2004. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Business)
Bomb at market in southern Thai kills 4 May 28, 2007
The bombing came a day after at least 13 people were hurt when six bombs exploded in the city of Hat Yai, southern Thailand's tourist and commercial hub in the same province ... Earlier Monday, a senior police official said domestic politics rather than Muslim insurgents may have been behind Sunday's bombs in Hat Yai that exploded near two hotels, two pharmacies, a department store and a restaurant ... Scores of Malaysians, Singaporeans and Indonesians spend their weekends in Hat Yai, but police... (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
6 bombs explode in commercial district in restive southern Thailand, wounding 10 May 28, 2007
The attacks in Hat Yai, where scores of Malaysians, Singaporeans and Indonesians spend their weekends, took place near two hotels, two pharmacies, a department store and a restaurant, Police Lt. Pod Suansuwan said ... Last September, six homemade bombs exploded in Hat Yai, killing four people, including a Canadian who became the first Westerner to die in the separatist insurgency. (WSVN-TV Miami, FL)
Gunmen attack van in Thailand Mar 14, 2007
The attack occurred as the van was shuttling people from the Betong district of Yala province to Hat Yai, the souths major city, in the neighboring province of Songkhla. advertisement. (MSNBC -- International)
Thai militant bus attack kills 8 in Muslim south Mar 14, 2007
The minibus was headed for Hat Yai, the commercial capital of the south, from Betong on the Malaysian border. A severely wounded Buddhist woman was taken straight into surgery and the Muslim driver, the only other person on the minibus, escaped with minor wounds, Acra said. (Reuters AlertNet)
Nine shot dead in Thai Muslim south Mar 14, 2007
"Militants opened fire on a minibus full of passengers who commute between Betong (district) and Hat Yai, and the bus veered off the road," Colonel Acar Tiproach, the Thai army spokesman, told AFP.. Eight of the passengers, who police said were traders and villagers, died immediately. (Yahoo! Asia News)
Eight killed in southern Thailand Mar 14, 2007
The minibus was taking people from the province of Yala to Hat Yai, the south's major city, in the neighbouring province of Songkhla. About 2,000 people have died in Thailand's restive south since a resurgence of unrest in January 2004. (BBC News -- Asia-Pacific)
Blasts rock S Thailand, many injured Feb 19, 2007
At about 19:00 p.m. local time (1200 GMT), several bombs were triggered by suspected insurgents at karaoke bars in Hat Yai, the economic hub of Songkhla. Many important places in Songkhla were also burnt. (Xinhuanet, China)
Thaksin attacks bombs implication Jan 3, 2007
Thaksin said the bombings could be related to the southern violence because they were similar to explosions that killed four people and wounded dozens last September in Hat Yai, the south's commercial hub near the three Muslim-dominated southern provinces rocked by the insurgency. "The insurgents have a strong notion to separate from Thailand or at least gain autonomy," he wrote. (CNN -- International)
* Jitters aside, Thais return to Bangkok Jan 3, 2007
The military has helped provide additional security at other airports, notably in Chiang Mai and Hat Yai. The normally tranquil Chiang Mai was rattled by a small bomb attack at a mosque on Monday, while Hat Yai periodically suffers violence linked to an Islamic separatist insurgency in Muslim-majority provinces along the border with Malaysia. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Thaksin blames rebels for blasts Jan 3, 2007
"I used to tell security forces that the unrest in the south should be confined only to three provinces [on the southern border]. Otherwise it would spill over to Hat Yai and then Bangkok, and that would damage our country.". Thaksin said he was prepared to return to Bangkok to defend himself against the accusation, as well as against corruption claims made by the military government. (Aljazeera.Net)
