144 Pinoys now stranded in Bangkok - DFA

MANILA, Philippines - A total of 144 Filipino tourists are currently stranded in Thailand's capital city of Bangkok following the closure of two airports after thousands of protesters stormed into the airport halting all commercial flights in and out of the country. Citing reports from the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok, Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr of the Department of Foreign Affairs, told reporters on Thursday that the 144 Filipinos are safe and are staying in various hotels. "The Philippine embassy is providing them assistance," DFA spokesperson Claro Cristobal relayed. In an earlier interview on radio dzBB, Philippine Ambassador to Thailand Antonio Rodriguez said the Philippine embassy is attending to the 25 Filipinos who are currently staying in hotels near the airport after they were left behind by their flights back to the Philippines last Tuesday. "We have about 20 Filipinos in the Twin Towers Hotel. The other five are staying at the Novotel. Of the 20 Filipinos, 18 were left by their Cebu Pacific Flights to Manila . The other two were left by a PAL flight during the same day," Rodriguez said. He added that it is “business as usual" in Thailand as protestors from the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) are only targeting the government offices. The official said that that the Philippine Embassy personnel were allowed Wednesday by the People’s Alliance for Democracy protestors to enter Thailand ’s main international airport to look for the stranded Filipinos. Cristobal advised Filipino tourists on Wednesday not to push through with their travel plans unless necessary. Two of the country's main airlines - the flag-carrier, Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific - canceled all flights to Bangkok on Wednesday. Thousands of Thai protesters took over Suvarnabhumi Airport in the country’s capital of Bangkok on Tuesday in an effort to halt the return of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, whom they accuse of being the puppet of a ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra. Wongsawat was scheduled to return late Wednesday from an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru and would land at a military airport, officials told the Associated Press in a report. In the radio interview, Rodriguez also said that Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat already arrived at the country and entered through the Chiang Mai airport after attending the Asia-Pacific summit in Peru. - Mark Joseph Ubalde, GMANews.TV