Britons still stuck in Thai chaos

Britons were evacuated from the airport and are now staying in hotels

British travellers stranded in Thailand after anti-government protesters took over Bangkok's main airports are facing several more days of frustration.

Thousands have been trapped in the country since Tuesday and officials say the international airport will remain closed until at least Monday night.

Many of those stuck in Thailand say they are running short of cash and are not covered by their insurance.

The Thai government has ordered the police to clear the protesters.

Gemma France, from Chelmsford in Essex, was due to fly home from Bangkok on Sunday afternoon.

The 25-year-old sales worker and her boyfriend were visiting the islands in the south of country but their flight to Bangkok was cancelled, forcing the pair to embark on a three-day trip to the Thai capital via taxi and train.

Waiting list

When the BBC spoke to Ms France, she was onboard an overnight train to Bangkok. They had been hoping to catch an earlier train but it was fully booked.

"We booked our flights and a few hotels through a tour company and they have re-organised our flight. They have been in contact with my mum," she said.

If we miss our flight we will have to join the waiting list Gemma France Thailand protesters attack police Bangkok Britons appeal for help

"We have lost money on the internal flight to Bangkok and had paid for a hotel in advance.

"We have also spent about £150 so far on getting to Bangkok and we have been told our insurance policy does not cover us."

They are due to fly out of Pattaya, a beach resort about 100 miles (165km) south of Bangkok, on Sunday morning.

"We only have three hours to get down there and it takes about two.

"The Thai government has organised a bus from Bangkok to Pattaya but we are hoping to get a cheap taxi. If we miss our flight we will have to join the waiting list," she said.

Airlines have been using a military base, 120 miles (193km) south-east of the Thai capital, to fly passengers home and Ms France said friends they had met during their trip had been given a departure date of 9 December.

"They were told the waiting list was about 3,000 people long," she said. "If my boyfriend and I don't get back home, we won't be getting paid from our employers."

Civil unrest

BBC News has spoken to several Britons who have said they are not covered by their insurance policies.

A spokeswoman from the Association of British Insurers said most High Street policies would have an exclusion for civil unrest.

It's still a volatile situation and we are waiting for the airport to reopen rather than evacuating people Abta spokesman

"After 9/11, most insurance policies were amended to include terrorism but the situation in Thailand is different," she said.

"Every insurance policy is different so we would advise people to check with their provider. We would also advise people to check with their tour operator or airline."

David Rogers, who has been in Thailand on business, was due to fly home on Friday but he is stuck in Bangkok instead.

I am looking forward to having some more time to experience this lovely country Guy Glover

"The situation in town is mostly business as usual but hotel guests who cannot leave, like me, are becoming increasingly frustrated," he said. "Very little information is coming from my airline."

He added the protesters were losing support among the Thai people because their actions would have a "long-term and far-reaching" on the economy.

But recently-retired Guy Glover, from the Midlands, was quite happy about the delay.

"The options for getting out of the country are limited and all are heavily booked, " he said.

"However I am looking forward to having some more time to experience this lovely country, where life is continuing otherwise as normal."

Meanwhile, BBC website reader Paul is desperate to get to Bangkok to see his first child, who arrived more than a week early.

"My Thai wife gave birth to my daughter on Thursday and I was booked on a flight to Bangkok the same day," he said.

"This is my first child and I have not even seen her yet."

The closure of Suvarnabhumi international airport, one of Asia's busiest, and the Don Mueang domestic airport, has caused chaos and brought the tourist industry to a standstill.

About 750,000 Britons travel to the country every year, many of whom are independent travellers.

A total of 100,000 passengers are reportedly stranded in Bangkok but the exact number of Britons is unknown.

Volatile situation

At least 3,000 travellers had to be evacuated from the international airport and many are now stuck in hotels in the Thai capital.

Some tourists have taken buses hundreds of miles to airports on the southern island of Phuket or in the northern city of Chiang Mai.

Others have travelled overland to neighbouring Cambodia and Malaysia.

Travel association Abta estimated that the total number of Britons affected across the whole country, including independent travellers, was in the low thousands.

"About 400 tourists are in Bangkok with our members. They are in a better position than people who travelled independently," a spokesman said.

All flights in and out of the airport have been cancelled

"The operators are keeping in contact with them, making sure they are in hotels, and in many cases paying their bills.

"It's still a volatile situation and we are waiting for the airport to reopen rather than evacuating people."

He said people with bookings to fly out to Thailand were being dealt with on a "rolling basis" and could choose to delay their trip, go to an alternative destination or ask for their money back.

A spokeswoman for tour operator Kuoni said they had been looking after about 200 clients in Thailand.

Some had chosen to remain in beach resorts rather than wait for flights in Bangkok, she said.

Thousands of police are building a huge cordon around Suvarnabhumi airport.

The government has ordered police to clear the protestors, from the People's Alliance for Democracy, but the army has refused.