Twelve elephants left at Bangkok's city hall in protest of Thailand's destroyed tourist industry
According to several Thai news channels and The Nation newspaper, 12 elephants were dumped at Bangkok's city hall by the owner of the Mae Tha Man Elephant Camp in Chiang Mai today.
With the tourism industry destroyed in Thailand, due to the ongoing anti-government political protests, violence, 27 deaths and the Thai government's inability to solve the problem, elephant camps in northern Thailand are suffering. Few tourists are going to the camps as few are in Thailand, yet every elephant camp in Thailand relies on tourists to survive.
According to recent statistics, tourists arriving in Thailand over the last month has fallen by more than 60% and who can really blame them?
Sure, it's fun to spend time at an elephant camp in Chiang Mai (I've done it many times) but few tourists want to take the chance of being stuck, injured or killed if the ongoing political violence worsens. The government is at a stalemate with a proposed 'road map' solution with red shirt anti-government protesters now being stymied by the yellow shirts (PAD). With neither side willing to compromise, the stalemate continues. But, many western governments now are wondering how long will the stalemate continue before it disintegrates into civil war? With that question hanging in the air, it takes a brave tourist indeed to come on a trip to Thailand.
As for the elephants, with hardly any tourists going to the Mae Tha Man Elephant Camp, the owner cannot afford to feed them. So, she decided to leave 12 of her 65 elephants at Bangkok City Hall to get some charity from the government and, of course, to make her point. Thailand's tourist industry is irreparably damaged and it will likely be years before it recovers.
As someone who has told tourists over and over again to "Come to Thailand" with the present government impasse and the likelihood, now the PAD is involved, the situation will get worse, I too have to agree with the more than 40 government's that have issued travel warnings to Thailand and told their citizens not to come. It's a shame. Thailand is a beautiful country and the people are lovely. But when it comes to having a vacation versus risking your life, right now, it's just not worth it.
Meanwhile, anyone want an elephant?
