“The Government Must Fall” said the sign that was spray-painted over a 20-foot stone wall to my right.
I was a bit confused. What was this slogan painted across a major landmark in a big city?
I looked left, hoping to put the pieces together.
What I saw both shocked and surprised me: a sea of protestors, riot police, and Humvees with speakerphones blaring in Thai as a mob walked directly toward us, a hundred people wide, and many thousands long.
We were spooked and had no idea what direction to go in, so we attempted to calmly and casually backpedal away from the crowd, made a sharp turn, and then sprinted back to the hotel.
However, the street to the hotel was blocked by police in full riot gear and six-foot barbed wire rigged across the road.
After a few more turns, we eventually found a back entrance into our hotel.
We no idea what was going on. Was there going to be a violent protest? Was the country literally at war? Were we about to witness a mass genocide?
We had plenty of questions and absolutely no idea about what was happening.
One of the things we needed most at the time was real-time updates about what was going on, which is a standard feature of Living Abroad’s International Relocation Center (IRC). Users can find current news — including the most recent series of events with riots and the government — in the Headlines link under “News Across the Web”.
We also didn’t know the historical background of Bangkok, which we could’ve found in the IRC’s Orientation section.
It’s important to be prepared for any political situations that may become dangerous. With Living Abroad’s International Relocation Center, detailed information on security, reminders to register with your local embassy or consulate, as well as direct links to local police and fire department can save an assignee time in the face of an emergency. Help keep your international assignees and business travelers informed with a subscription to the International Relocation Center.
Written by Alexander Heyne, Living Abroad, Project Manager
