I first went to Thailand in 1997 and immediately fell in love with the country. Thailand at that time to me was mysterious and exotic, full of potentials and pitfalls.
Fast forward to 2010 and here I am after 13 years and many trips to the LOS sharing, with the help of my 
Thai Airways Sues PAD Leaders
I woke up this morning to find an interesting email stating that Thai Airways has filed a civil suit against the PAD leaders for their role in shutting down Suvarnabhumi airport last year. Thai Airways is claiming 575 million baht (about 17.5 million USD) in damages for loss of earnings to the company. While this is very likely a drop in the bucket (I remember reading that the airport closure was costing THAI something like 500 million baht per day!) against the losses, it is more likely intended to send a message to both political groups in Thailand and possibly stop future demonstrations like this from happening.
I’m sure you all remember the protests that shut down Suvarnabhumi from November 27th through December 4th. I’m sure some of you remember it quite vividly as I have received emails from a few people who were trying to get out of Thailand during that time. I was totally shocked at the time that the airport blockade was allowed to continue for so long, as I’m sure many of you were as well.
I’m surprised that it has taken this long for someone to bring such a suit and I wonder if the timing has something to do with the recent change in leadership at THAI. Dr. Piyasvasti Amranand took over at THAI on Oct. 16 as the new president and since then has been very vocal about interference from political sources and from board members stating that such interference “had substantially weakened the management of the company, and our response to the crisis.”. Ultimately Dr. Piyasvasti would like to see Thai Airways as one of the top carriers not just in Asia, but in all the world. I am certainly looking forward to this as I remember flying THAI back in the 90’s when they were one of the best in the world.
I have to say I would be happy to see THAI win this suit as they have had a very rough couple years and the week long closure of Suvarnabhumi hurt them more than any other carrier. I am not anti-PAD, but I feel that while peaceful protest is useful as a tool in the political change process, when taken to an extreme where it adversely affects tens of thousands of innocents it becomes something different than a peaceful means to effect change.
I know some of you were trapped in Thailand during this protest and I’m wondering how do you feel now, 1 year later, about the airport closure and the current lawsuit being brought by Thai Airways.
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Steve, I saw this a couple of days ago, quite interesting. Now I wonder if all the other airlines affected will follow suit?
Given that the PAD are current government supporters it makes you wonder about the motive of the current THAI chairman and his political allegiance.
Yeah I was wondering the same thing. The initial hearing is set for February so (as long as they don’t postpone it) we may find out then. I’m sure if THAI is successful in their suit there will be other airlines looking for compensation. On the other hand I don’t think the PAD leaders actually have the money to pay the 575 million so it may end up being simply a hollow victory.
This is most interesting to read and the result of any future court case will be equally so. That’s a lot of money Thai Airways are claiming but merely a dash of what they lost. 575 million baht should start a few brows sweating amongst the Bangkok elite and the result of any court case could depend on which side pulls the heavier punch. You mention a possible hollow victory for Thai Airways, it would be a welcome sweet one in the eyes of the Isaan people.
I mention a hollow victory only in the context of the losers ability to actually pay any settlement. Of course we still have to see the case come to court, and I’m sure it will drag on for a long time as well. The political maneuvering should be intense and I think you’re right in that the final outcome will be dependent on which side pulls more weight.