U-tapao airforce base from Vietnam era
transformed into makeshift
Bangkok International Airport
U-tapao airport located 190
kilometres southeast of Bangkok has been quickly transformed
into a makeshift
international airport since the blockade of Suvarnabhumi International
Airport started
last week. This old US air force base from the 1960s has a single X-ray luggage scanner, lacks departure boards, and is able to handle only 40 flights per day compared to Suvarnabhumi's 700 flights per day.
Crowds of tired and angry passengers, armed guards, piles of garbage, and mountains of luggage are to be found there. In short, tourism in Thailand has become a lot less fun than it once was in the good old days.
The word "makeshift" is perhaps the best way to summarize this whole sad situation:
* This tiny ill-equipped airport
is a poor
makeshift replacement for Suvarnabhumi airport.
* Traditional Thai dancer in photo on right provides makeshift entertainment to tourists waiting for their flights.
* Most of the flights out of of the airport are makeshift chartered flights.
* The PAD erected makeshift barricades to prevent entry into Suvarnabhumi airport.
* The makeshift government has setup makeshift headquarters in Chiang Mai.
* So far only a makeshift response to the problem has been made by the military and police.
* Traditional Thai dancer in photo on right provides makeshift entertainment to tourists waiting for their flights.
* Most of the flights out of of the airport are makeshift chartered flights.
* The PAD erected makeshift barricades to prevent entry into Suvarnabhumi airport.
* The makeshift government has setup makeshift headquarters in Chiang Mai.
* So far only a makeshift response to the problem has been made by the military and police.
U-tapao airport - former
Vietnam era air force base changed into temporary international airport
for Bangkok (See Wikipedia)
Suvarnabhumi - Bangkok's new international airport, blockaded yesterday by PAD (See Wikipedia)
transformed into - changed into
makeshift - temporary, made from whatever materials are available (See glossary)
blockade - preventing entry to a place
PAD - People’s Alliance for Democracy, the union of several groups protesting against the current government and which staged large protests against the Thaksin government as well พันธมิตรประชาชนเพื่อประชาธิปไตย
X-ray luggage scanner - the machine that looks inside and checks luggage before flights
departure boards - large boards at airboard with the time and status of flights leaving the airport
ill-equipped - does not have enough equipment to do the job
chartered flights - special flights not regularly scheduled, renting an airplane to send a group of people somewhere
the good old days - the times that we remember as being much better, a long time ago
Suvarnabhumi - Bangkok's new international airport, blockaded yesterday by PAD (See Wikipedia)
transformed into - changed into
makeshift - temporary, made from whatever materials are available (See glossary)
blockade - preventing entry to a place
PAD - People’s Alliance for Democracy, the union of several groups protesting against the current government and which staged large protests against the Thaksin government as well พันธมิตรประชาชนเพื่อประชาธิปไตย
X-ray luggage scanner - the machine that looks inside and checks luggage before flights
departure boards - large boards at airboard with the time and status of flights leaving the airport
ill-equipped - does not have enough equipment to do the job
chartered flights - special flights not regularly scheduled, renting an airplane to send a group of people somewhere
the good old days - the times that we remember as being much better, a long time ago
Here is the Bangkok Post article in full:
Tourists crowd U-tapao airport in bid to go home
MILITARY FACILITY STRUGGLING WITH PASSENGER BACKLOGPOST REPORTERS
Sunday November 30, 2008
Tens of thousands of stranded passengers have been squeezing into the only terminal at U-tapao airport to catch flights out of the country.
Tents have been erected outside the terminal to provide shelter to the passengers and more mobile toilets have been installed.
Traffic to the airport, in Rayong's Ban Chang district, has been backed up for several kilometres.
Capt Kiatkul Suwan, who oversees the airport, said immigration officers are working around the clock.
On average, about 50 international flights have left the facility daily after the airport was opened for commercial flights. Each flight can accommodate 200-300 passengers.
stranded passengers
- passengers that cannot leave (leave Thailand by air)
squeezing into - a lot of people or things are put in a space that is too small for them
tents have been erected - tents have been set up
traffic backed up - a traffic jam, many vehicles on the road moving very slowly
oversees the airport - manages the airport
working around the clock - working 24 hours per day
each flight can accommodate 200-300 passengers - each flight can hold 200-200 passengers
squeezing into - a lot of people or things are put in a space that is too small for them
tents have been erected - tents have been set up
traffic backed up - a traffic jam, many vehicles on the road moving very slowly
oversees the airport - manages the airport
working around the clock - working 24 hours per day
each flight can accommodate 200-300 passengers - each flight can hold 200-200 passengers
Transport Minister Santi Promphat said the air force base in Don Mueang has also been opened for commercial flights to held stranded passengers get out of the country.
He said authorities were also negotiating with neighbouring countries to see if they can reroute passengers to their airports and send them home. He said the government is doing its best to resolve the crisis after People's Alliance for Democracy supporters continued their siege of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports.
commercial flights -
flights by airlines (not military or private planes)
reroute passengers - change the route of the passengers
a siege - surround a place to force people to come out and give up control
the siege of Suvarnabhumi - by taking over the critical airport, PAD is trying to force the government to give up control
reroute passengers - change the route of the passengers
a siege - surround a place to force people to come out and give up control
the siege of Suvarnabhumi - by taking over the critical airport, PAD is trying to force the government to give up control
The tourism industry across the country has been dealt a massive blow with the shutdown of Suvarnabhumi, the country's main commercial gateway to the world, as well as Don Mueang airport, which mainly handles domestic flights.
Hotels, restaurants and other tourism-related business owners in key tourist destinations from Satun to Chiang Rai have reported cancellations.
They believe the shutdown of the airports has not only caused difficulties for tourists but has also undermined tourists' confidence in Thailand.
In Chiang Rai's popular Phu Chi Fah area, about 10% of the hotel reservations have been cancelled.
More cancellations are expected as the crisis in Bangkok drags on.
Somkiat Chuenthirawong, the chairman of Chiang Rai's tourism association, said the tourism and service sector is losing huge amounts of income and any reopening of the two airports is nowhere in sight. He added that a massive drop in income from tourism is widely expected in the industry if the situation is not resolved soon.
dealt a massive blow - were
hurt and injured very severely
commercial gateway to the world - the place where Thai goods are sent to the rest of the world from and both tourists and business people travel to different places around the world outside Thailand from
a reservation - an arrangement to do something in the future (eat at a restaurant, stay at a hotel, fly on an airplane)
hotel and restaurant cancellations - hotel and restaurant reservations have been cancelled
confidence - trusting and believing in something
undermined confidence - people believed in it less, has less trust in it
undermined tourists's confidence in Thailand - tourists no longer trusted Thailand
as the crisis in Bangkok drags on - as the crisis continues for a long time
any reopening of the two airports is nowhere in sight - no one can say or predict when the airports will open up again
commercial gateway to the world - the place where Thai goods are sent to the rest of the world from and both tourists and business people travel to different places around the world outside Thailand from
a reservation - an arrangement to do something in the future (eat at a restaurant, stay at a hotel, fly on an airplane)
hotel and restaurant cancellations - hotel and restaurant reservations have been cancelled
confidence - trusting and believing in something
undermined confidence - people believed in it less, has less trust in it
undermined tourists's confidence in Thailand - tourists no longer trusted Thailand
as the crisis in Bangkok drags on - as the crisis continues for a long time
any reopening of the two airports is nowhere in sight - no one can say or predict when the airports will open up again
Satun is already facing a grim holiday season.
About 50% of the bookings during the Christmas and New Year festivities, mainly by foreign tourists, have been cancelled.
In Hat Yai, Songkhla's commercial district, a large of number of foreign tourists arrived to board planes out of the country.
The stranded tourists have headed to Hat Yai, from where they can fly or go overland to Malaysia and Singapore and return to their home countries from there.
"Several hundred buses to Malaysia and Singapore are fully booked. The tourists have been advised to come to Hat Yai for flights to Malaysia or Singapore and then return home," said Kriangkrai Samphankul, chairman of the Phatthalung tourism association.
"But some are taking the opportunity to explore Hat Yai as well while they are here."
the holiday season -
the time of year from Thanksgiving at the end of November to New Years
Eve
facing a grim holiday season - the holiday season will probably be sad, not happy
book a seat - make an arragement for a seat for future travel in a bus or plane or at the theatre
fully booked - all seats have sold
facing a grim holiday season - the holiday season will probably be sad, not happy
book a seat - make an arragement for a seat for future travel in a bus or plane or at the theatre
fully booked - all seats have sold
(Source: Bangkok Post, business, Tourists crowd U-tapao airport in bid to go home, 30-11-08, link)
