CAIRO: In light of ongoing unrest in Thailand, Egypt’s foreign ministry told its citizens to be wary when traveling to the country, the official MENA news agency reported.
Moustafa El-Guindy, deputy assistant foreign minister for consular affairs for travel advisories, labeled the internal situation in Thailand “inappropriate, adding that travel agencies are close to canceling trips as a result, MENA reported.
Tanks and armored vehicles rumbled across Bangkok on Sunday to crack down on protesters who wrecked a summit of Asian leaders.
Thailand evacuated Asian leaders by helicopter after more than 1,000 demonstrators stormed into their summit site Saturday, forcing the country s embattled prime minister to cancel the meeting.
The protestors demanded that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva resign.
However, the turbulence has not yet affected the travel plans of Egyptian citizens.
An employee at the Thai embassy in Cairo, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that visa issuance procedures are ongoing with ticket bookings resuming at a normal rate.
He added that the situation was currently not serious enough to warrant a freeze on procedures.
Nashwa Ahmed from Travco Group said they did not receive any alerts from the foreign ministry, adding that none of the scheduled trips have been canceled.
Sumit Gaur, manager in Eastmar Tourism Company, concurred, saying that although news of the unrest spread, people have yet to react, with some reluctant to cancel their trips because of the upcoming Easter break.
