DFA to Filipinos in Thailand: ‘Stay home, avoid crowds’
20th September 2006
FOLLOWING the military coup in Thailand late Tuesday night, the Department of Foreign Affairs has advised the estimated 7,000 Filipinos in the country to “stay home and avoid crowds” until further notice.
Citing a report from Philippine Ambassador to Thailand Antonio Rodriguez, newly appointed DFA spokesman Ed Malaya also told INQ7.net in a phone interview Wednesday morning that the DFA would make a policy decision on travel to Thailand in the next couple of hours.
He said the ambassador, in his report to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo “last night when the incident initially commenced,� gave the assurance that the situation in Thailand has had “no negative consequences or implications� on the Filipinos there.
Malaya said that as the case of Filipinos in other ASEAN countries, the Filipinos in Thailand live and work in the capital in managerial positions for local and multinational companies.
He said contingency plans for such emergencies are in place at all Philippine embassies worldwide, including that in Bangkok.
“But so far there has been no policy to effect this contingency plan (in Thailand). The advice to Filipinos there is to stay home, avoid crowds,� Malaya said