2,433 Chinese citizens return safely from Thailand

After the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) besieged and shut down two main airports of Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi International Airport and Don Mueang, nearly 1,00,000 passengers missed flights including many Chinese citizens.

This Monday, China brought back 2,433 Chinese citizens by 8:30 a.m. (0030 GMT), the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. A China Eastern Airbus-300 arrived at the Utapao Airport near Pattaya, about 150 km east of Bangkok, capital of Thailand. According to a statement on the ministry’s website, the government will send two more charter planes to Thailand, to fetch home the remaining citizens still stuck there. About 600 people from the Chinese mainland were still estimated to be trapped in Thailand.

The statement said the Foreign Ministry will keep coordination with relevant departments such as Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and China’s National Tourism Administration, and direct the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok to closely watch the development of the event, so as to assist all the stranded Chinese citizens back safely as soon as possible.