Envoy: No Pinoys hurt in Thailand street riots

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines’ Ambassador to Thailand on Monday said that no Filipino was reported hurt in the ongoing demonstrations against the Thai government, which broke out last Saturday.

“Wala po [No Filipino was hurt]," Ambassador Antonio Rodriguez told dzBB radio in an interview.

Rodriguez said that he and other envoys of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) member countries are evaluating whether they would recommend an advisory against traveling to Thailand.

“Kaming mga kasama at ambassadors ng Asean, medyo as much as possible huwag tayong padalos-dalos. Kapatid natin itong mga Thai. Titingnan namin ang sitwasyon para matantiya kung ano ang sitwasyon," he said.

[My fellow Asean ambassadors and I are still looking into the situation. But we should not be hasty, because the Thai are our brothers.]

Thousands of anti-government protesters calling for the resignation of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva last Saturday barged into a Pattaya hotel that was hosting the 14th Asean summit. The meeting of 16 Asean leaders, including Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, was subsequently cancelled.

Last Sunday, the Thai government arrested the leader of the red-shirted demonstrators, Arisman Pongruengrong. He was then taken into custody and detained at the headquarters of Thailand's Border Patrol Police.

In Monday’s radio interview, Rodriguez said that chaos broke out after protesters learned of the arrest of their leader. However, the ambassador said that the demonstrators were not harming foreigners.

He also said that of thousands of Filipinos already residing in Thailand might be unlikely.

“Karamihan ng mga Pilipino ay mga residente na at Thai passport holders. Siguro mga 10,000 na, kalahati ay nakatira sa Thailand. Kaya hindi siguro natin mai-aalis ang mga ‘yan maski gusto natin," Rodriguez said.

[Most of the Filipinos here are Thai residents and Thai passport holders. Of the 10,000 Filipinos there, half are already permanent residents. That is why it would be hard to evacuate them even if we wanted to.]

But Rodriguez said they are also prioritizing the safety of the overseas Filipino workers and Filipino tourists.

Thailand’s political tension has simmered since former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was removed by a military coup in 2006. Thaksin opponents marched last year to remove Thaksin's allies from power, even shutting down the country's main international airport for about a week in November.

After a court ordered the removal of the previous pro-Thaksin government, Abhisit was appointed by Parliament in December — prompting Thaksin supporters to take their grievance to the streets. - Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV

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