Local family delayed in leaving Thailand: Antigovernment demonstrators take over airports, stall tourist travel
Posted on Saturday, December 6, 2008
A west Washington County family faced delays leaving Thailand last month after antigovernment protesters took control of the nation’s two major airports.
Michael and Courtney Cox, their 2-year-old son Tate and Michael’s mother, Brenda Cox, left the United States on Nov. 22 to meet up with Michael’s sister, Paige Cox, who does missionary work in New Delhi, India. They live near Summers.
Paige is expected to stay in India for another two year and she’s only seen Tate once since he was born, so the family planned a trip to see her. They picked Thailand because it is “not as third-world as India” and it’s a good vacation spot, said Courtney Cox.
The family knew that an anti-government group known as the People’s Alliance for Democracy had been holding demonstrations in Thailand, but they had no idea that the protesters would decide to take over the airports after they arrived.
The 193-day campaign to force out the government of the People’s Power Party was finally successful on Tuesday, Dec. 2 when the protest was called off. The country’s prime minister was forced to step down after the country’s constitution court disbanded the PPP-led government.
The Coxes had planned to depart on Nov. 30 from the Bangkok airport, but after protesters took over the airport, all of the trains and buses were all booked solid for several days with people trying to get out of the country. They decided to wait a day or two to see if conditions changed.
The Thai people that the Coxes talked to seemed to be split on whether or not they supported the government or the protesters, but everyone loved King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 81, who has been on the throne for six decades. It was clear that the protests were taking an economic toll on the business owners and street vendors in a country that depends on tourism, said Michael Cox.
“Before we left the city, the shop owners were already feeling the effects of the slowdown,” he said
Upon arrival, the Coxes noticed thousands of protesters standing outside a government building in Bangkok. The couple said that they never felt scared or threatened, just inconvenienced because of the delay in getting home.
“The Thai people were as nice as they could be. It was a great country to visit. I’d go back in a heartbeat — when the airports are open,” said Michael Cox. “They were very kind. They treat Westerners very well.”
The concierge at the hotel told the family about a private taxi driver who would take them on the 900-mile journey to Malaysia for $ 375 — a lot of money in Malaysia. The Coxes decided to take a chance on the private service and left for the border on Tuesday. The sister stayed in Thailand with a friend.
China, Japan and Australia sent planes to a nearby military base to evacuate tourists, but the United States and British governments were not landing planes, he said. The lobby of the hotel was always full of people using the computers trying to find a way out of the country.
Mary Kaye Oxford, Courtney’s mother, said that she was very worried about her daughter’s family after learning about the protesters at the airport. She stayed in touch by cell phone.
“It became real clear on Sunday. It was obvious to us that we couldn’t just sit there and wait for the airlines to get us out,” said Courtney Cox. “We figured we better do something or we’d be there forever.”
“ It was a logistical nightmare,” said Michael Cox. “It’s a good thing she put my feet to the fire.”
They arrived at the border in Malaysia at 10:45 p.m., just 15 minutes before the border closed. They got another cab and found out that the airport was much further away than they expected. The cab ride in Malaysia was interesting because they passed through several areas that had been flooded.
“I thought he was going to drown out his car, but he kept going. He was driving on shoulders or whatever he needed,” said Michael Cox.
They checked into a hotel at 4 a.m. and left for the airport at 7 a.m. on Tuesday. They finally arrived home late Wednesday night.
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