There is no immediate cause for concern for New Zealand tourists stranded in Bangkok after anti-government protests closed the Bangkok International Airport, New Zealand's ambassador in the country said today.
At least four New Zealanders were believed to be at the airport when the mayhem began.
"The mood was calm. There was about a 1000 protesters inside and outside the terminal but there was no sense of animosity and no evidence of any offensive weapons," New Zealand envoy Brook Barrington told Radio New Zealand.
He said there had been use of weapons -- firearms and hand grenades -- in areas where tourists rarely went.
About 560 New Zealanders were registered with the embassy in Thailand, but Mr Barrington said most people did not register and there were probably 1200 New Zealand residents and almost 2000 travellers in the country.
The airport had been cleared of passengers, with people in hotels around the city.
Anyone who was still at the airport, because they had checked their bags in, should stay with other tourists and keep in touch with the airlines, Mr Barrington said.
He said it was unclear when the airport would reopen and anyone planning on travelling to Thailand should wait until the situation was "clarified".
Things are safe and it was "business as usual" in other parts of Bangkok and the rest of Thailand.
Airline and airport officials simply melted away on Tuesday, pulling down the shutters and deserting their posts at the approach of members of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), the street movement that has occupied the seat of government since August, Reuters reported.
Security officials cancelled all flights out of the airport, which is the gateway for 14 million tourists a year, after the latest attempt by the PAD's six-month campaign to oust Thailand's elected government.
